I. Introduction
The concept of low-code emerged in 2014 and was proposed by the research organization Forrester. After several years of development, there are already relatively mature business models abroad. In China, basically starting from 2018, there have been more and more discussions, but there are also many doubts among them, such as "simple and stupid", "old wine in new bottles", labeled "outsourcing companies", etc. , after three years of fermentation, low-code has transformed and become a trend that enterprises cannot miss, with more and more voices discussing and participating enterprises.
According to predictions by Gartner, by 2025, 70% of new applications in enterprises will be developed through low-code or no-code technology, which will accelerate the overall explosion of the low-code market . Data from Haibi Research Institute, another research institution, show that in 2020, China's low-code market will reach 1.9 billion yuan, and by 2024, the low-code market will reach tens of billions.
Behind the rapid development of low-code comes from the increasing digital transformation needs of enterprises. Enterprises need to simplify some paradigmatic processes and repetitive work. In addition, the epidemic has accelerated the online and digital needs of enterprises. In this large environment, the internal and external systems of enterprises need to respond iteratively. Following the trend, low-code is beginning to be accepted by enterprises. .
2. The concept of low code
Low-code is a visual software development approach that delivers applications faster with minimal coding . A graphical user interface and drag-and-drop functionality automate every aspect of the development process, eliminating reliance on traditional computer programming methods.
Low-code platforms make application development more autonomous , especially for business users with no coding experience , such as business analysts or project managers. These tools enable less technical staff to have a greater business impact in a variety of ways, such as reducing IT department backlogs and reducing business process management.
Nonetheless, low-code development platforms can also help experienced programmers . Since they require little to no coding experience, they offer developers greater flexibility with their coding background .
For example, some business applications require knowledge of specific programming languages, further narrowing a developer's choices. By removing this bottleneck, low-code platforms shorten the development lifecycle of applications, allowing them to get more done in less time.
3. Significant advantages of low code
Using low-code development tools allows more people to contribute to software development, thereby achieving agility and improving overall productivity. Here is the JNPF low-code platform as an example:
Application address: https://www.jnpfsoft.com/?csdn
01. Provide source code
The JNPF low-code development platform can provide all source code mechanisms to ensure that users' service needs at different application stages, different levels and different scales can be met, ensuring that users have no worries; on the basis of all source codes, users can customize the system according to their own needs. Realize personalized business scenarios and greatly get rid of dependence on original manufacturers.
02. Private deployment
It supports a variety of different deployment solutions, and specific deployment methods can be selected based on the number of online users and the number of concurrent users. Usually the response time of each operation of the system is within 0.5-3S. Since the system is deployed locally, the data is more secure and controllable, users can independently develop secondary data, and the scalability is stronger.
03. Agile development
How much deployment time is reduced and business agility is achieved. An intuitive user interface, drag-and-drop functionality, simple integration of supporting tools, and one-click delivery options all help ensure faster project development cycles. In fact, low-code solutions can reduce development time by up to 90%.
04. Expand capabilities
If you rely solely on a team of professional developers to build your application, you may be overlooking a vast amount of untapped functionality. Low-code development provides development modules for people with limited technical backgrounds. These business people can use the low-code platform’s pre-built features to further innovate and grow your business.
4. Core capabilities of low-code
1. Workflow engine
The workflow engine is seamlessly integrated with business logic, supporting free customization of the rules and associated business processing of each node in the process; it supports online workflow orchestration and adjustment.
2. Portal engine
Provides visual portal design and drag-and-drop configuration layout to aggregate various information for managers, break data silos, facilitate decision-making, and integrate business processing entrances for ordinary users to facilitate office work.
3. Permission control mechanism
It has built-in user, role and organization management functions and provides multiple authentication modes to easily achieve refined data and business permission control; it supports online permission configuration capabilities.
4. API extension interface
The complete REST API interface adopts front-end and back-end separation, and can complete complex system integration, performance tuning and other tasks through programming expansion interface.
5. Instant messaging
Real-time communication reduces work communication costs. It is also compatible with PC, mobile client App, WeChat applet and other platforms. PC + mobile real-time communication has no worries.
6. Multi-tenant architecture
The application software is deployed uniformly on its own server. Users can set up multiple tenants according to actual work needs. Each tenant has a separate database and the data is isolated from each other.
7. Adapt to multiple data sources
Supports SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle, and PostgreSQL, and is compatible with domestic databases Dameng and Renmin University of Finance and Economics.
5. Summary
The low-code model facilitates rapid application development by making the user experience more accessible. Salespeople and professional developers alike will benefit from features such as a visual integrated development environment (IDE), built-in data connectors, APIs, and code templates. These capabilities of low-code tools improve DevOps processes, leaving more time for innovation.