My Path to Developing Complex Corporate Apps with No-Code

I have been developing using no-code tools since 1998. Yes, even back then, there was MS Access, which allowed you to create a small accounting system with multi-user access without programming. In the early 2000s, an application built on MS Access was operating in a dozen stores of a large home appliance and electronics retail chain (with over 50,000 SKUs). It handled inventory management, sales tracking, price control, and data exchange with other stores in the network to display stock levels. Overall, it's a good tool for quickly creating a database to manage any kind of enterprise data without programming, but with one drawback - it’s only accessible to users within the organization’s local network.

In recent years, many no-code tools have emerged, and there's even a whole no-code development industry now. However, most of these tools, unfortunately, are merely makeshift solutions for solving a specific task or are just geared towards simple web/mobile applications without complex logic.

Why is no-code necessary?

No-code development allows for the rapid creation of complex applications for managing business processes within a company or interacting with customers while also reducing maintenance costs. Simply put, you can develop a custom CRM tailored to your business processes in just a month rather than having to adapt to a pre-built system.

However, it’s not just about building the application - you also need to maintain it. In a traditional application, a new developer (or even the original one) would have to spend time understanding the old code, reading through extensive documentation, and so on. With no-code, all the business logic of the application is edited through visual blocks, making it possible to understand what a process does in just a few seconds by looking at the business process diagram.

How complex of an application can be built?

Carment, a fintech service created in partnership with Visa, is a prime example. It was developed on the no-code platform AppMaster, with integrations to several banks and KYC/KYB providers. All of this was achieved without writing a single line of backend code (the frontend was a traditional application built with VueJS). Developing the backend, setting up CI/CD, and deploying to Google Cloud servers took a little over 300 hours.

Another example is a management system for an outsourcing company, handling the records of hired workers, including their legalization data, project assignments, housing, corporate vehicles, and hours worked. This project’s backend and frontend were entirely developed on the AppMaster platform, taking around 200 hours. With my assistance, several complex projects have also been completed by individuals with little to no programming experience, taking about 1-2 months of learning during the development process.

Who would benefit from developing an application with no-code?

• For Small Companies: If you’re managing processes in Excel spreadsheets, no-code development can simplify your workflow, make record-keeping more accurate, and enable you to delegate part of the accounting tasks to employees by creating simple and intuitive forms. Additionally, you can monitor your company’s activities from anywhere, even from your phone, by simply accessing the web application.
• For Large Companies: No-code allows you to quickly develop applications for field employees, manage internal business processes, collect data from different departments, or even create a corporate portal with an employee directory and information exchange.
• For Companies Working with Clients: No-code can be used to create customer portals, appointment scheduling systems, service or product ordering platforms, and status tracking for ongoing work.
• For Startups: In 1-2 months, you can build a complex application and test your hypothesis without committing to a year-long traditional development process.

Which no-code tool to choose?

In the professional no-code development market, several major solutions allow you to build complex applications:

• Mendix: Founded in 2005 and acquired by Siemens in 2018 for $730 million. It's essentially a Low-Code solution, as some logic can or needs to be written with code. Pricing is based on the number of system users.
• Xano: This tool allows you to create a complex backend, which can then be connected to a frontend or mobile application via API (for example, using FlutterFlow).
• Directual: Focuses on backend development and building simple web applications.
• AppMaster: The only solution on the market that enables you to create a backend, frontend, and mobile application (with automatic publishing to app stores).

Why I use AppMaster for development

I’ve explored and tested numerous no-code solutions, but ultimately, I settled on AppMaster because it covers all components of an application - backend, frontend, and mobile apps.

Primary Reason: Deployment on your own server

AppMaster allows you to publish your application on your own server by downloading the binary file or source code. The platform’s core feature is that it generates source code in Go for backend applications with every deployment. In case of unforeseen events, your operations won’t be disrupted if the application is hosted on your server and you have the source code, which can be modified if necessary.

Backend with PostgreSQL

The backend works with PostgreSQL, allowing you to leverage the full functionality of SQL queries, including JOINs, calculated fields, window functions, and more.

Full-fledged web applications

You can create fully functional web applications with custom designs (within reasonable limits) that you wouldn’t be embarrassed to present to clients and employees. For example, separate applications for client portals and employee tools. All of these will work together, and when you edit data models in the database, changes are instantly applied across the web versions.

Mobile applications without store updates

The beauty of AppMaster’s mobile applications is that they don’t require updates in app stores. Every time the mobile app is launched, the latest configuration (screens and logic) is loaded. This means you only need to install the app on employees’ devices once, and all future changes will be applied automatically with each launch. There’s no need to go through the store moderation process again. Of course, this approach requires some compromise on app design, but it’s more than sufficient for corporate needs.