Comparing low-code platforms: Cloud-native or cloud-migrated?

As you evaluate low-code platforms, you’ll ask potential vendors plenty of questions. But this one might be the most important: How do updates and security patches impact application performance?

Listen closely to the answer, and you’ll learn whether the low-code platform you’re investigating is cloud-native or not really able to deliver on its cloud-native promises.

What happens when a development platform isn’t really cloud-native? This video sums it up:

If you’re ready to dive deeper into the differences, keep reading. In this blog post, we’ll explore why OutSystems is the only platform on the market that helps developers use cloud-native technologies to achieve greater scale, flexibility, availability, and security.

Cloud-native architecture: Declare independence for your apps

The OutSystems AI-powered cloud-native platform is designed with an evergreen architecture. Not your ordinary cloud-migrated platform, it was built from the ground up to be cloud-native. As a result, your apps will never go offline, even during peak usage. What’s more, your developers can deploy applications independently from the platform, ensuring continuous agility. Zero downtime. Zero disruptions. It’s even infused with generative AI (GenAI) to both simplify and streamline development, making it easier to develop GenAI applications.

Other low-code providers may say they’re cloud-native, but the truth lies in their platform architecture. If app updates take forever to deploy—and if they degrade the performance of all the other apps built on the platform—it’s a safe bet that their solution isn’t truly cloud-native.

End the guessing games: Scale without restrictions

Application development managers don’t need the added hassle of trying to predict the amount of resources they’ll need to rent from their vendor each month. Yet that’s exactly what can happen if you choose a platform that claims to be cloud-native, but is actually a migrated version that still relies on manual resource management.

With OutSystems, your organization doesn’t have to play the resource guessing game. You’ll get a fully adjustable platform that auto-scales resources to meet your specific requirements.

Need to expand a simple department application into an enterprise-wide deployment capable of handling thousands (or even millions) of users? No problem. You can scale your apps as needed, without worrying about performance downgrades or costly redevelopment.

Additionally, our cloud-native architecture supports vertical and horizontal scalability, allowing your team to build and deploy the most complex, consumer-facing, mission-critical applications with confidence.

Elevate developer skill sets with flexible tools they’ll love

Trying to attract and retain top-tier developers is hard enough these days. But if you choose a cloud-migrated low-code platform with limited functionality, your developers could be running for the exits en masse. Why? Because “cloud-migrated” isn’t cloud native.

Instead, arm your colleagues with a platform that delivers the most sophisticated low-code features imaginable so they can become elite, cloud-native developers.

The OutSystems Developer Cloud (ODC) supports Kubernetes, Linux containers, and microservices—all built on a rock-solid Amazon Web Services foundation. That means your developers can say “so long” to the rigidity of monoliths and create event-driven apps that respond to a multitude of triggers. They can also change and manage apps with ease.

Insist on enterprise-grade, always-updated security

Those “other guys” in the low-code world will probably say their platform delivers the highest levels of security. So, do yourself a favor, and ask them to give you the details.

With OutSystems, you’ll gain peace of mind knowing that everything you build is secure by design. We automatically apply fixes for DDoS, mobile threats, newly identified code vulnerabilities, and other protections to your apps.

Additionally, OutSystems is built on a zero-trust architecture, giving our customers peace of mind that their data is secure. And we also have the certifications to back it up. ODC is certified by ISO and automates much of the work associated with business continuity, ensuring always-on availability and business continuity, even during and after a disaster.

For bonus points, look beyond business process management and bust that backlog

Odds are you’re comparing low-code platforms because you want to level up developer efficiency and tackle your growing app backlog. But if you’re still using manual processes or traditional BPM solutions, your low-code platform may not give you the productivity boost you’re expecting.

OutSystems solves this problem by baking transformative workflow automation tools directly into our platform. With OutSystems Workflows, application development managers can give business users permission to make their own minor app changes, freeing up your developers’ time for more mission-critical work.

(Want to see it in action? Check out this show-and-tell and learn how to master automated workflows.)

You can also create additional custom processes and streamline nearly every part of your team’s day-to-day work.

Build complex apps at remarkable scale with OutSystems

Only the OutSystems AI-powered low-code platform is built to handle the complexities of DevSecOps, microservices, and full lifecycle governance.

With a reliable, cloud-native infrastructure, you get the flexibility you need to build deeply integrated, enterprise-grade software. You’ll also make your developers happy and move faster than you ever thought possible.

Visit our website to explore the OutSystems platform for yourself.