The popularity of low-code and zero-code has remained high in recent years. At first glance, it is easy to confuse low-code and zero-code development platforms——
Because they are both alternatives to traditional development aimed at speeding up the software development process with features similar to visual programming.
But the two are not the same thing at all. From developer experience, target personas, to usage scenarios, there is a big difference between low-code and zero-code.
This article analyzes the difference between low-code and zero-code development platforms from various angles of enterprise applications , so as to help enterprises choose the appropriate application development platform faster and better.
Reference tool: Jiandao Cloud Zero Code Development Platform >> http://s.fanruan.com/ldm67
01 What is low-code development? What is zero-code development?
What is low-code development?
A low-code development platform is a more technologist-oriented tool that allows developers to quickly design applications with minimal hand-coding by dragging and dropping visual code blocks to create applications .
Building software with low-code is essentially the same as building software the traditional way. The difference is--
Low-code provides shortcuts to avoid repetitive and tedious tasks.
So instead of manually writing user management system code over and over again , or writing 10 tests before a single line of application code, developers can directly create something new and valuable.
What is zero-code development?
Like low-code development, zero-code development also has the drag-and-drop visual development function, but the zero-code development method is lighter than low-code development.
The purpose of the zero-code development platform is to empower more business members to participate in application construction, usually for use cases in relatively specific scenarios——
Example: Apps that help users improve the efficiency of their daily activities.
This way, business users don't have to wait 3-6 months for IT to deliver the applications they need, and IT isn't distracted from any critical development projects.
Zero-code platforms offer a higher degree of simplicity and ease of use so that anyone, regardless of development experience, can quickly create applications.
02 What is the difference between low-code development and zero-code development?
From the above concepts, we can already see some differences between low-code platforms and no-code platforms——
While both platforms focus on using visual development and a drag-and-drop interface to create applications more efficiently , the similarities end there.
The following table presents the main differences between low-code and zero-code:
Specifically, low-code and zero-code development platforms have the following differences:
(1) Different target users
Low-code platforms are usually designed for professional developers and require the necessary development knowledge.
Although low-code development is also a drag-and-drop experience, developers can add traditional code as needed to extend and customize their applications.
No-code, on the other hand, is aimed at business users who have extensive domain knowledge and may be slightly technical, but lack the ability to write code manually.
Zero-code development platforms are also suitable for mixed teams with business users and software developers or small business owners and non-IT teams such as HR, finance and legal.
(2) Different use cases
Zero-code development platforms are ideal for front-end applications that can be quickly designed with a drag-and-drop interface.
So zero-code is great for replacing monotonous administrative tasks --
Examples include various Excel-based reports used by business teams.
Such projects are not easily prioritized by IT, but can be lifesavers for business teams. It's also ideal for internal applications that aren't burdened with a lot of features and small business applications with smaller development budgets.
A low-code development platform, on the other hand, has an exhaustive component library that can scale to applications with heavyweight business logic and scale to the enterprise level.
Also, for integrating with other applications and external APIs, connecting to multiple data sources, and building systems with security fences that require an IT perspective, low-code is a better option than no-code.
(3) Different development speeds
Low-code development requires more training and time to onboard, develop and deploy because it offers more opportunities for customization. But it's still much faster than traditional development .
Compared to low-code, zero-code is highly configurable and all plug-and-play with less build time.
Testing time is also reduced because there is little risk of potential errors that are usually introduced by manual coding. Here, it's all about making sure the configuration and data flow are set up correctly.
(4) Differences between open and closed systems
Low-code is an open system that allows its users to extend functionality through code.
This means greater flexibility and reusability. For example--
Users can create custom plugins and data source connectors to suit their use cases and reuse them later.
Zero Code is a more closed system that is primarily extended through a templated feature set.
This means that use cases and access to boilerplate plugins and integrations are limited, but it's easier to ensure backwards compatibility, helping businesses take small steps ahead of early experimentation.
03 When to use low-code development? When to use zero-code development?
Both low-code and zero-code have their advantages. The similarities between the two don't make it an easy decision, either. The best way forward is to assess current requirements and choose accordingly.
First of all, companies must figure out the following questions before choosing a model:
- What is the goal of using a low-code or zero-code development platform?
- Who is the main user? What is their programming expertise?
- What is the scope and scale of the problem to be solved?
- Does the build require custom integration with external and internal applications?
- What is the turnaround time required?
- How much control do users want to retain over the code?
- Does the application need to handle confidential data or have security considerations?
To sum up, the core question is-
What is the application for and who will build it?
for example:
Low-code is preferred if the use case is complex, requires integration with other on-premises or cloud applications, has customer-facing or business-critical requirements, or needs to be deployed across the enterprise.
If you only need to develop simple applications that require little customization and are based on improving the efficiency of simple workflows, then no-code is a great solution. for example:
- Expense approval
- Hires
- Calendar and Scheduling
- order management
- Leave Approval
etc. The following are typical scenarios of Jiandaoyun zero-code development platform , you can refer to:
In short, before enterprises choose a low-code or zero-code development platform, they must be clear about their needs. Don’t just go to the system in a daze. In the end, the business will not improve the quality and efficiency, and the tools will not be useful. The loss outweighs the gain.