Low-code / No-Code (LCNC) is a way to design and develop custom software apps fast and with minimal hand-coding.

Low-code and no-code are related concepts, but cater for different user personas: professional developers and Business analysts respectively.

LCNC use cases seem to mostly involve the streamlining of back-office operations app development. These are a few examples:

• Developing new customer-facing applications
• Creating new process flows to complement packaged products
• Creating new business rules and process controls
• Creating new user experiences
• Developing new business applications

The major benefit of LCNC is that it accelerates the entire software development life cycle, enabling rapid application development. Low code enables organizations to reduce the amount of code it writes through reuse. Some of the benefits are:

• Higher personal/team productivity
• Improve speed to market
• Overcome the capability limitations of SaaS/COTS solutions
• Overcome the capability limitations of other teams (e.g., data integration, ERP/CRM team)
• Breaking away from vendor lock-in

"Low-code" and "no-code" are often used interchangeably. However, there are significant differences between the two:

• Low-Code Development Tools Include Custom Code: Low-code platforms allow developers to add their own code as needed.
• No-Code has Everything You Need to Build an App: No-code platforms come equipped with all the modules and tools to create functional apps.
• No-Code Is for Business Users Only: No-code platforms are typically used only by business users.
• Low-Code Is Both for Professional Developers and Business Users: Professional developers and citizen developers can both use low-code platforms.

Low code plays a vital role in digital transformation by saving companies’ time and money on traditional development processes. The intuitive visual interface of a low-code platform enables employees with minimal coding experience to create almost any solution.