So you want to build an app (or better yet, a dApp), and you are looking for some answers. You have come to the right place! This thorough guide will take you through all the necessary steps, explain how everything works, and leave you wiser and better in just about…10 minutes-ish. Web3 edition.
First things first, the eat-your-greens part of the process, aka the boring stuff. You have to know what you don’t know, only then you will be able to fill in the blank spots.
Right.
Mandatory sales pitch: low code and no code are big. They get bigger every day and reach into industries and verticals few considered an option. Web3 is an example of that—a confusing field for laymen, something that requires an explanation for all but experts.
Programming a proper Web3 product is just as confusing—which is why crypto devs rake in the big bucks. Supply and demand, all that jazz. Leveraging low code and no code is a great boon for anyone getting into the industry—build something now, and expand on it later. What could be better for learning than practice, after all?
Of course, not everyone is a believer in Web3.
Mr. Musk is not a believer as you can see, not yet anyway. Mark Cuban, for instance, believes otherwise, and has plenty of fun ideas about it:
The truth is, no one knows what’s going to happen next. It doesn’t matter who you listen to, or who your ideal guide to the ultimate truth is (like Jim Cramer at CNBC, who is famously inaccurate at every single market prediction he makes).
No one knew what will happen to bitcoin, which is why some guy bought a pizza for 10,000 bitcoins on May 22, 2010. Today, that pizza would’ve cost him around 3 billion dollars, give or take.
The point is, there is a similarity between Web3 and no code/low code platforms: skepticism. Some people will always believe Web3 is a dud and it has no future. Some people will always say no code/low code is a waste of time and it’s not worth it.
That’s their own opinion. If you want to build something cool, you build it. You’ll have to see what happens in the future, and no one knows how it’ll turn out. What could be cooler than bootstrapping an awesome crypto product pretty much solo? Certainly not pooping recycled opinions all over Twitter.
Anyway, pitch over. I hope you’ve been motivated, there’s plenty more to this article! Let’s start with the basics.
What is No-Code?
No code app development means building an application without writing a single line of code. Self-explanatory, I know. Directual, like many other similar platforms, is an app builder that allows the creation of apps code-free via a drag-and-drop interface. It’s like Lego, except you can build something much more interesting.
A few important things to address:
No-code does not require programming expertise.
Programming in general is more about thinking logically, rather than knowing a certain programming language inside out. Where the latter the case, we would not ever have to deal with so many bugs at every corner.
Of course, it pays to know how everything works, and no-code platforms are not a threat to veteran devs who do it all by themselves. Instead, it’s an opportunity to apply their skills in an environment that can speed the process tremendously.
No-code is not restrictive in terms of programming.
Well…kinda. This point piggybacks on the previous one - of course, it’s impossible to come up with every single possible logic cube you can use in the drag-and-drop builder. For everything else, there is custom code, and the more you learn the no-coding discipline, the more you’re getting into specifics of what you can build yourself.
In terms of actual limits, there are none. Back to the Lego comparison - logic blocks are pre-made parts of a bigger thing. You can still whack open the box and take separate pieces to build something far beyond the image on the box.
No-code can be used for more than just MVPs.
↑ Tl;dr version of this section
One of the most common sentiments - no-code platforms are only good for a product of limited scale, and you can’t build anything truly real on it. Right?
Wroooong. No-code is perfectly capable of reaching pretty much all but the most intense levels of architectural and server design. Unless you’re going to deal with Twitter’s server loads and app design challenges, I’d say you’re good.
But! It really depends on the platform. Some no-code tools are only good at one thing they chose to excel at - it could be backend, frontend, mobile app development, or Web3 capabilities, and some are advanced enough to tackle it all. You have to know what to look for in the platform of your choosing. More on that below.
How low-code is different from no-code?
You’ve probably heard about these two definitions and might’ve even scratched your head, thinking what might the difference be. It’s all quite simple.
Both low-code and no-code platforms are designed to make software development faster, make it more agile, and reduce the chances of bugs. Both employ visual builders - a-la drag-and-drop.
The difference is, low-code absolutely requires you to program certain things yourself. No-code doesn’t. That also means low-code has a higher learning curve, since, well, you need to know more or less what you’re doing and have a grasp of the programming languages you need to work with.
What are Web3 dApps
Back to the blockchain! Simply put, dApps are just your regular apps but with blockchain/web3 functionality that operate on distributed (p2p) blockchain networks. There is no centralized body to control the dApp, hence the appeal of many - no change of someone going bonkers and steering away the entire path of the service sideways. It’s all up for a nice, democratic vote. DApps are also often open source, and it’s quite easy to get started with one.
