A comprehensive guide to Low-Code, No-Code, and Pro-Code Development

What are these trendy trends - low-code/no-code/pro-code development? Are they any good for the developers or business users? Or are they just some passing fads? Let’s find out. 

CIOs and CTOs are under enormous pressure. And this pressure is all about accelerating their companies' digital transformation by developing more secure and scalable digital products and services to gain a competitive edge over others. 

However, the IT teams are unable to focus on mission-critical development projects as they are constantly bombarded with development requests from leaders and managers from across the org. 

To free up the dedicated resources, companies and leaders must figure out ways to democratize development so everyone can build without needing a developers’ intervention - that’s where low code and no code development platforms come into the scenario. 

While pro-coding is a developer job and requires in-depth knowledge of generic and special programming languages such as Python, PHP, and JavaScript, low-code and no-code app builders enable everyone - even the non-technical business users - to build apps without coding. 

What is Low-Code Application Development? 

Low-code development is the process of building software applications without a developer’s intervention. It’s not that a developer can not touch low-code tools; it’s just that low-code development platforms are designed for business users with minimal or no coding experience. 

With low-code development, business users or citizen developers can develop apps by logging into the visual development environments and using intuitive interfaces with drag-and-drop features and pre-built templates and code blocks. 

By imbibing low-code development practices within your organization, you can generate greater value across the development lifecycle by reducing time-to-market and accelerating innovation and workflow automation. 

Low-code development yields tremendous value as it leads the users to a new landscape of opportunities:

• Faster pace of software development 
• Reduced development cost 
• Reduced manual errors 
• Reduced time to market 
• Accelerated customer experience and innovation 

 However, low-code is, by no means, a replacement for pro-code or traditional development. Low-code platforms have their limitations, too. 
 

What is no-code application development?  

A no-code app builder or tool allows non-technical users, such as business analysts, to develop apps without any prior coding knowledge. 

No-code development is a step further from low-code development as it eliminates the need to write any code. 

With no code platforms, business users or citizen developers create apps using a graphical interface, drag-and-drop features, and pre-built templates. 
 

Pro-coding (aka. Full-fledged coding)

Pro-coding is our traditional software development methodology where development teams write code with different programming languages such as Python and C++.

Pro-coding - also known as high-coding - is heavy-lifting work. It’s for professionals with deep experience in coding. 

Traditional coding has been here for decades. And it will likely be here for many more decades.

Since pro-coding is done by professional developers, it takes significantly more time and costs more to develop software than building it using low-code or no-code app building software application.

Here’s a quick comparison of low-code, no-code, and pro-code development:

Low-code vs. no-code vs. pro-code development

Low-code and no-code development tools and technologies are becoming increasingly mainstream these days with more and more business users willing to take things in their own hands. 

Although low-code and no-code differ significantly from traditional or pro-coding, enterprises can bundle them together and use them strategically to improve productivity and drive outcomes.

How do you decide when to use low-code, no-code, and pro-code?

Here are some situations where you might use low-code, no-code, or pro-code: 

Low-code application development

The idea behind low-code development is to democratize technology or development across the org. The idea is to empower everyone to take things in their own hands and build or optimize current tasks or processes with low-code development tools. 

The scope of the work and the tech stack needed to develop and run an application is a strong indicator of whether low-code can be considered in a particular case. 

Organizations can set up processes and policies to help determine the use cases for low-code development and then train business users to capture the full potential of these development tools. 

Generally speaking, low-code development platforms can be used for:  

• Custom applications 
• Web apps 
• Business process automation 
• Workflow management
• Data visualization, and reporting 

No-code application development  

A development approach that does not need coding and can be used to build a tactical app that takes care of simple functionality. No-code is a good option if you have to create an MVP or proof of concept quickly. 

No-code development platforms can be used for: 

• Productivity apps 
• E-commerce platforms
• Customer relationship management systems (CRMs)
• And project management applications 

Pro-code application development

A good alternative for projects big in scale and complicated. Pro-code approaches manage sophisticated workflows within much sturdier systems. 

Before the advent of low-code and no-code application development platforms, pro-code was the only way out to build a digital product. But now we have more options and greater flexibility. 

Pro-code development is ideally suited for: 

• Next-generation applications 
• Business-critical applications 
• Heavily feature-rich and customized software 
• App development projects that require full control over coding and greater security and governance

Questions to ask before choosing a development approach

Nothing beats traditional programming when it is about ‘having complete control over your product or the flexibility to mold it your way to rapidly adapt to the market.’ However, the selection of the development approach should be based on various factors. Answering the following questions can help: 

• What are my project requirements?
  
  First, analyze everything about your project: think about the scope of the work, complexity, and specific needs. Determine the kind of app you are planning to develop in the first place - is it going to be a simple app or a highly customized and intricate application?
• What is my budget and timeline?
  
  Your budget and project timelines are going to play a significant role. Pro or traditional coding may offer more control but could extend the overall development time and costs. No-code can be quicker, but its capabilities may vary.
• What is the long-term vision for my project?
  
  Consider your project's scalability and evolution. Are you planning for rapid growth, frequent updates, or long-term complexity? This will influence your choice between traditional coding and no-code.
• What is the importance of customization and control?
  
  Evaluate how critical customization and control are for your project. Traditional coding provides full control, while no-code may have limitations in this regard.

Bottom line  

Pro or high coding was the only way out in all these years to build digital products. However, the landscape has been changing lately with the advent of new technologies, particularly low-code app development and no-code platforms. 

By harnessing the potential of these next-generation development tools and platforms, we can further optimize our development and delivery models. Accelerating the application lifecycle with low-code, no-code, frameworks, and DevOps practices will enable you to build and deliver high-quality code at a faster pace, thus helping you drive innovation, customer engagement, and business revenue. 

Here at Kellton, we build next-generation applications using pro-code, low-code, and no-code. Just a while back, we even acquired Hooper - a low-code, hyper-automation platform - to further solidify our position as an industry-leading web and mobile app development company. 

Have something to talk about? We’re all ears! 

Just drop us a line here. 

FAQs 

1. What are low-code/no-code (LCNC) platforms?

Low-code and no-code (LCNC) platforms are software development tools that allow developers and business users to design and develop applications without coding. These tools simplify development with a range of visual tools like drag-and-drop, pre-built widgets, and intuitive methods. The reduced need for coding eliminates the need for traditional developers. LCNC platforms are built on coding languages like PHP, Python, and Java. 

2. How is low-code different from traditional coding?

Low-code or no-code development platforms are designed to significantly reduce the complexity of the manual coding. Instead of writing code from scratch, business users (With zero to minimal coding experience) and professional developers can use the visual interfaces and pre-built components to design user interfaces, define business logic, and integrate the app with data sources. 

3. What are some of the best low code and no code platforms available today?

The market of low-code and no-code development tools is expanding at a breathtaking pace. Some powerful development tools or platforms in this space include names like Microsoft Power Apps, Salesforce Lightning Platform, Google App Maker, Mendix, Hooper, OutSystems, and Bubble. These platforms cater to different use cases and industries, providing a range of tools for building diverse applications without traditional coding.