No-Code Considerations
The primary third-party service we use to create apps is Glide. There are some design considerations we bump into with them from time to time. Here are some of the common ones:
Design - One of the benefits of using Glide is that the design decisions are mostly built into their service. This helps us focus on the app's productivity, and build the app quicker. There are still a few design options, but if you are looking for total design control, you’ll probably find Glide limiting. Occasionally, Glide will update their designs, and you’ll see many of those changes automatically. While this is a nice feature to keep your app looking sharp, we have no control over these changes.
Structure & Layout - Similar to the design limits, Glide uses pre-built components that are added to the apps page layout. There are many types of components, and many combinations that can be made, but the page layout is generally limited to Glide’s platform and component offerings.
Actions Require a Human - Currently, database actions require a human to click a button. There aren’t any automated triggers within Glide. There are workarounds to some use cases, (like using Google Sheets and Zapier), but this limitation will prevent some requirements from being fully realized. Glide has mentioned that they are working on automated triggers (based on time, field values, etc.) for release in 2024.
File Uploads - Any of the Glide file or image upload components store the uploaded file on a public link. While this is convenient when sharing these files with others on and off the app, it is generally not suitable for any files or images with sensitive information. We can use third-party services to privately store files and images, but there are some ease of use drawbacks.
Payment Processing - There are not any native payment processing features or integrations with Glide. While there is a Stripe invoicing integration that customers can pay through, the payment does not take place within Glide. There are workarounds, but apps that are marketplaces that require payment management, or a storefront, are not well suited for Glide.
White Labeling - While you can add your own domain and link system emails to your own email address, Glide is not completely white labeled, certain automated emails like the sign in PIN come from Glide.
User Email Changes - Email address changes are done manually by an administrator. While there is a workaround for this, the solution requires all users to be private users within the Glide app. This causes the price of the app to rise quicker than it otherwise would.
Intellectual Property - We can’t give you any legal advice, so you’ll have to consult a lawyer to be sure. The way we see it, you’ll retain ownership of your content, but you will not own the app built in Glide.
Multitenant - Multi-instance architecture is generally preferred to multitenant when building in Glide because of database size and usage limits.
Floating-Point Arithmetic - This gets into the nitty gritty of how computers represent and calculate the numbers we use every day. This resource does a great job explaining floating-point.
Usually these considerations aren’t that impactful for most people. But, if one of these is important to you, let’s talk about your needs to see if we can help.