By Bassam Chapatini, CTO at Unqork
I. Introduction
When ordering milk on a grocery delivery site, you can select exactly the item you want in just a few seconds via a series of drop-down menus—the brand, the source (almond, oat, cow), the quantity, the number of items, the fat content, etc. In other words, you use structured data.
Now imagine putting all that information in an email, i.e. using unstructured data. It would obviously take longer to write the email, and longer for the shopper to search for your email and decipher exactly what you want.
But you don’t just waste time. You also exponentially increase the chances of your order going wrong. Maybe you forget the name brand you prefer, or accidentally misspell it. Maybe the store doesn’t even carry that brand. Maybe the shopper misses the fact that you wanted oat milk instead of cow’s milk.
Given all the ways unstructured data can go awry, why would you ever write an email when you could use a dropdown menu instead? And yet, enterprises are still developing software with unstructured, language-based code (and that includes low-code and no-code platforms, as we explain below)—the equivalent of the slow, error-prone email approach to ordering groceries.
However, there is a new development paradigm that shares the speed and precision of the structured, drop-down menu approach. That new paradigm is called codeless.
In this white paper, we explain why an unstructured, code-based approach to development is no longer necessary and how codeless:
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Transforms all software components into 100% structured data—no code required, ever.
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Dramatically speeds and simplifies the entire SDLC.
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Helps creators focus on innovation and value creation; behind the scenes the codeless provider handles security, compliance, upgradeability, and more.
II. What is codeless?
The best way to understand codeless is to compare it with a technology that is already familiar—cloud computing. Essentially, codeless is to application development what cloud is to hardware. They both provide a strategic layer of abstraction that enables much faster innovation, more flexible resource usage, and economies of scale.
Think about computing before the cloud. Enterprises were in the business of buying, implementing, and managing computing hardware. True, over the years all kinds of incremental innovations made the job incrementally easier, from layouts that optimized cooling to the virtualization of servers to increase utilization. But managing servers was still hard work requiring a high level of skills. And every enterprise was doing it.
Cloud changed all that. Cloud computing took advantage of all those incremental innovations in server management, but it went one step further by completely abstracting the hardware layer, and thus making a hardware problem become a software problem. With cloud computing, enterprises can get rid of their servers altogether—and the time, expense, and complexity of running a homegrown data center.
If you ask a technology leader today what kinds of servers their organization’s applications are running on, chances are they have no idea. And even if they do know, the cloud provider could spin up an entirely different set of servers tomorrow. And their customers would never even know!
“Codeless makes all those languages—and the costs, risk, and complexity they entail—as irrelevant to the enterprise as servers are.
Nor do they need to know. Their applications would run just like they do today—without any changes.
Yet if you ask them what type of code their organization is running, chances are they will spell out their entire stack—React, Angular, Java, Python, PostgreSQL, and the names will keep flowing. No wonder 80% of technology budgets go into Keeping the Lights On (KTLO), i.e. managing legacy code that is brittle, subject to security risks, hard to scale, and very expensive to maintain.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Codeless makes all those languages—and the costs, risk, and complexity they entail—as irrelevant to the enterprise as servers are.
From low-code/no-code to codeless
The abstraction that makes codeless possible can be traced almost as far back as computing itself. The first basic coding languages were just shorthand—i.e. a layer of abstraction—that let developers more easily manipulate the 1’s and 0’s on which all computing (including codeless apps) depend.
As software has become more complex, coding languages have evolved and proliferated, with new languages at higher levels of abstraction able to do evermore complex and/or highly specific functions. However, each language then requires its own runtime engine to translate that language back into 1s and 0s to do what they are supposed to do.
Like server management tools, an array of tools simplify coding. APIs provide an interface that hides (and translates) the code behind a data specification. Security capabilities have been consolidated around protocols that can be specified through parameters. Front-end frameworks like React create components that are pieces of JavaScript hidden behind data specs. And of course, low-code platforms enable developers to select capabilities visually, which the platform then translates into code.
From programming languages to security protocols and APIs, these new technologies have made the work of development incrementally easier. However, the demand for evermore complex apps have outstripped their power to simplify. And so, most tech departments still spend a huge portion of their time writing, testing, securing, managing, and updating code.
III. How codeless works
So how does codeless change the equation? Again, the analogy to the cloud is very apt.
Cloud computing absorbed all the great technologies that made it easier to run on-premise data centers, packaging them all up and delivering computing as a service. Codeless does the same thing for development. It leverages all those technologies that abstract away the work of writing code, but then it goes one step further, making it possible to create sophisticated, enterprise-grade software without having to write or manage a single line of code (LOC)—ever.
Two things make this possible:
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The codeless definition. First, codeless unifies the entirety of an application in a single codeless (i.e. structured, data-defined) definition, including everything from input fields, UI layouts, and logic/rules engines to ETLs, integrations/services, and data stores.
