Part 1 – Go Low-code with Mendix, an introduction

A warm welcome to experience low code platform.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, but your app could be.. – Mendix

Is it possible to build a working business application in a day? How well do the apps work on desktop, tablet and mobile? How advanced are the features? Really zero coding involved? Are these app builders targeting everyday business users (citizen developers) or developers? How well these apps scale?

What’s Low-Code:

• A visual development approach to develop an application.
• Drag-and-drop components and model-driven logic through a graphic user interface.
• Relieve non-technical developers or citizen developers from having to write code while still enabling professional developers by abstracting tedious plumbing and infra tasks required in the app development.
• App types range from upgrading legacy applications to IoT-enabled smart apps, depending on the platform/offerings. Ecosystem and community to support the user base.

Mendix platform components:

• Collaborative development for team communications (Buzz), Agile task management and feedback management system.
• DevOps out of the box: comes with a team server (version control repository) and supports branching and merging. Committing the CRs triggers the automated build to grab the latest version from the repo, build, test, and validate the master branch before deploying. Platform APIs allow you to integrate with Jenkins, Gitlab CI or other tools within your company.

Mendix gives you the widest array of cloud deployment options available of any Low-Code platform on the market. Mendix cloud is based on CloudFoundry, AWS, Azure, IBM Cloud, even on your own data center.

• IDEs and Reusability: Mendix comes with 2 options, Studio and Studio Pro. The studio is a web-based WYSIWYG environment tailor-made for business developers. Studio Pro is a desktop modeller, to add complex logic and build sophisticated integrations to create enterprise-grade, transactional web and mobile applications. It has all the capabilities required for development, including the ability to add custom code when needed. All the application models are automatically shared bi-directionally between Mendix Studio and Mendix Studio Pro. Modeller comes with Domain Models, UI component library (Widgets, Layouts and Building blocks) and Microflow components which are base for developing any new app.
• MXDP (Multi Experience Dev Platform), Build one code base for web, mobile, conversational and immersive experiences.
• Openness and Extensibility: Mendix applications seamlessly integrate with other apps and cloud services. Core platform functionality is accessible through APIs for integration with 3rd-party security and application lifecycle services.

Mendix offers a Model API and Platform SDK which takes platform openness to a next level. Using an open model specification, Mendix is the world’s first Low-Code platform to publish application model metadata.

• Guaranteed Performance: The Mendix Application Quality Monitor offers a dashboard providing instant insight into the quality of the application models you’re building. This industry first cloud service leverages the Mendix Model API (metadata-based), performing static analysis of application models by a best in class engine from their partner SIG.

Build apps that adhere to the highest enterprise security standards, defined by ISO and ISAE. Avoid deploying flawed apps by using built-in automated testing, proactive quality monitoring, and real-time performance management.

• Smart and Connected: Use an extensive collection of out-of-the-box connectors to simplify integrating with 3rd-party databases or applications, handling complex XML messages, or leveraging IoT and cognitive services. One can also make use of the Mendix Connector Kit to build own connectors.

So, what are you making?

Unlock the value from emerging technologies like IoT, AI, machine learning, and blockchain following a test and learn approach. Mendix makes exploring and integrating nextgen technologies accessible for business users and developers with drag & drop ease. One can create functional prototypes and iterate towards the next great application at scale. So, what are you making? Go Make It..