Building and deploying software that addresses current business needs and requirements is challenging. More often than delivering the desired outcome, they fail to match the expectations.
Low-code development platforms are the prime example of “work smarter, not harder.” These solutions do not empower only software developers. In fact, it allows users in all departments to take charge and turn digital visions into reality. When talking about low-code app development, Mendix is often the first platform many think of. And it is understandable, seeing how Forrester named it a leader in its Low Code Development Platforms for Professional Developers Wave in 2021.
You would not want to stay behind in the market when everyone embraces drag-and-drop and plug-and-play technology with open arms. But what is low-code technology? And what is low-code development? Worry not! This article will walk you through what low-code development and platform mean and some benefits of Mendix, the leading player in low-code development. So read on!
What is the Low-Code Application Platform (LCAP)?
Low-code app development means designing and developing applications with minimal to no coding. These platforms enable enterprises to create unique solutions with novel features. Users can tailor or personalize the features and capabilities to cater to specific business models. These platforms include easy visual builders, primed code snippets, form and report templates, and built-in connectors to accelerate development.
Users can also start designing apps immediately and eliminate standard coding procedures such as building frameworks, crafting interactive user interfaces, and modeling data. Low code app development platforms extend and promote coding and deploying to innovate to a larger group of individuals.
Businesses can use visual application development templates to create apps without utilizing a software developer. Citizen developers with limited coding skills can effectively employ visual platform low code development leverages to build highly responsive apps. This way, low code practically gives ‘power’ for application development to non-coders. That is why Gartner estimates that organizations will utilize low-code platforms to develop approximately 70% of applications by 2025.
Mendix – A Leader in LCAP
Mendix is a low-code application development platform that helps speed up the development process. The solution intends to assist in creating software more quickly by abstracting and automating the entire process for better business outcomes at scale and speed. Its industry-leading low-code platform and broad ecosystem blend cutting-edge technology to offer solutions that increase engagement, improve operations, and remove IT slowdowns.
Mendix is a Siemens business built on abstraction, automation, cloud, and collaboration. It dramatically raises productivity by extending multiple attributes from artificial intelligence and native mobile to augmented reality and excellent automation.
Features of Mendix
- First low-code platform to support AI-assisted development
- Low-code and no-code collaboration via Mendix Studio
- Model API & SDK
- Model sharing
- Cloud Foundry support
- One-click cloud deployment
- Full application lifecycle management support
- Integrated app store
- Web-based applications, AJAX
Besides the mentioned features, Mendix provides a customized IDE for every developer. It offers built-in collaboration tools for team development, feedback management, and agile project management.
Mendix Core Features
Mendix promises automated, drag-and-drop workflows, social productivity tools, process integration, ready-made apps from the Mendix App Store, and scalable, secure cloud infrastructure to form a robust mix. It allows small teams to produce apps in a few days and weeks. Some of the remarkable benefits of Mendix are:
1. Application Design
Cross-functional teams can utilize Mendix to instantly ideate and iterate on new app designs, going deep in pursuit of more innovative answers to users’ issues. It enables firms to keep users in mind throughout the design and development process. It allows you to build apps that meet user goals and business objectives.
- Ideate and experiment
- Prioritize users’ needs
- Seamless transition from prototype to production
- Consistent and reusable UI elements
It offers an Atlas UI framework to design attractive interfaces. Templates, widgets, and building blocks help create a design language, including your brand’s theme.
2. Data Control
Developing a new enterprise application entails accumulating data from several sources like SQL databases, web APIs, local application-specific databases, and service calls. One of the primary benefits of Mendix is an in-built SQL database. It helps you initiate a new project without requiring any dedicated database administrator.
- Data Storage: Mendix uses domain models to define data needs. Every module has its domain model, consisting of one or more entities.
- Data Integrity: Mendix supports multiple methods to maintain the integrity of application data. For example, data types, access rules, validation rules, event handlers, and referential integrity.
- Data Security: You can define who can see and access the data and who can edit it by managing the data access on the entities.
3. Publishing
Publishing your software means making it available to end users. You have to publish the app when it is ready to be shared with consumers. When you add new features and improve your app, you need to release it to make these changes available to your users.
The published app is the actual app you and your end users will use after it gets deployed to the cloud. Deployment is the act of installing the latest version of your app.
Advantages of Mendix
If you are genuinely embarking on a digital transformation, you must utilize an excellent low-code platform. You can design a minimum viable product from the start in weeks and at reasonable prices. And it is only one of the many advantages of the Mendix low-code platform. Here are some other benefits of Mendix:
1. Companies speed up innovation
The platform enables quick and fast application development and allows users to contribute code as necessary. With the Mendix low-code development, you can design most of the functions and integrate features in your application. You can add one or more Java blocks if you want more advanced functionality, and you will be good to go!
- Offers ideation to applications on a single platform
- Multifunctional firms and IT teams can benefit from novel application development software.
- Monitoring scope and progress with agile project management
- Visual application development to increase productivity
- Implementation with a single click for quick and controlled release management
- Unified application management
- Suitable for any potential industry
- Customizable solutions
- Accelerate innovations to help firms strive
Ultimately, Mendix offers a convenient framework for developing and deploying apps. You can exploit pre-built models to fit particular criteria and requirements in your applications.
