date: 'Thursday, August 1 2024' title: 'What Are Low Code Tools?' description: 'A deep dive into low code tools and their pros and cons.' image: 'blog-lowcode1_mboydh' author: 'Brian T. Sullivan' editor: 'Lindsey Woldt'

category: 'learn'

What Are Low Code Tools?

Written by Brian T. Sullivan • Edited by Lindsey Woldt

Designing software can be a little like cooking.

Sometimes, you want to make a meal from scratch. When you do this, you know how much of every single ingredient is going into your dish. This gives you total control over every aspect of the flavor, texture, and presentation of the food. The price you pay is that it not only takes longer to cook that dish from scratch, but it can take years to develop the skills and experience you need to actually make use of all of those raw ingredients.

If hand-coding software is like cooking from scratch, then using low code tools is like combining different pre-made foods (and maybe a few things you make from scratch) to create your own, unique dish. Let's take a deeper look into what low code tools are.

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What Is Low Code Development?

As the name suggests, low code development platforms are software tools for making apps, websites, and other software with minimal coding. They often have largely graphical interfaces—as opposed to text-based—and are an example of "What You See is What You Get" (WYSIWYG) software. If you want a piece of text to be bold, for instance, you can just highlight it and make it bold by either clicking a button or using a keystroke. No tags like HTML's bold or strong need to be typed in, because the tool does that for you behind the scenes.

These tools can go beyond basic text formatting, however. With low code solutions, you can make simple apps without writing a single line of code. For more advanced functionality, though, you can still write code into your software by hand. This lets you direct your efforts toward the really important parts of your project, rather than toiling away implementing basic functionality.

Pros & Cons to Low Code Tools

Low code technology exists for anybody, really. From small and independent creators, to larger organizations. The appeal is that you can get your idea out there quickly without the hassle of having the need to code or hiring someone to code. However, there's pros and cons to just about any tool. Let's look at why should or shouldn't use low code tools for your use case.

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Low Code Tools Benefits

Low code tools can be invaluable and even coders themselves are using these platforms. Just because you can code—even if you like to code—it doesn't mean that you want to spend all of your time fiddling with the basics. After all, a major reason we use computers is to automate tedious and repetitive tasks. If you're just one person, a low-code tool can let you set up a lot quickly, allowing you to either move on to other projects or work on more complicated features that have to be coded. To go back to the cooking metaphor, buying a bag of pre-chopped vegetables may save you time, so that you can focus on making a sauce that will make your meal really special.

You can have something that is slick and professional, so that your users can focus on what actually matters, rather than wrestling with a clunky interface. Many small businesses will use these platforms, bypassing rather than jumping over the major hurdle of learning to code everything yourself.

Low code tools also appeal to larger organizations. Your company may really need a certain app or website feature now, so why reinvent the wheel when you can implement a low code solution? A low code application platform could take a multi-day project involving numerous designers and developers and turn it into something that maybe one or two people could put together in an afternoon (if it isn't too complicated, at least). If it needs further refinement or an expansion of functionality, of course, low code tools do allow you to include code, so this can also allow for between coders and non-coders on your design and development teams.

Low Code Tools Disadvantages

Nothing is perfect. Low code tools are no exception. Among the drawbacks to low code solutions, a major one can be the limited customization options. Even though you can incorporate your own code, many of these tools only allow that in certain places. This is often a technical reality of how the systems work. After all, they don't want your custom code to break their code. For many projects, this may not be a problem, but it may be too constraining if you want to make a very specific, complex application.

Similarly, you need to be aware going in that low code tools are being built using services and platforms provided by a third party. This could lead to security and privacy concerns—especially if you're thinking of using a low code solution in an environment with sensitive information, like a medical center or government agency. Plus, you run the risk of your chosen low-code tool provider going out of business or changing a part of their business that will cause a headache on your end.

Another thing to keep in mind is that a tool being low code does not necessarily mean it is easy to use. Depending on the design of the interface, a tool could either be extremely straightforward or require a considerable amount of time learning it before anything useful can be made with it. Once you've mastered them, the tools could make your process way faster, but just be aware that there could be a learning curve at first.

Low Code Development in a Nutshell

Low code tools offer the benefits of developing software quickly with minimal coding experience required, while still allowing you to write some code to include more advanced or complicated features. This can be a boon to people who are not code-savvy, organizations that need code created quickly, and coders who want to direct their energies to other parts of a project. Of course, there can be downsides, like limits to how much code you actually can add, and the fact you're relying on a third party to support your software.

There are plenty of instances where the possible drawbacks to low code tools are outweighed by the benefits they offer. As long as you know what you'll be using this technology for, you may find that low code options can be insanely cool tools.

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