DApps often utilize their own tokens, issued off a blockchain of their own choice. Directual is not different in this regard — we have our own tokens (based on Ethereum) as well that can be used for internal resources or tariff plans.
↑ Here’s what it looks like in Directual. It can look like this in your dApp too!
Dapps are awesome for a number of reasons:
- Full-on democracy, so no power grabbing or censorship by a single entity
- Versatility of Smart contracts that can be used for just about anything
- Decentralization results in computing power spread across nodes. It’s peer-to-peer, after all!
- Tons of various applications in a great number of industries
Besides that, dApps are divided into three categories:
Type I
A dApp with its own blockchain. Ethereum is a really good example of this. These dApps are not reliant on other blockchains to operate, issue tokens, or anything else. Completely self-sustainable.
Type II
A dApp is dependent on a blockchain. These dApps use the functionality of Type I dApp (blockchain) to perform the functions they need to offer. Type II dApp keeps the functionality to maintain and configure the functions, but if something changes in the blockchain, it will have to adapt, fast.
Type III
These dApps are basically made of the functionality of other dApps completely. They are simple to make and can be an extra feature a Type II or Type I dApp doesn’t offer - often in combination with centralized features. A truly specialist type of software.
To finish this off, some data: as of now, State of the Dapps reports that there are 3734 dApps at the moment. Seems like a high number? It’s not. Just to compare to Web2 apps: Google Play alone has 2.65+ mln, as reported by Statista. If dApps are not an untapped market, I don’t know what is.Advantages of no-code for Web3
Web2 and Web3, as we have learned, have plenty in common, and yet the no-code approach can be even more beneficial for beginners and startups alike. Here’s a short list of why’s:
You don’t need a programmer team
Blockchains and no-code platforms connect on a very interesting level: both offer an easy way to set up your project. With some gumption and time to spare, you can absolutely launch your own dApp completely on your own. It helps to have friends, but not necessary at all.
I’m sure you’ve heard of Dogecoin before (also loved by Mr. Musk, despite the opinion to the contrary above), and here’s a fun fact: Dogecoin was a practical joke by a couple of Aussies back in 2013. Billy Markus (aka Shibetoshi Nakamoto) and Jackson Palmer made doge within 2 hours or so.
↑ The madlads in flesh and blood — courtesy of moonstats.com
Survivorship bias yada yada, sure. But the point still stands - you’ve got all the tools to get started, and you don’t need to know much to make something cool. Oh, and also, it’s much cheaper.
There are plenty of tools to get started
5-6 years ago, starting your own web3 project would’ve been a hassle, true. 2022? Crypto madness, sky’s the limit—as our dear friend Randy Savage used to say. Or was it something close to that?
There are specialized platforms just for Web3 functionality that you can use to build a product within a provided “frame”, or no-code platforms (like yours truly) that you can use to build a full-fledged app with blockchain integration. It’s all readily available, the documentation is there as well.
Delivering and updating your dApp can be done really fast
If you can build it fast, you can update it fast. You don’t spend time going over the lines of code, or meticulously automating things just to find out it doesn’t work as soon as you start testing your dApp. It’s all already pre-made, just arrange the stuff you need together.
No-code dApp projects advance web3 in general
The more dApps there are, the faster the market grows. The faster it grows, the more clients you can get in the long run. The more clients, oh come on, you know what I mean. By making dApps faster, the market is healthier in general - competition is a good thing.
If nothing else, it’s a really cool career option
You don’t need to have a startup in mind to get into no-coding dApps. Very few people are experts in blockchain—it’s still a mystery to most people. Creating successful projects and exploring what web3 can offer to the world will make you a valuable professional.
“I made a dApp game where you can earn coins by playing in 5 days and got to 120,000 new monthly active users in 6 months, AMA” — could be what you will do on Reddit, could be something on your CV. Just saying.
How to make a dApp (or any app) with a no-code platform?
If you’re looking for a more or less standard flow, here’s a little dApp tutorial with steps you need to take:
Step 1: figure out what you’d like to build
Don’t rush in if you’re not at least somewhat certain what you’d like to try creating. As much as I dislike falling into analysis paralysis, some planning is necessary. Is it a wallet, is it a game, an NFT marketplace, what’s the real idea?
Take a good look at your potential competitors. Outline your unique value proposition, ask around, and get some insights into how the app can be monetized. You don’t want to cling to a billion-dollar idea just because you like it, only to find out no one actually wants to buy it.
