Where do you stand about developing a web app on a no-code platform?
Hilal Aydın
69 replies
We are currently building an automated task management app on Bubble.io. The platform is quite comprehensive, however as expected there are some limitations when it compared to native applications.
I experienced that these limitations are easily resolvable by embedding some code inside, and no-code development definitely fastens the app development process.
What do you think about no-code app development platforms? Have you used one before? Let's meet in the comments! 🚀
Replies
Max Prilutskiy@maxprilutskiy
Launching soon!
I think that no-code app development platforms can be a great option for certain types of projects, especially if you are just getting started with app development and don't have a lot of experience with coding. These platforms can provide a lot of helpful tools and resources, and can make it easier to quickly prototype and test out your app ideas.
However, it's important to be aware of the limitations of no-code platforms, and to be prepared to incorporate some custom code if necessary to overcome these limitations. No-code platforms can be a great starting point, but in many cases, you will eventually need to incorporate custom code to fully realize your vision for your app.
Overall, I think that no-code platforms can be a valuable tool for app development, but it's important to be aware of their limitations and to be prepared to supplement them with custom code as needed.
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As a product manager using various no-code tools, I believe these platforms are a game-changer for software development. They offer a way for individuals and businesses to quickly and easily build functional applications without requiring extensive coding expertise.
No-code tools have democratized the software development process, allowing anyone with an idea to bring it to life. With visual interfaces and drag-and-drop tools, these platforms enable users to create applications in a matter of hours or days, rather than weeks or months. This rapid development time means that businesses can iterate quickly and get their products to market faster.
However, as with any technology, no-code tools do have some limitations. They may not be able to accommodate highly complex or custom functionality, which may require coding expertise but hopefully it will be solved over time.
It's a great tool to test product-market fit and build some simple straightforward products.
But once you've found it and need to grow and add some custom features - it might feel like it's getting in a way. When this happens - probably the best option is to gradually switch to custom development.
Oppflow
Hey @horovody I think we are on the same page about the limitations of no-code platforms. I experienced that when you embed some code into a no-code app you can customize it liberally. However, I believe transitioning to a native application is inevitable if you are planning to scale up your product.
Maybe one day it will be a worthwhile strategy but today the downsides are massive.
Not the least of which is technical debt.
Hi Hilal, I have developed aasaan, a complete no-code e-commerce platform, and I say this is the future as we as engineers should create no-code apps/platforms//solutions so that prospective audience can use it for their need than spend time understanding how to use for their needs.
Oppflow
Hi @raju_sivarama_gadiraju I am thrilled to see that the number of no-code solutions to the existing platforms are increasing day by day. I would love to listen your experiences on the no-code e-commerce platform you have built. I agree with you on the no-code/low-code is the future of engineering, and I believe that the limitations I mentioned will be resolved with the growth of no-code.
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Oppflow
Hi @sewell_stephens I have heard Editor X but never tried it out myself. I am definitely intrigued to check it out and discover its features after your comment. I have integrated Stripe payment system to my Bubble app without using any code or any other tool, but I have read so much about Zapier and I totally agree with you on that.
I looked into the websites, and if you want to check mine out: https://oppflow.io
I really want to hear your experiences, feel free to contact me on LinkedIn or Twitter if you want to.
Hey Hilal, I am a marketer who loves building stuff. So no-code is a great tool for a person like me to test ideas and do quick builds. Most of them seem to be very intuitive, and with the help of tutorials and YT videos you can almost always find a solution or a work-around for most of your problems.
Of course, there are limitations and if you want to scale or do highly customised builds, then you will definitely need to transition to actual coding.
I have used Glide and currently trying out Softr. I am almost always amazed how quickly these apps let me start building without the barrier of knowing how to code. For me, NoCode = #win :)
Oppflow
Hey @tusharbangera I totally agree with you on the points you mentioned. However, I overcame most of the limitations by embedding some code inside and building a low-code app in a no-code platform. Have you ever used Bubble? I have never used Glide or Softr before but I think they have some major differences when they compared to Bubble. In addition, how would you compare Glide to Softr? Please let me know! 🚀
Hey Hilal. I use a lot of no-code wherever possible as it saves me a lot of time. In fact, my product's landing page is built using no-code.
And also famewall.io caters to no-code enthusiasts by easily adding testimonials to websites without any coding. One learning I had after interacting with customers who preferred no-code is that they just eliminate the need for developers to maintain & save them a lot of costs :)
Bubble.io and Glide are great for proof of concept. Once you have serious security concerns due to enterprise customers or build with any modicum of complex logic, it's time to move over to a serious solution that can scale. Until then, no code is great!
