Developers use different approaches to deliver software applications. The two common software development methods are low-code and traditional development. Low-code development is a visual model-driven approach to creating applications. It uses tools like drag-and-drop modelers and can be adopted by individuals with minimal coding experience. On the other hand, traditional development involves developing apps through manual coding.
When it comes to choosing between the two software development methods, confusion often arises. Therefore, decision-makers must compare them to select the most suitable development model. But where do you start? Here is a detailed review of the two approaches, including each development method’s pros, cons, and use cases.
Low-Code Development
As the name suggests, low-code development involves minimal hand coding. Instead, it uses a visual approach to building applications. It offers an intuitive, drag-and-drop interface, allowing you to drag and drop features and components into your application.
Pros of Low-Code Development
Here are the key benefits of low-code development:
1. Rapid Application Delivery
Low-code development platforms offer numerous pre-built components, such as templates, modules, and connectors. Developers can customize these elements to build their own applications. So, instead of developing everything from scratch, these components are used as building blocks, reducing the development time and benefiting from low code services.
Also, some low-code development platforms, such as Mendix, support AI-assisted development. These AI capabilities help you develop applications faster and more efficiently, as they can do repetitive and time-consuming tasks on your behalf.
2. Less Coding is Required
Low-code development involves minimal manual coding. This makes it less error-prone and laborious. Low-code development platforms abstract away much of the hand-coding, making it accessible to users with limited coding knowledge, such as citizen developers and business analysts.
3. Cost Savings
The low-code approach reduces development time. This reduces the labor cost by minimizing the hours you’ll need to pay developers to build your applications. Also, reduces the need to hire highly experienced developers, who come at a cost. This makes it cost-effective for specific projects.
4. Higher Business Agility
Business agility is a critical success factor in today’s ever-evolving digital landscape. Low-code applications are more agile. This means you can quickly update your low-code application to respond to emerging user demands or market conditions. App releases are faster, and errors can be backtracked and addressed instantly. This ensures you don’t miss out on potential opportunities.
5. Improved Collaboration
Initially, application development was only left to experienced developers and IT teams. This often created a gap between business and IT teams. However, low-code development bridges this gap by democratizing application development.
The low-code approach allows citizen developers and business users to actively contribute to the application delivery. This helps improve the quality of applications by bringing new ideas into the development process.
Cons of Low-Code Development
Here are the key disadvantages of low-code development:
1. Limited Customization
Low-code development platforms offer limited customization capabilities. This makes it inappropriate for applications that require complex business logic or highly customized solutions.
2. Vendor Lock-In
Many low-code platforms are available online, including Mendix services. Each of these platforms has different capabilities. So, it can be challenging to switch to another vendor once you choose a low-code provider. In some cases, it can be impossible or infeasible. This raises the risk of vendor lock-in and limits the portability to other platforms.
3. Scalability Concerns
Scalability is key when developing applications. It ensures you can scale apps to accommodate the growing business demands. However, some low-code platforms may be unsuitable for managing enterprise-level or large-scale applications.
Use Cases of Low-Code Development
Here are some common use cases of low-code development:
- Rapid prototyping. Low-code development is perfect for rapid prototyping. It allows you to quickly develop prototypes and proof-of-concept applications.
- Front-end focused applications. Low code is useful for applications prioritizing user experience (UX) over complex backend functionalities. It helps you deliver outstanding UX thanks to the pre-built UI patterns and screen templates.
- Internal workflows and tools. Non-mission-critical internal apps, including task-tracking tools and employee management systems, can benefit from low-code development.
Traditional Software Development
As initially stated, this software development approach involves developing applications through manual coding. Unlike low-code development, everything is built from scratch. Now let’s explore traditional development’s pros, cons, and use cases.
Pros of Traditional Development
- Full control and customization. Every application component is built from scratch using various programming languages, such as Python, Java, CSS, and JavaScript. Therefore, you have complete control over every aspect of the development process. This makes it ideal for applications that require significant customization and complex logic.
- Long-term viability. Traditionally built applications can be maintained for an extended period. You don’t depend on specific vendors or platforms as with low code.
- Robustness. Traditional development gives greater control over code quality, optimization, and security measures. This makes it powerful for building mission-critical applications.
- Scalability. Traditional development offers more flexibility, especially if your application will handle significant data processing or a large user base.
Cons of Traditional Development
- Development time. Traditional development is time-consuming – you can take up to a year to build an application. Everything is developed from scratch using manual coding.
- Resource intensive. This development approach requires a team of specialized developers. Therefore, it may not be feasible for some organizations, especially those with limited budgets.
- Higher Cost. More time is spent on developing the application. Also, highly skilled developers are required – they don’t come cheap. This makes it expensive, particularly for smaller projects.
Use Cases of Traditional Development
- Data-intensive applications. Apps that deal with large volumes of data and require complex data processing are best built using traditional development.
- Mission-critical applications. Apps that are fundamental to a business’s operations and demand high security and performance are better suited for traditional development. This approach gives you complete control over your applications – no third-party vendors.
- Complex business logic. Projects with sophisticated business workflows and rules can benefit from the customization capabilities of traditional development.
Final Thoughts
Low-code and traditional development methods are both excellent choices for building software applications. However, choosing between the two depends on the specific software development requirements and constraints, as each has pros, cons, and suitable use cases. Low code would be ideal for rapid prototyping, building customer-facing applications, and creating internal tools. On the other hand, traditional development is best suited for handling mission-critical and complex projects, particularly those involving data-intensive operations.