Hello, World. Starting with this seems more like a programmer’s idea.


In recent years, the market of low code platform has been heating up rapidly. Especially in the past two years, many low code platforms have frequently appeared in the Internet industry, which fundamentally realizes the cost reduction and efficiency increase of enterprises. In fact, in the survey, it is not difficult to find that most of the low code platforms in China do not break away from the existing technical framework, but abstract a set of visual language and components based on the existing advanced technology. Some are for ERP, some are for OA, some are for visual table processing, or are for some specific scenarios of software applications. Basically, in certain scenarios, these low-code platforms can improve their efficiency at a very high rate. In the future, we believe that the more flexible the low-code platform will come out on top. The more flexible it means that the low-code platform is not suitable for a certain scenario, but the low-code platform that can be used in most scenarios.


Below, I will introduce some comprehensive characteristics of common low code platforms at home and abroad:

  • Foreign countries: Mendix, Outsystems
  • Domestic: Niu Dao, APICloud, iVX, take take cloud, tritium cloud, jian Dao Cloud, cloud table, appropriate take cloud and other representative companies

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Low code is the pursuit of “less code, the most development work,” both the tools that develop the code and the code itself. It is difficult to strike a balance between “functional flexibility” and “ease of learning”.

Criteria for evaluating “low code” : What can be done? How efficient is it? (Regardless of both, it’s bullshit.)

What can be done?

How is the logic implemented? (Especially on the tool side of the logic implementation ability, with code implementation does not count, because all can) flexibility?

(1) Flow chart method: For example, Outsystems generates logic code parts by flow chart method. They are internally called “MicroWave” and “NanoWave”, which are used to control front-end and back-end logic respectively. This way to use more companies, the operation of enterprises is still very difficult for large applications, drawing this thing for large applications is not good operation.

(2) Event trigger type: for example, iVX (a domestic company) controls all interaction logic with trigger type event panel. They are the only company that does it.

Two, how efficient?

This depends on the design concept of the whole product, the degree of openness, component abstraction, development of supporting, complex front and back support degree. Overall, Mendix, Outsystems, and iVX are the most efficient developers in terms of overall capabilities. If it’s a niche, for example, developing a form or a workflow system, Then Titicloud and Titicloud do a good job.


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Let’s look at the development of “low code” at home and abroad

I. Overseas situation

In the past two years, with the overall development of various technologies (for example, 5G, I do not believe that any technology can exist and develop independently, especially new technologies), no matter how hard programmers try, the bottleneck has become programmers themselves. The demand for various applications is increasing, but the total number of programmers is limited, it is difficult to cultivate, the application development cycle is long, and the application maintenance cost is high. This contradiction has become the main contradiction of technology and market development. The concept of “low code” is born to solve this core problem.

Several low-code companies abroad: Salesforce, Mendix, Outsystems, Appian, Joget

(1) Enter the time and field

Most of these companies have been established for more than 10 years, and some are nearly 20 years old. They basically start from enterprise application development, focusing on the following areas: form generation and processing, workflow generation and management, and office collaboration. Others are moving into “low code” from more specialized corporate areas, such as finance, HR, CRM, etc.

Conclusion: low code short time is not out, to a large number of accumulation and research and development, especially with the enterprise running-in is very important.

(2) Mature

Salesforce, Appian, And Joget have all gone public, and the other two are unicorns valued at $1 billion or more.

(3) Services and prices

Very expensive! A license can cost thousands of dollars a month.

Ii. Domestic situation

In China, there is a great deal of attention to the “wind”, which only came in 2019, so a lot of emerging entrepreneurial teams have joined the “low code” camp, and some “old” teams have turned to this market.

(1) According to the establishment time

Established teams (more than 10 years old) : Niu Dao (used to do front-end open source framework WeX5), APICloud (used to do App development packaging tool and API module market, which is not a low code tool in a strict sense, but a development process management tool, and also involves product, design, code management, project management and other fields, I will not go into details), IVX (used to do H5, WebApp development tools), movable type (use Microsoft Excel development system, secondary tool)

New team: “various” clouds, but the mainstream are “forms”, “workflow” and “collaboration”. They are too new teams, SO I don’t think they can do this, because “low code” is still in the field of relatively low-level technology research, which is too short to accumulate.

(2) Classification by function

A. Flexibility from high to low (a lot of low code is developed in a niche area, and poor flexibility will not be included)

IVX, movable case, ox knife, tritium cloud

B. Support workflow from high to low

Build a cloud, ClickPaaS, tritium cloud, iVX, appropriate build cloud

C. Form support from high to low (this above several are good, may be low code basis, I will not compare)


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In addition, I find iVX to be unique among low code because, in fact, its development process is basically a “code 0” environment. Development efficiency and maintenance are also easier. Its predecessor version is iH5, reputation is good.


Appropriate take cloud, is ali cloud biological, although just started now, but at least that there are giants have begun to pay attention to the track, we can continue to pay attention to it.


Generally speaking, the development direction of “low code” is very promising, after all, it is the liberation of productivity, but it is difficult to do well, and it takes a long time to accumulate.