A model and workflow-driven approach for engineering domain-specific low-code platforms and applications
The need to produce software quicker and in greater quantities continues to grow, while the market for professional programmers struggles to meet the rising demand. Low-code development platforms (LCDPs) have been proposed as a solution that enables individuals without formal training to develop app...
| Autores: | , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2025 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | IAPH |
| Repositorio: | Biblos-e Archivo. Repositorio Institucional de la UAM |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:repositorio.uam.es:10486/726080 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10486/726080 https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10270-025-01308-y |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Low-code platforms Model-driven engineering Workflow languages Informática |
| Sumario: | The need to produce software quicker and in greater quantities continues to grow, while the market for professional programmers struggles to meet the rising demand. Low-code development platforms (LCDPs) have been proposed as a solution that enables individuals without formal training to develop applications. However, current LCDPs typically rely on proprietary, fixed code generation processes, which limit flexibility, hinder interoperability, and risk vendor lock-in. To address these limitations, this paper introduces Dandelion+, a cloud-based low-code platform designed to create domain-specific LCDPs and applications within them. Our approach is highly model-driven, from defining the scaffolds of low-code platforms (e.g., models, meta-models, users, and roles) to creating applications. In particular, applications are powered by PlatFlow, a platform-aware graphical workflow language. Comprising both model operations and low-code-focused nodes, PlatFlow offers flexible control over the code generation process that drives LCDPs. We conduct two case studies to evaluate our approach. First, we confront Dandelion+ with other low-code platforms to design interactive applications and produce artifacts. Second, we report on the benefits of Dandelion+ in the industrial context of UGROUND, a Spanish software firm that uses low code in its projects |
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