Low-Code, No-Code and Codeless: They are not the same thing

In recent years, the terms "low-code" and "no-code" have become buzzwords in the software industry. Numerous platforms in the enterprise space promote their products as low-code solutions. These platforms allow non-technical users to develop applications without coding. However, there is an essential distinction between these low-code/no-code platforms and authentic codeless architecture.

Code is still generated

Low-code/no-code platforms use visual interfaces and configuration to abstract away much of the coding work. But under the hood, it is still created and executed code. So low code doesn't entirely abstract away from coding; it just hides it from the developer.

It means low-code/no-code applications have many of the same challenges and maintenance costs traditionally associated with coded apps. The underlying code still needs to be managed, optimized, scaled, and secured like any other codebase, and it proliferates your technical debt.

Abstracting the technical plumbing

In contrast, applications built on a codeless architecture like AgilePoint do not rely on code interpretation of execution at runtime. "A codeless architecture decouples the business logic from the technical plumbing. Changes can be made declaratively through the interface without directly touching code." So, what does codeless mean for my business?

The Power of Codeless

Codeless platforms are designed for modern business, where change is the only constant, and the need to adapt quickly is an essential competitive trait. They are a means to tackle and eventually eliminate technical debt while drastically increasing business agility. They also facilitate greater empowerment and autonomy of your non-IT staff - not just to design applications - but to continually evolve and ever-green them.

For example, when necessitated by market movements or the underlying IT infrastructure changes… they can do this without relying on dedicated IT professionals.

Scalable without increasing Technical Debt

Codeless platforms use declarative models based on composable and reusable assets. While these composable assets are built by code, this code is not exposed within the business automations and applications built within the platform. It means an enterprise can develop and operationalize as many applications as they want without increasing technical debt.

For instance, a McKinsey study revealed that organizations estimate the cost of their technical debt as anywhere between 15%-60% of every dollar spent on IT. It means that with codeless architecture, the lifetime cost of creating, deploying, and maintaining IT solutions is significantly less than with rigid, code-based applications.

Increased Business Empowerment & Agility

A codeless architecture opens up end-to-end application development and maximizes business agility in a way that low-code and no-code cannot. It is not to undermine the game changer these platforms have ushered in, from the democratization of software development to the mind-blowing speed at which ideas are born as working business solutions.

However, a codeless architecture furthers this by enabling sustainable, long-term business flexibility and adaptability. With no baked-in code dependencies, subject matter experts, citizen developers, and operational staff can readily adapt apps without engineering refactoring. Codeless allows business logic changes to be made rapidly and in real-time through the interface, unencumbered by the need to deal with any hard-coded IT infrastructure scaffolding. It frees the business side to iterate and pivot faster.

While low-code and no-code platforms abstract the complexity of code when designing applications, codeless platforms also entirely abstract away coding complexity in the back end. Non-IT users can now more autonomously address typically highly technical activities within the software development process.

No Vendor Lock-In

Many Low-code and no-code platforms generate proprietary code and data schemas that make it difficult to switch vendors. Contrastingly, codeless platforms use common data schemas like XML and JSON and open protocols like REST APIs. It prevents proprietary lock-in and, vitally, ensures portability. Avoiding lock-in gives organizations maximum flexibility to shape technology strategy to business needs rather than vendor constraints.

Final Thoughts

Enterprises are pushing for a new approach as demand grows for agile solutions that solve evolving business needs and challenges. Pure codeless architecture represents the next evolution: non-technical users are empowered to design and deploy enterprise apps and adapt and maintain them with maximum business agility and no proliferation of code sprawl. Leading analysts predict rapid adoption as more organizations recognize the limitations of traditional coding, low-code, and no-code platforms, without addressing the agility-sapping issue of technical debt.

In Part II of this series, I wrote how combining Codeless and Low-code/No-code provides ultimate agility to enterprises.

About AgilePoint

AgilePoint is an adaptive enterprise process automation platform. Our philosophy is that all code creates future choke points, ultimately leading to system collapse.

That is why our platform is entirely codeless—allowing subject matter experts and citizen developers to continuously transform the business without extending your technical debt footprint and making your organization faster, more secure, more resilient, and fully adaptive.

For more information on how AgilePoint's codeless architecture works, have a look at the article From Code to Codeless: Unlock Continuous Digital Transformation

We save our clients $ 32 million or an ROI of over 400% on average. For more of our amazing result metrics, check out Forrester's special report on AgilePoint's Total Economic Impact

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