Codeless Architecture for the Enterprise

There are a multitude of advantages to adopting Codeless Architecture over a traditional code- or low-code-based framework. (See “The benefits of Codeless Architecture for…” to explore specific benefits to individual stakeholders.) At a high-level, Codeless Architecture empowers organizations to:

1. Accelerate development cycles using fewer resources

Developers can rapidly define and update complex business functionality by configuring pre-built modular components. Furthermore, by eliminating human coding errors, codeless applications have only a fraction of bugs that would be expected with traditional development methods. Codeless Architecture allows developers to move quickly and efficiently through application builds driving speed to market and productivity. And, technical teams can accelerate technology backlog and capabilities across a range of business priorities.

2. Enhance and streamline business orchestration

With a Codeless Architecture, companies can shift their focus to business challenges instead of technical ones. When organizations use cloud providers, they don’t worry about firmware updates or if individual servers are malfunctioning. It’s all handled by trusted third parties who specialize in cloud infrastructure management. With Codeless Architecture, organizations don’t have to worry about workflows breaking as underlying programming languages and other components evolve over time—the no-code platform addresses these changes in the background without developers even ever knowing about it or end-users being affected; thus, technical teams are able to digitize manual workflows and processes in order to scale business orchestration and reduce costs.  

3. Avoid vendor lock-in

With Codeless Architecture, IP is decoupled from vendors and can be ported to a number of systems using the open-standard codeless definition. Your technical team will reduce risk and increase the quality of applications and data with codeless security throughout the SDLC to provide improved application interfaces and customer experiences.

4. Tap into plug-and-play, composable functionality

In a Codeless Architecture, code-dependent services will show up as components. Applications become the assembly of components including legacy systems and third-party services. As a result, companies take a best-of-breed approach and can easily integrate new, cutting-edge technologies as they transform the market. Codeless Architecture allows ease of use and build with flexibility and portability to develop configurations, integrations, and automated processes and tasks.

5. Take a modular approach to transformation

Companies can easily integrate legacy systems with new software, which means they can replace older code-based platforms as they see fit. No need to take an expensive, complex rip-and-replace approach. With Unqork’s Codeless Architecture, your technical team will leverage enterprise-grade capabilities,  key features, and integrations that are lacking in low-code platforms to create integrated ecosystems.

Frequently asked questions about Codeless Architecture

Codeless Architecture separates application development from the cost and complexity of code management. As a result, organizations build faster using few resources, and at a consistently higher quality. 

The concept is new to many, so let’s address some common questions:

What is Codeless Architecture?

Codeless Architecture is an open-standard approach to development that allows organizations to build and run applications without ever thinking about the underlying code. 

With Codeless Architecture, developers offload codework to a no-code provider, such as Unqork. It’s similar to a serverless architecture framework, where developers offload cloud maintenance to third-party providers such as AWS or Azure. 

And just as serverless architecture doesn’t actually eliminate servers, Codeless Architecture doesn’t actually eliminate code. However, from the vantage point of developers, it might as well. 

How does Codeless Architecture work?

Developers (or “Creators” as we refer to them at Unqork) build applications by composing reusable components representing user-facing elements, back-end logic, or integrations with other systems. The no-code platform abstracts these configurations into open-source JSON objects that are interpreted in real-time. End users never notice the difference. 

Is Codeless Architecture new?

Configuration-based platforms have been around for a long time, but historically, they were either vertical-specific (e.g., SaaS providers for CRM or HR) or simple in scope (e.g., SquareSpace, WordPress or other consumer market-focused platform). Unqork introduced the first general-purpose no-code platform designed to empower Creators to build custom, high-complexity applications without writing a single line of code. Codeless Architecture is the open-standard development paradigm that impacts the entire Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) from design to deployment. No-code is at its core. 

• Click here to learn more about the benefits of Codeless software

How is Codeless Architecture different from a low-code framework?

Both Codeless Architecture and low-code frameworks provide a level of abstraction between humans and codebase, however, there are two key differences. 