As soon as you’re sure it smells like money, figure out the tech stack you’ll need to accomplish your goal. In a no-code tool, you’re looking for:
- Database manager
- Frontend builder
- Backend builder
- Blockchain integrations of your choice (probably Ethereum or Polygon, right?)
- Integrations catalog
- Analytics tools
- Mobile app framework for both iOS and Android (you can also do it later)
- Testing tools
- Ideally, some templates to get started
- Proper documentation
An important thing to mention: you don’t have to set your eyes on a single no-code platform if it doesn’t have all you need. Due to the nature of no-code platforms in general, integration capabilities are a must, and that means you can easily combine platform features together.
For instance, there’s Directual - renowned for its kickass backend and database management, and then there’s Bubble - known for its slick UI. You don’t have to choose, because…
Step 2: try building a test project
Since we’re talking theory right now, there is no need to go into detail about how to do it on a particular platform (more on that below).
What you want to do here is pick a no-code platform capable of connecting to a blockchain of your choice, and test run your idea at the most basic level. Not even an MVP scale - forget all the bells and whistles, slick designs, and definitely don’t spend 15 hours designing a cool logo.
You need to be sure what you don’t know about the development part of your product. Directual (well but of course!) is a really good bet. Here’s a sample scenario of a simple wallet:
↑ Read our docs to see how it works on the platform itself
You’ll need to build:
- Basic database
- Integration with the blockchain of choice
- The most basic UI ever
- Core features of your app that actually work
At this point, you’ll have an idea if your app is at all viable to build or not. Let’s assume it is (because of course it is!)
Step 3: build on top of what you’ve made, learn, adapt, survive, overcome
This is the next stage of the pre-MVP journey where you truly discover what you need to build a proper MVP and push it out to your grandparents for live feedback.
Focus on the core feature set - it must be impeccable. It’s okay to make the dApp a little more presentable since now you’ll be showing it to people, but don’t overdo it - build fast, fail fast.
Figure out what tools you will need to achieve a full-fledged dApp, and what the solution you use at the moment lacks. Maybe it doesn’t lack anything, maybe it does. Some advice: no-code tools are usually specialized in one big thing. Could be mobile apps, could be backend, could be frontend, could be just blockchain stuff. Try them together, hook everything up, and see how it works. After that, you know better than me.
Now, to what you might try to achieve your goals in terms of actual tools…
Web3 developer tools of choice
A few things you should be on the lookout for while shopping:
Strong main features
If it’s a backend no-code platform, it better be the best at it. If you want to scale fast and well, you better make sure both the backend and database builder is up to speed. If it’s frontend, let them impress you right at the beginning. To save you some research, Directual absolutely excels at backend and scaling. You can support just about anything on it.
User-friendliness
The platform(s) of your choice must be pleasant to work with. Don’t forget about burnout - while you learn and try new things, your brains will be stressed out. Extra hassle juggling unintuitive navigation and patchy functionality is going to make it worse.
Cloud capability
Even though you’re gunning for a dApp that is decentralized and you don’t really need to worry about it, you will still need to consider other things your app will do, and some still are centralized. You must be sure your data is hosted where you would prefer it, and it all works fast.
Compatibility
The wider the integration catalog, the better. You want to have an opportunity to hook your dApp with just about anything, even if you’re sure you don’t need it yet. This makes your life infinitely easier in the long run.
Now, to the matter of picking a cool tool…
There are hundreds of them. A dozen may be web3-compatible - including Directual - but again, you can rig up quite a few together. Recently we’ve made a short post on tools you can try precisely for web3 project development, and it’s worth taking a look. To save you the trouble, it’s Directual, Moralis, Bildr, and ETH build (mostly for learning).
Let’s now take a look at how you can build a web3 project on Directual:
Building a dApp on Directual
I was planning to have a ton of text here, but why read when you can enjoy a full video tutorial on making a web3 marketplace on Directual from scratch?
This video guide will take you through every step of how to build a dApp on Polygon (Ethereum L2). Open a test project, this video on another screen if you have it, and all it takes is half an hour. No BS — just try it!
Afterword
Ooophh, it was quite the read. Since you are a real trooper, I believe you deserve a reward. Use this promo code WEB3ISHERE to get $100 worth of our own D-coins, which you can use on our platform to extend the resource limits.
Most importantly, believe in your idea, move fast, test it, and if it’s not good, try another one. If there’s one thing no coding can teach anyone - it’s flexibility.
In case you’d like to try Directual and you’re unsure where to start still, or if you have questions, do let us know by sending a message at hello@directual.com.
Thank you for reading, and godspeed!