Glossary · Platforms & business
Low-code
Also called: low code, low-code platform
Low-code describes development tools where most of an application or workflow is built visually, with small amounts of code (expressions, scripts or API calls) added where the visual tools run out.
The difference from no-code is the escape hatch. A no-code tool aims to never require code; a low-code tool assumes some steps will need it and makes that easy.
What "some code" usually means in automation
- Expressions in fields:
{{input.json.total * 1.2}}, date formatting, string concatenation. - Code steps: a JavaScript or Python snippet that reshapes data.
- Raw API calls: an HTTP step with a hand-written JSON body for an endpoint no connector covers.
Choosing between them
| If… | Lean toward |
|---|---|
| Builders are operators, not developers | No-code, with a developer on call for HTTP steps |
| Data shapes are messy and varied | Low-code |
| You must self-host or extend the platform | Low-code / open source |
| Many people will maintain the workflows | Whatever keeps logic visible on the canvas |
The risk with code steps is invisibility: logic hidden in a script is logic most of the team can't review. Use code for data shaping, and keep business decisions (thresholds, routing, approvals) in visible steps.
In Fluxo Flow
Fluxo Flow leans no-code with low-code escape hatches: template fields with {{…}} references, a Transformer node for mapping and templating, and HTTP Request steps with custom bodies for any API. There's no inline code step; for logic that truly needs code, call your own endpoint with an HTTP Request.
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Related terms
- No-code automationNo-code automation is building automated workflows with visual tools (drag-and-drop canvases, forms and pickers) instead of writing code, so people who know the process can automate it themselves.
- iPaaSiPaaS, or integration platform as a service, is cloud-hosted software that connects applications and data sources and automates processes between them, without the buyer running integration servers.
- RPA (robotic process automation)Robotic process automation (RPA) uses software bots that operate applications through their user interface (clicking, typing and reading screens) the way a person would, typically to automate systems that have no usable API.
- Multi-tenant workspace isolationMulti-tenant workspace isolation means many customers (tenants) share one software system while each workspace's data, credentials and activity are kept strictly separate, so no tenant can see or affect another's.
- LLMAn LLM, or large language model, is a neural network trained on large amounts of text that generates text by repeatedly predicting the next token, which lets it summarize, classify, extract and draft.