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The codeless runtime engine. The codeless runtime engine then ingests that codeless definition (i.e. the sum of all an application’s components) and renders it into a fully functioning application in real time.
Of course, codeless doesn’t get rid of code altogether. Just as cloud computing still requires servers, the codeless runtime engine is itself built with code. And the codeless definition calls on and activates pieces of that code.
However—and this is the important part—developers are completely shielded from that code and its machinery. Just as a cloud customer never has to worry if a particular server is working, a codeless developer never has to worry about the code that actually renders the applications they build. That is the job of the codeless provider.
“The codeless runtime engine can keep incorporating whatever best new technologies emerge to make applications run better and do more—but with zero changes whatsoever to codeless applications themselves.
Obviously, 100% visual configuration speeds application development. However, there is another powerful implication of codeless. Because the codeless definition is entirely structured, it doesn’t matter what technologies the codeless engine calls on and activates. The application never needs to change, even when the technologies around it do (which they definitely will).
That is to say, codeless apps are, by definition, future-proof!
To understand the value of these “pure configuration” applications, it is helpful to think about the cloud. A cloud provider can swap out old servers for better, faster ones. The cloud customer gets faster, more reliable service, but they have to make zero changes to the apps they are running.
In the same way, the codeless runtime engine can keep incorporating the best new technologies that make applications run better and do more—but with zero changes whatsoever to the codeless applications themselves.
How codeless transcends low-code/no-code
Because codeless technology is relatively new, it is often lumped in with low-code/no-code platforms. It is true that both codeless and low-code/no-code offer tools like visual drag-and-drop that speed and simplify software development. However, codeless is not just the next iteration of low-code development. A look under the hood reveals how fundamentally different codeless and low-code/no-code really are.
“The real cost of all the coding that low-code/no-code requires—whether generated automatically or manually—lies in the tech debt that it leaves behind. Essentially, you’re back on the same code treadmill that manual coding demands.
Low-code/no-code platforms do not create a structured, data-defined configuration of the application. Rather, they transform each drag-and-drop specification immediately into code, often in a bespoke language that is hard for developers to understand. To compound the problem, low-code/no-code generally automates the creation of only 70-80% of the functionality enterprises require.
So how do developers fill the gap? By writing code manually.
The real cost of all the code that low-code/no-code requires—whether generated automatically or manually—lies in the tech debt it leaves behind. Essentially, you’re back on the same code treadmill that manual coding demands. Why? Because all that code needs to be packaged, deployed, rolled-back, secured, managed, and upgraded in the same old painstaking, manual, and risk-prone ways.
Granted, some low-code/no-code providers do containerize the code and offer hosting as a new way to manage software. The problem is, containerization offers no real advantage over regular code-based software when low-code/no-code applications are deploying bespoke codebases and runtimes.
Going back to my favorite cloud-hardware analogy, low-code/no-code does the equivalent of automating the procurement of physical servers (code) to be deployed in server closets (codebase). That’s helpful if server closets are the best way to run a company, but we now know better. And that’s why most low-code/no-code is nothing but lipstick on legacy code.
IV. How codeless is accelerating time-to-market (but that’s just the beginning)
As we have seen, codeless completely abstracts away all code from the software development process, not just 70-80% of it like most low-code/no-code platforms. As a result, the entire software development process becomes 100% visual and configurable.
In addition, codeless turns individual components of an application into a structured, data-defined atomic unit. As a result, these units can then be composed into reusable microservices and other higher-level application functionality. Separating configurations from code means that the codeless provider can easily and efficiently handle all the mundane tasks that can add up to crushing tech debt over the course of the entire SDLC (a benefit we cover more fully in the next section).
“Separating configurations from code means that the codeless provider can easily and efficiently handle all the mundane tasks that can add up to crushing tech debt over the course of the entire SDLC.
Not surprisingly, organizations can typically create apps 3X faster—and as much as 10X faster—with codeless vs. low-code/no-code. Codeless also makes everyone involved in the process of application development more productive. To understand why, consider how codeless transforms the way everyone involved—business users, newbie developers, and seasoned engineers—does their job.
Codeless benefits for business users
By making development entirely visual (think Visio), business users can:
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Actively participate in development by following the process visually, rather than handoff requirements to the tech team.
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Build straight-forward applications themselves and add/change functionality, while tech teams can ensure all necessary guardrails are in place.
Codeless benefits for new developers
People new to development can begin composing complex enterprise-grade applications within weeks, because codeless:
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Doesn’t require learning a new coding language.
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Makes building workflows and apps entirely visual, including integrations and data management.
