The low-code approach in development allows people with little coding experience to design software apps (including internal tools) using ready-made blocks. Empowered with low-code tools, teams can launch their projects in no time without a budget.
One of the most popular low-code builders in the market is Budibase. Stats don’t lie: with over 35.000 downloads within a half-year and over 15K stars on Github, the platform is quickly becoming one of the leading open-source low-code platforms in the market. On September 25, 2022, Budibase released its second version - Budibase 2.0.
Budibase Profile
Whether there’s a need to change user interfaces, create custom data fields, or use unique forms, this open-source builder provides engineers with flexible functionality so they can create admin solutions fast. As their tagline boldly states, it’s possible to “save 100s of hours building internal tools” when using the builder.
This way, if you think about building applications, forms, and workflows that streamline your business activities, go for Budibase. Developers can integrate Budibase with anything that uses a Rest API. For instance, connecting Airtable, working with APIs like Discord, and infrastructures like Kubernetes is possible owing to the builder’s rich features.
Budibase tech stack
Here’s what Martin McKeaveney, Co-Founder, Budibase has to say about this: “We’re pretty much a full JavaScript house. The whole back end is written with Node and Koa, and our whole front end is written in Svelte.js, which we really love. The back end for app metadata, as well as the internal DB, is all running on CouchDB. Our cloud platform is all run inside AWS, and the production platform uses Kubernetes for management”.
By the way, you can check out the full interview here.
What’s inside
Budibase allows connecting to an external database, pulling data from a Rest API, importing a CSV, or starting from scratch with the platform’s integrated database.
Databases
At the moment, Budibase supports 20 data sources that include MySQL, Oracledb, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Snowflake, Elasticsearch, MSSQL, Airtable, Google Sheets, Rest APIs, and others.
Internal database
Budibase is powered by a built-in database developed on the basis of CouchDB. Thus, building apps from scratch gets increasingly fast.
Turn data into an application
This low-code builder allows the generation of robust CRUD apps and forms using data in a couple of clicks. You can create screens with SQL data, and both MySQL and PostgreSQL are also supported. What's more, it's possible to generate both private and public screens.
Pre-made blocks
Budibase offers a wide variety of pre-made blocks, so it’s possible to build applications on short notice. Currently, Budibase has more than 30 pre-made components and building blocks. Plus, any Budibase component is fully customizable.
Custom components
Alternatively, one can create and use their custom components when developing Budibase-based apps. Besides, it’s possible to add custom CSS to components.
Responsibility
Nowadays, responsibility is a trademark of a successful app. Using this builder, you can create beautiful apps that work seamlessly across desktops, smartphones, or tablets.
Automation
The builder works like magic if you need to automate manual (and time-consuming) processes and streamline operations. Budibase offers over 20 automation blocks, including CRON, webhooks, Slack notifications, etc.
Budibase also includes a number of pre-built automation flows, such as Integromat, Sendgrid, Zapier, and others. Alternatively, you can use a webhook. These automation flows don’t take much time to create, and they are easily integrated with various data sources.
Hosting
As indicated on their website, “application data never has to leave your infrastructure”. It’s possible to deploy apps via Kubernetes, Docker, or Digital Ocean. Alternatively, you can choose the Budibase Cloud so that their team will manage everything for you.
Budibase pricing plans
Budibase has several pricing plans. Let’s have a quick overview, shall we?
Free
The free plan is a perfect match for individual users and teams that are getting familiar with Budibase. This plan includes Unlimited users, 4 apps, 4K Budibase DB rows, 200 automation runs /mo, 1-day automation logs, SSO (Google + OIDC), and 10 plugins.
Pro
A step further from the Free plan, the Pro plan provides functionality for individuals and small teams. The plan costs $30 per month, billed annually, or $36 if billed monthly. It has everything mentioned in the Free plan, plus, Unlimited apps, Unlimited Budibase DB rows, 1K automation runs /mo, 7-day automation logs, Unlimited plugins, and five user groups. Finally, you can also remove the Budibase logo.
Team
The Team plan costs $70 per month, billed annually, or $36 when billed monthly. It has all the perks mentioned in the Pro plan, plus 5K automation runs /mo, 30-day automation logs, 10 user groups, Revision history (TBA Q4), and Environments (TBA Q4).
Business
This plan targets businesses that want to scale development in a secure way. The Team plan costs $400 per month, billed annually, or $480 when billed monthly. It has all the perks mentioned in the Team plan, plus 50K automation runs /mo, 90-day automation logs, 50 user groups, Audit logs (TBA Q4), and Email support.
Enterprise
The last plan suits companies that want to have additional control and support. To get the details about this plan, you have to contact Budibase directly. The price starts at $20.000 per year, and multi-year contracts are available.
Pros and cons
No doubt, there are pros and cons to everything. Let’s see what pros Budibase has:
- Robust open-source platform to suit various use cases;
- Awesome and active user community;
- The apps you build with Budibase are automatically optimized for any device, be it a mobile, tablet, or desktop platforms;
- Any Rest API can be used to connect to the data. Plus, this data can be imported as a CSV file;
- Budibase provides access control on a full level;
- You can add JavaScript code to your program to boost it;
- You can use over 20 triggers and actions for process automation;
- There are Kubernetes, Docker, and Digital Ocean to deploy apps;
- Budibase Cloud handles your whole account without delay.
Cons include:
- Any low-code builder requires at least some basic development skills;
- As for assistance, the community is the main source of getting the needed information. This means that sometimes you have to spend hours searching, and that's a bit frustrating;
- Building a UI is simple, yet it gets harder when developing a complex one;
- You can’t use JS in all the components when dealing with data so the process becomes less dynamic.
Verdict
All in all, the builder is easy to set up: everything starts working like clockwork in less than a minute. Budibase provides deployment and integration functionality, and that’s something you won’t find in any other platform.
The builder comes with any components you might need for connecting to several data sources, views, forms, and tables. In short, Budibase accelerates business activities and streamlines business processes. Seems like engineers find Budibase worth their time and attention. What about surfing through some reviews?
“Congrats on launching guys! I was floored by Budibase when I was able to just throw away the onboarding/tutorial and make my own CRUD app in minutes with no training whatsoever. layer on top of that the fact that it is open source and integrates with all the things, it is a clear choice over Retool now!”
“As someone who works with startup companies everyday, Budibase is a game changer for helping founders quickly and easily build new products. Looks great!”
Low-code experts
Nowadays, software development without coding is synonymous with low code. The expansion of no-code tools is a major trend that allows citizen developers to create apps, launch startups, and solve problems of different consumer groups. However, often you need a technological partner to support these activities in full measure.
What about partnering with low code/no code development experts? With more than eight years of low-code development experience, we help companies develop robust applications that cater to specific business needs. Our seasoned consultant team provides advice on low-code platforms for companies willing to innovate and helps to implement your low-code strategy from day one.
P.S. We love writing about trends in low code. Subscribe to our blog to get the latest insights right in your inbox.
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