Dear ODC Product Team,
A few weeks ago, I started working on a complex ODC project as a Solutions Architect and Technical Lead. Unfortunately, my experience with ODC so far has been quite frustrating — in many ways, it has felt like a nightmare.
From my perspective, it seems that OutSystems is not prioritizing the needs and experience of developers. This is deeply concerning, especially given the platform's ambition to scale for serious enterprise solutions.
What I feel is that OutSystems is putting all its effort into features that sell well, like AI, while the developer community is being pushed into the background:
ODC is still very buggy.
ODC Studio is not ready to support monolithic applications, despite how it has been promoted.
The current ODC architecture (Apps vs. Libraries, Public vs. Non-Public elements) is not designed for enterprise-grade applications. It works reasonably well for small departmental apps, but lacks the flexibility and scalability needed for complex enterprise systems.
The User Management API consumes OAs, whereas in P11 are server actions.
I understand and agree with the security strategy of blocking hotfixing and direct data access in non-development environments. However, the absence of a proper versioning system makes release management extremely difficult and error-prone. Sorry, feature toggle is not an option.
The AI Agent Builder is an impressive feature, but the fact that it consumes 91 AOs makes it incompatible with basic licenses — nearly a third of the available AOs — effectively discouraging its use in majority of the costumers. Outsystems sells a dream and the project team brings the customer to the reality: "Dear customer, you don't have AOs for Agent Builder"
To other developers, fell free to share your experience!
Hi Duarte,Certainly, here's the revised version with commas instead of em dashes:
Thanks for sharing your detailed feedback. These are all very recognizable topics, and many of us in the community, including MVPs like myself, are having active conversations with OutSystems about exactly these concerns.
It’s important to recognize that OutSystems 11 and ODC are two fundamentally different platforms. While they share core principles, they require developers to adapt in terms of architecture, tooling, and deployment practices. This transition can be challenging, especially when working on complex enterprise-grade applications.
You're addressing the broader OutSystems developer community here, and only indirectly the ODC product team. That said, we’ve shared your post with the ODC product team to ensure they have direct visibility into your experience and the concerns you've raised.
Let’s keep this conversation going. Input like yours is critical to shaping the future of the platform.
Regards,
Daniel
Dear Duarte,
Thank you for taking the time to share such detailed and candid feedback about your experience with ODC. I've read your points carefully, and on behalf of OutSystems Product Team, I want to start by saying we hear you.
Feedback from community members like yourself is invaluable as we evolve the platform. I want to assure you that the developer experience is a priority for OutSystems, and your insights help us identify where we need to focus our efforts.
I'd like to address the specific points you raised:
Duarte, your insights are precisely what we need to make ODC the platform we all want it to be. Your passion and commitment to pushing the boundaries of the platform are what make the OutSystems community so strong.
Thank you again for your honesty and for investing your time in helping us get better.
Best regards,
Paulo Garrudo
Hi All :) Since we are here discussing points that could be improved in ODC, there is one non-technical point that makes all the difference, especially among the developer community.
One of the great driving forces behind O11 was the fact that developers had access to a personal environment in which it was possible to experience the entire process of creating an idea to be implemented, and certainly, in my experience, this contributed significantly to the dissemination of O11. With the ODC, the community does not have this, it can only request time slots to do some quick training, which makes the penetration and habituation of those who work directly with the platform more ‘painful’.RegardsJean
While I fully support your point about the importance of OS developers having access to a PE or sandbox to explore ODC, I’d add that most community members who earn a living as OS developers either work at an OS Partner, all of whom have access to a Partner ODC environment, or at a company that already uses ODC. With some governance in place, those companies could provide developers with the space they need to experiment and learn.