Mathematics

Operating system

Statistics

Software engineering

Unified Modeling Language

Coding (social sciences)

Set (abstract data type)

Programming language

Data science

Geometry

Code (set theory)

Software

Model driven development

Computer science

Model-driven architecture

Cloud computing

Point (geometry)

Software & Systems Modeling

The last few years have witnessed a significant growth of so-called low-code development platforms (LCDPs) both in gaining traction on the market and attracting interest from academia. LCDPs are advertised as visual development platforms, typically running on the cloud, reducing the need for manual coding and also targeting non-professional programmers. Since LCDPs share many of the goals and features of model-driven engineering approaches, it is a common point of debate whether low-code is just a new buzzword for model-driven technologies, or whether the two terms refer to genuinely distinct approaches. To contribute to this discussion, in this expert-voice paper, we compare and contrast low-code and model-driven approaches, identifying their differences and commonalities, analysing their strong and weak points, and proposing directions for cross-pollination.

Low-code development and model-driven engineering: Two sides of the same coin?