Low Code On The Rise
June, 2019A recent article published in Business Insider caught our attention at Raspberry Street recently. In the article, (which is worth a read, should you have the time) the author discussed the prevalence and rising number of “low-code” and “no-code” startups, and this is certainly not surprising.
Why? Because low-code platforms allow you to bring a project to life quickly – without getting bogged down in the technical details, or writing your own API. Sure, it can be fun to try out different programming languages, build apps, and solve problems to complex solutions with your own, proprietary applications and APIs.
But it takes a long time to develop these kinds of complex solutions. The recent rise in low-code and no-code apps shows that tech companies are starting to realize the benefits of enabling users to develop apps with a more code-light approach.
By enabling all programmers – with all levels of expertise – to bring their solutions into the world, a code-light approach has a number of benefits, which we’ll explore in this article.
The Future Of Tech Is Simple – And Available To All
As the above article showed, it’s possible that the future of tech and the internet is focused much more heavily on “low-code” and “no-code” platforms. And, if you think about it, this makes perfect sense! Why?
Because your product is only as successful as how many people use it. A low-code platform is accessible to more programmers and developers – meaning that its use will become more widespread.
When a technology is simple, easy to use even if you’re not a technical expert, and widely available to the public at a reasonable cost, amazing things can happen – both for customers, and for corporate revenues!
Removing technical obstacles required to do basic tasks is always a good thing, and this has been show by the rapid rise in a number of low-code platforms.
Case Studies – Twilio, Zapier, Squarespace, Wix
So, where is the proof that low-code and no-code solutions are the future of tech? It’s all around us! Let’s take a look at just a few examples of companies that are already using low-code and no-code technology with fantastic results.
Twilio is a perfect example in the communication space. Using simple, low-code APIs, Twilio can be used for SMS marketing, integrating communication tools, building omni-channel contact centers, following up on sales leads, and so much more – all with a low-code design that’s meant to be intuitive, even for the most “green” developers.
Zapier is another good example of low-code success. It’s a workflow automation tool that can be used to connect dozens of different service, such as Slack, Gmail, Dropbox, Gitlab, and Office 365 together – and create custom rulesets and automated actions.
For example, you could set up a Zapier integration that sends you a Slack notification when you get a new email in your Gmail account. All of these integrations can be done with little-to-no-coding – opening up the world of workflow automation to just about anyone!
For an even simpler – and more obvious – example, let’s look at two of the most popular website-building platforms today. Squarespace and Wix. You could even throw WordPress in there, as it’s arguably the predecessor for both of these platforms – but is a bit more technical and configurable.
Both Squarespace and Wix do the same thing – something that was impossible even just 10 or 15 years ago. Without touching a single line of code, just about anyone can make a website that’s responsive, streamlined, beautiful to look at, and perfectly functional.
Naturally, complex integrations and web applications that integrate into these platforms still require coding – but at a basic level, there is absolutely no coding knowledge required. And the success of both of these companies speaks to the benefits of such as “no-code” solution. Squarespace generated $300 million in 2017, and Wix earned $424 million. That’s a pretty penny, to be sure!
At Raspberry Street, We’re Focusing On Simple, Low-Code Integrations
The desire to create a low-code solution for Raspberry Pi is what drove us to start Raspberry Street. We truly believe in the power of IoT, and we think that the easier (and cheaper) it is to deploy custom solutions, the sooner we’ll see widespread adoption, even among small, independent businesses.
And a key part of enabling these folks to use Raspberry Pi for IoT is using a low-code design that makes it easy to create custom applications and integrations for Pi computers.
That’s why we’ve simplified things, when it comes to IoT. Just about anyone can understand and use the Raspberry Street platform, and we plan to introduce a low-code API, so that developers can create their own integrations and applications – and add new features to our platform without a months-long development process.
We want our product to truly be a “Platform as a Service,” and make it simple to integrate into any custom solution. Whether you’re an experienced coder, or you’re just dipping your toes into the wide world of application development, we want you to be able to understand our platform, and use it to benefit your business.
Be The First To See The Power Of Raspberry Street!
Big things are happening at Raspberry Street. We’re excited for the New Year, and what it will bring our company, as we continue to grow and iterate on our products.
If we’ve piqued your interest with the above article, you’ll be glad to know that our online store will be opening soon – and that you’ll be able to order your own, pre-configured Pi computers, and try out our platform for yourself!
Thanks for reading, and keeping up-to-date with Raspberry Street – and check back soon to learn about all the cool stuff we’ve been up to in the last year – and our plans for the rest of 2020.