1. Low-code still leverages code in existing design patterns and infrastructure in the cloud, without componentizing the code, which perhaps mitigates—but does not eliminate—the challenges of working in code. Developers using low-code frameworks have to update and maintain code they create for the rest of the application’s lifecycle. Furthermore, many low-code systems have their own proprietary coding language that will have to be mastered. In contrast, code maintenance and upgrades in Codeless Architectures are handled entirely by the no-code platform.
2. With a low-code framework, customers are bound to the tech stack defined by the low-code vendor. Codeless Architecture allows users to integrate whatever technologies they would like. It’s an open, upgradable, limitless tech stack.

The benefits of Codeless Architecture for…

Disruptive technologies naturally invite a lot of internal questions. The purpose of this section is to discuss the benefits of Codeless Architecture for various stakeholders. Here are some key benefits of Codeless Architecture for…

…C-level tech leaders

• No IP lock-in: Codeless Architecture is open-standard, giving organizations the flexibility to use any designer, renderer, or cloud provider of choice
• Accelerate transformation: Customer IP is codeless and portable, allowing companies to innovate fast without the constraints of legacy code 
• Future-proof innovation: Customer IP is decoupled and now upgradable, meaning technology teams no longer have to worry about maintaining the infrastructure. Technology leaders can spend more on innovation instead of keeping the lights on, reducing TCO.
• Reduce security vulnerabilities: In a Codeless Architecture, security is implemented in a systematic way across the entire platform. In addition, everything such as authentication, authorization, and encryption can be managed and monitored in one source of truth, without the vulnerabilities of code. Fix an issue once, you fix it everywhere.

“Unqork allows us to rapidly develop and integrate new technology in-house and deliver it globally. Not only has it allowed us to improve productivity, but also time-to-market.”

—Shekar Pannala, Global CIO and Co-Leader, Technology, Chubb

…application development heads

• Higher transparency and observability: Transparency into the user roles and system environments allows application development lead teams easily fix existing issues and foresee upcoming ones.
• Lower deployment costs: Fast and secure deployment process allows application development lead teams to spend less time on fixing broken code, bringing back lost time and money to focus on innovation 
• Extensive support for data contracts: End-to-end system to support data contracts as first-class citizens, providing the flexibility to easily discover data sources and enable cross-team collaboration 

…enterprise architects

• Unified open-standard architecture: Snap existing systems easily into a Codeless Architecture. Codeless Architecture is open and extensible, allowing organizations to leverage their own designer, custom components, legacy integrations, and more without the need to build out integrations with code.
• Reusable and standardized assets: Assets can be created and reused by leveraging the Codeless Definition, a single source of truth that represents the Customer IP. Customer IP will remain pure and generic so it can serve many verticals concurrently without being modified due to customer needs.
• Robust and centralized governance controls: Role-based access controls (RBAC) is managed from a single source of truth, reducing the burden of “shadow IT.” Security and compliance measures are centralized, reducing security risks.

…software engineers/developers

• Fast and efficient deployment: Deployment will be robust and secure. Codeless capabilities allow developers to spin up environments with minimal effort. No need for complex logic. 
• Faster debugging and monitoring of issues: Higher transparency and visibility across the entire system, during both design time and execution, allows all users (not just IT) to quickly identify and resolve problems
• Seamless integrations with third-party systems: Fast and secure integration leveraging codeless technology allows developers to create a unified system and import external services and APIs
• Effortless coordination of business workflows: Strong Orchestration capabilities with OOTB services help import and export bulk data without any code

Conclusion

The only thing guaranteed in life is change. The same goes for business. That means that there will be a sharp divide between organizations that can rapidly address disruptions and those that can’t. What side do you want to be on? Organizations who embrace Codeless Architecture will be able to rapidly adjust their digital ecosystem to overcome business challenges of any scale. Want to learn more about how Codeless Architecture can transform your organizations? Schedule a personalized demonstration with one of our experts today.