“No-code” Apps Might Need Some Code

The “no-code” app space has exploded recently, primarily because of the publicity around Google’s purchase of Appsheet.

Between that and my recent awareness of GlideApps, I have been keeping a closer eye on more of these no-code products – especially the ones that are not pure website builders.

One thing that leaps out every time I poke my head into these products is the lack of connectors to other applications. Appsheet does connect you to a bunch via the now ubiquitous Zapier. But Glideapps doesn’t even try.

Regardless, even a Zapier connection doesn’t do much for many use cases.

What’s needed, instead, is a little bit of code – primarily REST API connectors.

With REST API or GRAPHQL connectors, you can push and pull data at a deep level, in real time, from a whole host of other websites and applications.

Its either that, or the no-code apps needs their own native connectors that do not rely on a third party service like Zapier.

Funnily enough, there is a no-code app that will allow you to build an API around websites and apps that don’t have one. So wouldn’t it make sense for other no-code applications to allow access to these kinds of APIs?

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