No line of code: why no-code services are gaining popularity and how they help businesses

For a long time, developers were needed to run any site or work with databases. Today, you can create technological products without programming skills: the so-called no-code services help. No line of code: why no-code services are gaining popularity and how they help businesses.

An analyst explains why no-code projects attract investors and what their benefits are for business.

What is no-code?

There is no need to have knowledge of programming languages to create any IT products because No-code projects allow you to create them. These can be used in  projects like websites, database management systems, games or mobile applications.

Buildbox's no-code service allows you to create mobile games without writing code. Users use libraries of ready-made tools.

One of the first no-code projects was the designer of WordPress sites. Then came Airtable, Webflow, and Zapier. Today, these services are used by many large companies and startups. Airtable helps create databases and replaces Excel and Google Spreadsheets. Webflow allows you to run sites based on ready-made templates, and Zapier - to integrate various applications to automate workflows.

What do you need no-code services for?

The no-code services have several main functions:

Workflow automation. No-code services allow you to automate routine tasks and simplify work on projects. Previously, Gmail and Dropbox integration required programming skills. To add data from an external site to an Excel spreadsheet, you had to repeat the "copy" and "paste" dozens of times. To create a project management system or a simple website required at least a basic knowledge of HTML. Now all these tasks can be done in a short time by a person without programming skills.

Quick launch of a new product or MVP. Thanks to no-code projects, entrepreneurs without a technical background can quickly create a minimum viable product (MVP) and test their hypotheses. At the same time they do not need to spend time and money on developers.

Simplify tasks for developers. As a rule, no-code services provide users with ready-made templates. However, some projects allow you to refine existing templates or add your own. This is a handy tool for developers: they can scale and develop a product, but not create it from scratch.

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Development of tools for the company's internal processes. With the help of no-code services, you can create tools for the full operation of the company: CRM-system, survey form, project management board and even a mobile application for employees.

Why is the no-code movement so popular?

No-code services automate and facilitate routine work, as well as allow people without programming skills to create technological products.

In addition, no-code projects are used by entrepreneurs who follow the philosophy of Lean Startup ("thrifty startup"). This is a methodology for creating products, which involves the abandonment of thorough testing, rapid release and continuous testing of projects.

Of course, developers are still needed to run complex business products. But with the help of no-code services, a small team can first create and test a working version of the product, and then assess its potential and development prospects.

And what is low-code?

When we talk about no-code services, we often hear the associated concept of low-code. The difference is obvious: low-code projects still require certain programming skills.

I believe that these approaches are designed for different users:

• no-code - for people without technical knowledge and experience. Services help to create a new product based on ready-made templates;
• low-code - for developers. Services simplify the work, but do not completely replace the relevant specialists.

What types of no-code services exist?

Depending on the scope of no-code services can be divided into two major groups:

External - projects that focus on external consumers. These are site builders, services for developing games and mobile applications, tools for launching chatbots. To the same category I include solutions for creating podcasts also.

Internal - projects that offer solutions for organizing the workflow in the company. These are, for example, project and database management systems, as well as CRM systems.