The web development world is going from code-heavy to completely no code. Does that mean there won't be more web developer jobs in the future? Should developers change their career paths? Not necessarily. It's the other way around.

The demand and need for web developers or app developers were always there and will always be there. In fact, according to a Microsoft study, the world is seeing a shortage of close to 1 million developers. This is because the developers don't adapt to the changing requirements in their job. The developers must keep learning to stay relevant in the industry because companies from all industries are looking for qualified coders but can't find the right ones to understand their data structures and build applications.

In 2019, more developer positions were hired outside of technology in industries such as retail, energy, financial services, and healthcare than in the core technology companies. 86% of Microsoft customers are struggling to find a professional developer.

A company must find a way and keep operating even if they don't find the right talent. How would that be possible? This is a global issue, and the solution must be something that the whole world can resonate with. So, the companies worked around the tools and the talent available to meet their business requirements. They built platforms to meet their workforce's skill set and hence the birth of the low to no-code platforms. So, instead of teaching everybody how to write code, we are teaching how you do the development so that anybody can work on it.

We already have a robust workforce that has been around for quite some time now, and it is not hard for them to adapt to new low-code tools. So, leverage them and use them to their full potential.

The Low Code Revolution

We saw a significant move in the past years in how web, application, cloud solutions, and software solutions are being developed at all levels and across industries. Every step in the app or web development process has changed because of low code or no code.

Low code development is booming at an extraordinary pace. In laymen's language, low code means that you don't need to be a hardcore developer/coder and can use the resources you already have to get the job done. And by the job, we mean snack-sized tasks. Anyone who has worked at any post in any company can work their way around the low code platforms.

Features of Low Code Platforms

Drag and Drop

The drag and drop feature is probably the most popular feature of low code platforms. That interface feature allows non-developers to work on the platform and make the development process easy. Even hardcore developers can use this feature and help the Rapid Application Development process.

Scalability

Initially, low code platforms were built for smaller tasks so developers keep working on code-heavy projects and the other team members from marketing or sales or any other department could perform itsy-bitsy adjustments. Now, the stakes are higher than ever; the low code platforms are now for enterprise-level solutions. Take Hubspot and Salesforce solutions. You can perform marketing and sales tasks and build websites and applications with minimum code use. They have provided an ecosystem for enterprises. 

Security

The low code platforms will be in the hands of multiple team members. Multiple team members logging in at the same time from different workstations using their own login passwords is the common scenario. So, security is of utmost priority.

Visual Cross-Platform Functionality

Low code platforms support visual modal. It makes the process faster as the developer (or the non-developer) can see the changes in the design or functions on the spot. And, with multi-device support, they can see how their application looks on desktop, tablet, and mobile with a single click.

Reusability

If you did a module today using low code, you can use the same module on other applications where needed. You don't have to spend time and effort building a new one from scratch because the core functionality remains the same.

Always Space for Scripting

The benefit of low code that separates it from no-code platforms is its ability to have development scripts. If something cannot be achieved simply by drag and drop or modules, then the low code platforms also offer you the option to add your own script to meet your goals. Such functionality is not available in the no-code platforms. And that is quite the only difference between a low code and no-code platform.

Development Lifecycle Management

Salesforce is one of the low code platforms that allows its users to build applications. And it covers all the stages of application development, streamlining the complete process for the web developers. Features like reverting to previous versions of the apps, detailed information about all the apps created, and much more come with low code platforms. We can dedicate a whole blog just to the app development lifecycle in low code platforms.

Inevitable Benefits of Low Code Platforms

Saves Valuable Time

App development turnaround time is significantly reduced when you work on low code platforms. In addition, the toolkit the low code platforms offer, such as visual interface and reusable components, improves the developer's overall productivity. Quick changes and fast transformations come as benefits and time savings.

Empower development

By implementing low code platforms into your work processes, you are empowering every employee to be a developer. They can diversify their skill set. An additional skill is always a plus point in a professional profile.

Develop at Low Costs

Complex applications can be built to support multiple business processes without incurring high costs. Incorporate future improvements in the existing products with minimum costs as well.

Better Customer Experience

Low-code platforms benefit not only the companies but also the end-users. Imagine when a company quickly develops a product and updates it at the same speed? The end-user will always get an up-to-date product, so they don't have to compromise with quality or backdated products.

Developers available for hard core development work

Since you are empowering every team member to be a developer, your dedicated developers can focus on hard code development tasks. At the same time, you let other team members focus on the itsy-bitsy development work.