Low-Code and No-Code – Threat or Boon for Developers?
November 1, 2023
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.
Recent posts
- At-Least-Once vs. Exactly-Once - Understanding Message Delivery Guarantees
June 12, 2025
Learn about message delivery guarantees in distributed systems. Understand why most production systems implement at-least-once delivery with idempotency rather than attempting exactly-once delivery.
- How Idempotency Saves Your API from Chaos
June 11, 2025
Learn how to implement idempotency in your APIs to prevent duplicate actions and ensure data consistency. Includes practical examples with Supabase and Node.js.
- Vibe Coding ‑ Notes from the First Try
June 6, 2025
Quick lessons from spinning up a new blog with an AI pair‑programmer and Cursor.