All You Need to Know about Low-code App Development Platform

The year 2016 can be viewed as a year of consolidation for the low-code app development process, as it strengthens the presence among the companies across various sectors. Now the process gets a boost as SMBs start embracing this technology to stay ahead of the curve in a mobile-driven world. Ericsson Mobility Report states that the number of smartphone users is expected to reach 6.1 billion by 2020 as almost 70 percent of the world’s population is supposed to use smartphones, which means that a huge opportunity lies in front of businesses and thriving low-code app development platform enables them to grab it.

Why to adopt a low-code platform
Some of the biggest motivations to adopt a low-code platform are the issues related to cost and customization. In today’s fast-paced business scenario, companies just can’t afford to remain behind in putting a user-friendly business mobile app. Also, complete control and customization of mobile apps are necessary to meet changing business requirements. But then, many companies stay averse from spending high on development and maintenance of apps as such costs erode their working capital. There, a low-code platform lends a helping hand, and offers customized app solutions in significantly less time and lower TCO (Total Cost of Ownership).

Another noteworthy advantage of any low-code platform is it can empower the employees and bring them into the app development domain. It allows C-suite executives to take advantage of the huge innovation potential of their employees, especially those who do not have the technical skills to create a business app. In other words, low-code app development tools can materialize creative app ideas given by employees.

Low-code platform- From development to deployment
When it comes to mobile app development, the biggest concern is attracting and engaging users. It is easy to build the rich user experience for the end customers using a low-code platform as we just need to drag and drop pre-tested and pre-standardized UI components. As compared to the traditional development process, such an automated app development process is faster because it eliminates the requirement of unit-level testing. UI components integrated into the platform are reusable across various apps and reduce the development time drastically.

How low-code development is different than traditional development
Integration testing is an essential part of the traditional development process in which different app components are built in bulk and merged with the code before passing through multiple rounds of testing.
In the low-code app development, whenever there is a need felt for a low-level component, the technical team makes it available in the pre-tested and pre-standardized form, thereby completely avoiding integration testing. When the app is got ready, it can be effortlessly moved from development to staging to production environments.

Modern low-code development platforms facilitate businesses to build native apps with a robust, cloud-based database that is virtually limitless and highly scalable. They also enable us to download the native source code and offer a single-click remote deployment of the backend. In brief, we can overcome all the odds of traditional mobile app development process.

In a way, low-code development platform can accelerate the entire app lifecycle while taking care of every aspect ranging from development to deployment. No wonder that many businesspersons opt for such a platform.

Road ahead for low-code platforms
Here is my take: as the technology advances, we will see more features and higher automation in browser-based RAD platforms. It is just a matter of time when enterprises, irrespective of their size and business model, will count on such platforms for developing an app that can meet every business requirement and readily integrate with the ecosystem. In other words, apps developed by low-code platforms will offer end-to-end business solutions shortly while simplifying complexities.

Conclusion
Finally, we can conclude with the lines: When you want to automatize mobile app development, there is no any alternative to a low-code app development platform. The platform is here to replace the traditional app development approaches.