Codeless benefits for seasoned engineers
By eliminating the hard work of manual coding, seasoned developers can focus on high-level functions like:
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Quality control
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Security and governance
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Management of mission-critical legacy systems
V. How codeless removes friction from the entire SDLC
While codeless speeds and simplifies development, it is the value it brings across the software development life cycle that makes it a truly transformational technology. And again, its power to do so begins with the fact that a codeless application is really only a configuration file—100% structured data rather than unstructured, language based code.
As a result, the codeless provider can take care of 100% of the underlying code—along with the security, compliance, and upgradeability related to it. And that means organizations can focus precious talent and budget on innovation instead of managing (and paying down) tech debt.
To understand the power of codeless to eliminate tech debt, let’s first consider traditional development methods, including low-code/no-code, in which apps are not configurations calling code but consist of code themselves, whether those LOCs are manually or automatically generated.
Every codebase you use requires its own runtime engine—the equivalent of a server-closet in the pre-cloud days. Like server-closets, each codebase requires a separate lock and a security guard to keep hackers away, plus cameras and sensors to monitor activity and an HVAC system to make sure things don’t overheat.
“With codeless, you have only one runtime engine that runs on one codebase, providing the cloud-like mega-scale that enterprises need. Each application has its specific configurations, but all run on the same codebase that can be secured, monitored, and maintained at scale.
In other words, each new runtime engine introduces a whole new set of problems and risks. And yet, enterprises typically run hundreds, even thousands, of codebases—a true security, scalability, and maintenance nightmare.
To make things even worse, those codebases often include exactly the same set of functionality, and therefore a fresh set of LOCs that need to be managed. When you need to upgrade or security-patch a functionality, you need to do it individually across all those codebases, and then redeploy them one by one.
None of that is necessary with codeless. You have only one codeless engine that runs on one codebase, providing the cloud-like mega-scale that enterprises need. Each application has its specific configurations, but all run on the same codebase that can be secured, monitored, and maintained at scale. Here are just a few of the benefits:
Speed to insights
Every IT organization must answer a number of critical questions about the apps it runs. How many potential vulnerabilities does it have? Are the roles set up properly? Does it have the optimal architecture? Does it create bottlenecks? What is the distribution of functionality that it uses?
Because codeless apps are just configurations that run on a single code base, it is far easier to build a control tower that can answer these questions instantly. That is why codeless apps typically have 100x fewer bugs and architectural defects than traditional apps.
Reduced TCO with codeless
By decoupling the codeless definition from the engine that executes it, that engine can be optimized, upgraded, and scaled as new technologies come online. And yet the codeless definition of the application never has to change! As a result, a codeless application can always run on the latest and greatest technologies.
Equally important, codeless means there is only one runtime engine across all applications. This enables scalability, reusability, security, and efficiencies that low-code/no-code could never match. Not surprisingly, the total cost of ownership (TCO) of codeless applications is typically 65% lower than traditional apps.
Benefits of codeless: Reducing tech debt across the SDLC
These benefits may sound abstract. To bring them alive, let’s take a look at all the tasks the codeless takes off your plate across the SDLC.
Infrastructure planning & management with codeless
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No need to purchase or manage servers
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No dependencies to install
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No DNS to configure or URLs to hook up
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No manual management of scalability or availability
UI/Application development with codeless
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No need to need to master HTML/Javascript (or any code)
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No need to connect fields to databases
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No need to manually implement validations
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No need to manually build validation displays
Codeless integrations
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No need to understand how to make requests or find libraries, codes, etc.
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No need to create secure store for credentials
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No need to manually build out logic of multiple authentication types
Database management with codeless
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No need to set up databases or establish connectivity
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No need to run commands to create or alter tables
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No queries to write
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No time or effort to scale or manage availability
Security
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No manual setup of secure user authentication
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No manual setup of secure data storage and encryption
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No manual setup for resiliency against cyber attacks
Deployment
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One-click deployments and rollbacks
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No broken builds
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No time spent on managing builds
Upgrades
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Only upgrade your business logic
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No code changes when upgrading applications
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No need to upgrade underlying tech as it evolves
VI. Your accelerated path from low-code/no-code to codeless
We truly believe the inherent advantages of codeless are so great that it will become as ubiquitous as cloud computing. However, Unqork, the codeless pioneer, offers the only truly codeless platform right now.
And this is not speculative technology or a proof of concept (POC). Many of the world’s leading companies use the Unqork codeless platform for many of their most important software projects, including BlackRock, Marsh, Goldman Sachs, New York City, and more. And they trust Unqork because it is engineered from the ground up to handle the demands of the most complex and highly regulated industries, including financial services, insurance, health care, and the public sector.
Yes, codeless development is fast. So is the process of integrating codeless into your organization. With no bespoke (or in fact any) languages to learn, new developers and even tech-savvy business users start building applications in just a few weeks. And as a software as a service (SaaS) offering, codeless requires no changes whatsoever to your current IT stack. Your entire organization can be up and running in no time.
Want to learn more? Take the guided tour below.