2. Visual Application Development
Visual modeling, widely known as model-driven development, is facilitated by merging abstraction and automation components that optimize your time to market. This way, you can focus on delivering the proper solution for your consumers rather than contemplating over technical aspects of the product.
Mendix does not require you to be a coder. It facilitates visual modeling, allowing you to create multi-channel apps at breakneck speed. Built-in modules and templates alleviate the need to write piles of code lines from the ground up. The easy-to-use platform offers-
- Entity and association domain model
- Application and process logic microflows
- The reactive design UI model
- Application and module-level security layer
Mendix exploits the visual aspect of creating apps via Microflows. You can communicate with multiple business stakeholders without hassle and gear up the development process.
3. Agile Project Management
Advanced project management is necessary if development extends to higher numbers of teams. Mendix supports developing applications in an agile environment. You can link with third-party management tools and services if you feel Mendix lacks the capabilities to enable cross-team project and delivery management. You can conveniently build and streamline the development projects using the Mendix platform:
- Establish teams and projects.
- Gather, refine, and prioritize user requirements
- Anticipate and estimate sprints and releases
- Track progress through burn-down charts and Scrum boards
- Employ social media platforms to enhance communication
- Avail continual application enhancement with immediate user input
Mendix helps development teams enact a Scrum-based development strategy by supplying simple backlog management capabilities, feedback collection and management tools, and quick deployment to multiple environments that support your development processes, such as testing, acceptance, and production.
4. A Single Application for All Devices!
Why waste time and effort unnecessarily when you can create a single app that runs on several devices? Mendix is the answer to developing responsive programs without worrying about deployment in the dynamic world of mobile apps and devices.
- PhoneGap: This mobile application development framework enables users to create apps based on HTML, JavaScript, and CSS. Later, you can deploy them to multiple devices without compromising the features native apps offer.
- PhoneGap Build: This cloud-based service leverages easy development of apps in the cloud without any third-party tool.
Mendix allows organizations to create apps once and deploy them on any device. It ensures that the native capabilities of the application stay intact and offers a rich native user experience.
5. Extend Current Systems
Modernization is an endemic issue when you rely on technologies that can’t adapt to new company demands, from designing scalable apps and automating processes to creating consumer portals. A decades-old legacy system might perform fine. But it is not conceived with the requirements of the modern organization in mind, hence can fall short in meeting the current objectives.
Mendix allows you to add novel features to your current application ecosystem effortlessly.
- Integrates smoothly with software from any supplier
- Improves the adaptability of IT
- Enhances the flexibility and scalability
Now you do not have to abandon your legacy systems on your way to legacy modification. Mendix enables you to develop innovative applications and capabilities your firm is yearning for without interfering with the daily operations of your old systems.
6. Smart Apps
Smart Apps are cutting-edge systems that collect tons of data from sensors and other sources. They then use machine learning algorithms and predictive analytics to make this data feasible for users and improve their experiences. They are:
- Intelligent: Smart Apps leverage analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI) services to direct users to take the ideal action.
- Contextual: Smart Apps are customized, ingrained in processes, and available on any device with personal, sensor, and location data.
- Proactive: Smart Apps come to the user as push notifications, messaging services, and chatbots, to proactively converse with users and provide ideas of what to do and when.
With these smart experiences now expanding in the consumer market, firms endeavor to catch up with these technologies to stay ahead of the competition. Mendix assists in developing exclusive apps and helps organizations sidestep the competitive disadvantage.
Mendix Pricing
The cloud-native architecture and automation are a couple more advantages of Mendix. It enables the deployment, management, and monitoring of highly available enterprise-grade apps. And the best part? You can avail of it all at a pocket-friendly price!
Mendix has a free version available. The cost of using the platform varies on a “pay what you need” basis, depending on the number of apps and other parameters. Here is an overlook of the pricing of the different plans Mendix offers and the features they furnish to users:
| S. No. | Plans | Features | Price (per month) | |
| One App | Unlimited Apps | |||
| 1 | Free |
|
€0 | €0 |
| 2 | Basic |
|
€50 | – |
| 3 | Standard |
|
€800 | €2000 |
| 4 | Premium |
|
– | – |
The rates for the Premium package depend on the service and solution you want. The platform offers a quote for it after evaluating the requirements. You can pen the features you want and pick any plan that fits best with your criteria.
Summing Up
Consumers’ needs are volatile, and business keeps evolving imperatively to satisfy them. About 80% of the companies exploit low-code development to relieve the burden on the IT team and increase time-to-market. Investing in point solutions often leads to stagnation in the next few years. But Mendix is not just a point solution; you diversify your software with your organization by investing in a platform that advances its abilities with time.
If you are skeptical about how to use Mendix and integrate it with your existing programs, it is entirely okay! Low-code solutions can result in integration issues with general services when not utilized properly. As a result, it is crucial to ensure your firm leverages the platform optimally. Undertaking the integration process yourself carefully and slowly is one way, but taking assistance from experts to ramp up the development is undoubtedly a better and more feasible alternative.
Parangat, a leading application development company, gives a hand in bringing your dreams to reality using robust solutions and tools. Whether you are looking for consultation, design, development, deployment, or support, you can rely on us for superior services in only a few steps. With a competent team of experts, Parangat offers a seamless digital transformation to firms and individuals alike.