Oppflow
Hi @travis_page I totally agree with you! I am still working on data privacy and security for my product and customers. Do you have any recommendations on how to secure your web app and data on no-code platforms?
weweb & drapcode
I think no-code tools are perfect to enable as many people as possible in a company to maintain websites, build automated workflows, etc. And on top of that, they will help you to really understand what exactly you need if you ever do hit the point where the no-code tools are not enough anymore, which makes it much easier and more efficient as a starting point to then build your own custom solutions.
Oppflow
Hi @jburr90 I am working on a low-code app for some time now and I wasn't aware of how no-code platforms and discovering their limitations are prepared me to the transition to a native app until I saw your comment. I totally agree with you on that! Have you ever hit to the point where no-code was not enough for you? Please feel free to share your experiences 🚀
@hilal_aydin I'm a software developer mostly working on saas apps, and i.e. one of the things I deliberately try to push for is to use no-code automation tools like Zapier as much as possible to test out potential integrations or automations within our apps. This makes it a lot easier to verify not only what we can automate from a product perspective, but also what users would be interested in. Once we verified what we need it's often better to build a proper integration, to cut out the need for users to have a Zapier account and to understand how to set things up there.
In contrast to that, I still remember the days when marketing websites had to be built and maintained by the dev team, and I don't miss those days 😅 Having no- or low-code tools like Webflow in place not only allows designers to build those sites themselves, but also the rest of the company like the Marketing team to access and change it. No more bottlenecks!
Code is gonna always be there and that's what provides the edge. Stating no code is great but once there is momentum it's important to shift for code.
Base Inspector
Great for prototyping and mvp. Not great in the long term if an app is sufficiently complex because of limitations tech debt etc. Im currently building an app in bubble for automation monitoring and response from zapier / make etc
Scoutflo
Launching soon!
No-code app development platforms can be a great option for individuals or teams who have limited coding experience but want to create an app. These platforms allow users to create applications without needing to write any code and typically offer drag-and-drop interfaces and pre-built components to make the process easier.
# Some benefits of no-code app development platforms include:
1. Faster development: No-code platforms can allow you to create an app more quickly than if you had to write code from scratch.
2. Lower cost: Using a no-code platform can be more cost-effective than hiring developers or paying for custom development.
3. Easier to maintain: No-code platforms often provide built-in maintenance and support, which can reduce the burden on your team.
In summary, no-code app development platforms can be useful tools for individuals or teams with limited coding experience or tight budgets. However, they may have limitations on customization and scalability, and you may be dependent on the platform provider for updates and improvements. It's important to carefully evaluate the platform's features and limitations before committing to using it for your project.
Oppflow
Hi @atharva_bondre1 I totally agree with you. No-code has significant advantages in means of time, effort, and money. I believe that no-code platforms will allow users to build more custom and scalable products soon. I think all we need to do is wait and see.
Conektto
Most of the no code web apps development platform don't integrate well with custom API.
Hey Hilal, I've spent a lot of time building in Bubble before transitioning to a full development team (after our raise). The short answer is, platforms like Bubble are an amazing way to build a prototype fast and cheap. You can go from idea to basic platform in a weekend. When it comes to scaling anything complex, though, you'll need to transition to an actual code environment.
Oppflow
Hey @don__bosco I couldn't agree more. Transitioning to a native application is inevitable, but Bubble provides desired resources even for the complex projects. Special to our case, we can continue with Bubble for almost a year since it can support all of our clients but building the app with actual code is required at the end.
I have used a few, and I see it as a battle between time vs limitations.
No-code certainly speeds up. Code takes time for most.
Oppflow
Hey @jules_pratt I couldn't agree more. Additionally, no-code also costs less.
That is actually a question I have asked myself a lot. When you learn coding and you are able to build a decent looking website, you might feel tempted to think that you do not need no-code. However, at least for me personally, this is just not true anymore. When building such concept systems, it seems reasonable to say that focusing on the functionality and design is better than focusing on how to structure your code. No-code platforms are the future and I will probably also use a no-code way of building the website for my own startup. However, it is still a necessity to learn coding these days. You will still develop things with code and the platforms we use to build website without writing code also use code to make this happen.
Oppflow
We are currently building on a no-code solution as an ecosystem product of Spheron called Buidlfy.
It's a no-code UI tool for interacting and building smart contract interaction. No-code is the future and will always remain. Building no-code intends to reduce hiring time, product shipping time and expenses. In the later stage of the product, hire and build the custom interfaces.
Oppflow
Hi @web3prashant I think we are on the same page. Thanks to no-code, building a product gains momentum at the starting point and you can build the product with less resources in shorter time horizon.
Chatio.ai
Hey Hilal, I totally agree with you that no-code development can be a game-changer for app development.
I've used a few no-code platforms before and have been impressed with how quickly I was able to create a functional app. Have you found any particular no-code platforms to be more user-friendly than others?