What Is Mendix and Is It Right for Your Business?

Visual Modeling Tool

A simple drag-and-drop interface for developers to build applications. Instead of typing in code manually, developers interact with a graphical user interface (GUI) to design and code the logic of their apps. This helps speed up the development process and makes it easier for business stakeholders to contribute.

Third-Party Integrations

Mendix supports third-party integrations with Microsoft, AWS, and other software vendors. This allows developers to leverage data and capabilities from third-party applications, eliminating the need to build core functionalities from scratch.

Additionally, third-party integrations help reduce API requests, improve performance, and reduce resource use.

Collaboration and Management Tools

Using the Mendex Portal, developers can collaborate in real time in the same environment. It has dedicated modules for portfolio management, Agile development, application insights, and version control.

The app insights module makes it easier for developers to make informed decisions based on interactive polls and passive user feedback. Meanwhile, the version control module, based on Git, automatically reconciles multiple team members’ work into a central repository.

What are the benefits of Agile methodology? With Agile project management tools, project managers can create, refine, and prioritize sprints and milestone deliverables.

Faster Time to Market

By eliminating the need to code manually, developers can work faster and get more done in less time. They can drag-and-drop modules from the intuitive user interface and modify the app logic to suit their requirements. The result is a faster development cycle, helping the client deploy to market quickly and beat the competition.

Better Collaboration

Since Mendix is cloud-based and offers centralized version control, developers worldwide can work simultaneously in a centralized repository. Any changes made by individual team members can be reviewed and approved by others before being deployed into the repository. This helps keep all developers on the same page, aware of each other’s contribution to the project.

Also, the visual modeling tool promotes better collaboration with business stakeholders. At a glance, stakeholders can visualize the app appearance and get a feel for the functionality too. With a better sense of the look and feel of the app, they can provide more accurate feedback and change requests.

More Affordable Development

When used properly, Mendix has the potential to help reduce software development costs. This is because the platform focuses on a rapid app development process without compromising on quality.

Based on this philosophy, Mendix developers are highly skilled in using the available tools to build and deploy fast, scalable, and beautiful-looking apps in a short time. They can also use third-party integrations to enhance the existing capabilities of an app.

For example, developers can connect Google Maps to a food delivery app, enabling customers to track the status of their deliveries in real time. Naturally, this is much more affordable than building a functional interactive map from scratch.

Limited Flexibility and Scalability

Low-code platforms like Mendix have pre-built components, modules, and connectors. Developers can reuse these pieces of shared code across the entire software application. This helps speed up development and reduce manual coding.

Unfortunately, low-code platforms like Mendix have limited functionality. This is because developers are limited by whatever functionalities the platform has to offer. So, if a business has a specific need, one that Mendix cannot meet, then they will have to request a custom code.

Performance Issues

Another potential downside to Mendix is the risk of performance issues. Drag-and-drop components are not optimized for the apps they are being built for.

As developers add more components, they gradually lose control over how well each component is optimized for the app. This can lead to various performance issues, such as slow-loading pages and frequent crashes. As enterprise applications grow in size and complexity, businesses may encounter more performance issues.

Custom code, on the other hand, can be optimized manually to provide the best possible performance. Dedicated software teams can provide low-code and custom solutions that support your technical needs and business goals. Plus, each team member is hand-picked to meet your unique project requirements.

Security Limitations

By default, Mendix has various built-in security options. These include customizable controls for module security, user roles, entity access, app authentication, and more. This allows professional developers to determine who has access to the application and what they can do.

While the security options for platforms like Mendix are commendable, third-party integrations can present issues. Since Mendix makes it easy to integrate outsider apps, citizen developers may accidentally compromise their code. These unchecked vulnerabilities can raise security concerns, increasing the risk of a successful cyberattack.

This is where professional QA and software testing can help. A software development company like Orient Software can perform manual and automated testing. Using the latest software testing tools, we can identify and address security concerns before they compromise your system.