Questions to consider when choosing a low-code / no-code app dev platform

We've been busy developing a low-code web app platform for the past year, which of course also means being in touch with what other companies like JourneyApps, PowerApps, AWS Honeycode, Retool, Internal.io are doing and saying. This detailed post by JourneyApps highlighted a few key principles which I think are often overlooked.

Here is my TDLR;

1. Is code a first-class citizen or an afterthought behind visual tooling?

- Platforms usually prioritize one above the other.

- When code is an afterthought on top of a primary visual drag-and-drop tool, it generally tends to perform poorly and raises complexity, slowing down development velocity.

2. What is the skill level required to build apps on the platform using code?

- Complexity of code required by a platform directly correlates to the level of skill developers need to build apps.

3. What is the learning curve for the platform?

- Platforms focusing on visual development tools tend to be highly proprietary.

- Complex proprietary environments translates into long learning curves, with tons of ins and outs to "discover" before becoming truly productive.

4. Is coding on the platform based on a popular, open language?

- The use of a popular open language translates to more available talent.

- The most prevalent developers are JavaScript developers, be cautious for proprietary languages.

5. Can you make use of open source libraries, or are you stuck in a walled garden?

- Can you use npm or similar packages to build extensions.

- Is the platform open to using these external packages or is it a closed off ecosystem.

6. Developer productivity: What kind of headcount do you need?

- If developer productivity and output is lower, you will need a larger team to develop the same number of apps, more time, more risk.

- Many low-code platforms that are extensible with code leave a massive amount of heavy lifting to the developer.

7. Is the platform a true full stack, or do you need to build your own full stack?

- Higher total cost of ownership if external parts needs to be wired together.

8. How badly are you locked in to the vendor?

- Vendor lock-in is a major drawback of many low-code platforms.

- Can you export your code, and is that export usable and human-readable.

9. Are developers excited about using the platform?

- Many low-code platforms tend to force developers to work within a constrained proprietary framework.

- Many low-code platforms do not allow developers to leverage the major innovations in software tooling.

- Does the platform help software engineers improve their marketable skills to advance their careers.

- High-productivity app platforms that are based on popular open languages and allow developers to use open source packages, are much more attractive to developers.

10. How much does the platform reduce your risk?

- Cost to introduce.

- Hire scarce developer talent.

- Reliance on proprietary closed-system technologies.

- Requiring development of unsupported functionality.