Low-Code and No-Code – Threat or Boon for Developers?

Note: This article was originally published on November 1, 2023. Some information may be outdated.

Low-code and no-code platforms are everywhere now.

You’ve probably seen tools like:

• Webflow for websites
• Bubble for apps
• Airtable, Notion, Zapier as automation backbones

They promise to make it easy for anyone to build apps or automate workflows, without needing to write code. And many of them deliver--especially for internal tools, landing pages, or quick prototypes.

So... are they a threat to developers?

The shift

Over the past few years, low-code/no-code platforms have grown fast.

Some reasons why:

• Businesses want to move faster
• Developers are expensive
• Many internal apps don’t need custom UIs

At the same time, these tools have become more powerful. You can now connect databases, write conditional logic, embed APIs, and even design full UIs visually.

Some developers use them too--especially for:

• Admin dashboards
• MVPs
• Workflow automations

What they’re good at

• Building fast
• Empowering non-technical users
• Reducing time-to-launch
• Standardized tasks (forms, CRUD, integrations)

They shine when you need to build something simple and repeatable.

Where they fall short

• Custom design and complex UI logic
• Performance tuning
• Maintainability at scale
• Clean code, versioning, collaboration

Even with extensions or code injection, you’ll eventually hit a ceiling. That’s when developers step in.

Should you worry?

No.

Developers still build the tools that power low-code platforms. We still:

• Design systems
• Write custom components
• Build APIs
• Solve edge cases

Low-code shifts who can build some things. It doesn’t remove the need for custom solutions.

If anything, it makes developer skills even more valuable. You can work faster, build better abstractions, and help teams scale.

What to do

Instead of ignoring it:

• Learn how these tools work
• Use them for non-critical workflows
• Know when to recommend them
• Keep building custom stuff where needed

Low-code is just another tool. Know its limits. Know your strengths.

They don’t replace you. But they do change the landscape.

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Originally published at letanure.dev