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Bubble: the no-code tool to build web app without technical skills

par | Déc 13, 2022 | Uncategorized | 0 commentaires

Bubble Drag and drop editor

Introduction to Bubble no-code tool and platform

For several years now, the no-code concept is growing. This concept is based on the idea that you can build software or digital products without having the knowledge of traditional coding skills. This concept, and the platforms built on this concept, empowers the non-technical users, such as business owners, entrepreneurs, marketers and many more, to be able to build the software they need in their daily work. Or to give birth to an idea they have and that an application can help them to realize.

For more than 10 years, Bubble (https://bubble.io) is the platform leader of the nocode concept and movement.

Bubble is a no-code platform and tool that allows you to build web applications and host them according to the no-code concept. It uses a drag-and-drop interface, pre-built templates and extensions to make it easy for you, even if you’re a non-technical user, to build complex, functional web apps and softwares.

Bubble is often used for creating marketplaces, social networks, and other types of web-based apps. Moreover, you can use it to create the little software you need to improve your own efficiency and ease your work.

Bubble key features

Bubble offers a comprehensive system for the creation and distribution of an app, from UI design to data storage and handling to processing information entry, conversion, and display.

The key features of Bubble are :Bubble Drag-and-drop interface

With Bubble visual drag-and-drop interface, you can add and arrange different elements of your application, such as pages, forms, databases, and more. You can also link up these components to form processes and guidelines for the application’s behavior.

It is also customizable, allowing you to change the appearance and layout of your app to fit your needs.

Bubble’s drag-and-drop interface enables you to create responsive web application, adapted to all kind of screen size hence developing mobile apps.

Bubble visual programming interface

Bubble has a visual programming interface that allows you to create complex workflows and logic without needing to write code. This includes creating rules and conditions for how different elements of your application should behave, such as what happens when a form is submitted or when a user clicks a button. This Visual programming interface enables you also to make some calculation and transformation on the user data according to your business rules. 

Pre-built templates and extensions for Bubble

Bubble offers a range of pre-built templates and extensions to help you get started building. These templates and extensions are designed for specific use cases, such as creating a marketplace or a social network, and include the necessary elements and functionality for those types of applications. Using pre-built templates and extensions can save time and effort, especially if you are new to Bubble or building an application for the first time. They can also be a useful learning tool, providing a starting point and a way to see how different elements of the application fit together. 

The two main kinds of extensions you’ll find in Bubble are :

  • plugins : these extensions enhance Bubble features. With plugins you can add new visual elements or behaviors or use specific 3rd party services. Some of these plugins enable you to build mobile apps and use the specific features of mobile devices, such as swiping, geolocalisation, import pictures, …
  • API Connections : these extensions ease the use of 3rd party services and are more detailed in the following section

Bubble integrations with external tools and services

Bubble allows you to integrate your web application with a variety of external tools and services. This enables you to incorporate features and linkages into your app without having to construct everything from the ground up.

Some examples of external tools and services that can be integrated with Bubble include:

  1. Payment processors: Bubble can be integrated with payment processors such as Stripe and PayPal, allowing users to accept payments within their web application.
  2. Email marketing platforms: Bubble can be integrated with email marketing platforms such as Mailchimp, Sendgrid or SendInblue allowing you to send newsletters and marketing campaigns from within your application.
  3. Social media platforms: Bubble can be integrated with social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, allowing the users of your app to share content and interact with their followers from within the application.
  4. Customer relationship management (CRM) tools: Bubble can be integrated with CRM tools such as Salesforce, Hubspot or Pipedrive allowing you to manage and track customer interactions within your application.
  5. Third-party APIs: Bubble enables you to connect to third-party APIs, allowing you to access and use data and functionality from other services within your app.

Bubble backend database

Bubble has a powerful database that allows you to store and manage data. The database is fully integrated with the visual drag-and-drop interface and the visual programing interface, making it easy to connect data to the various elements of the application.

Some key features of the Bubble database include:

  1. Data types: Bubble supports a variety of data types, including text, numbers, dates, and more. This allows you to store and manage different types of data within their application in a functional way.
  2. Data relationships: Bubble allows you to set up relationships between different types of data within the database. For example, a user might create a « customers » database and a « orders » database, and then create a relationship between the two to track which orders belong to which customers.
  3. Data security: Bubble has robust security measures in place to protect users’ data. This includes encryption of data in transit and at rest, as well as user-level access controls that allow you to control who has access to different parts of the database.
  4. Data export: You can export data from the Bubble database in a variety of formats, including CSV and JSON. This enables you to analyze or use your data outside of the application. This can be paired with the API extensions mentioned above.

Bubble hosting and deployment

Once you are prepared to make your web app available, Bubble will manage the technical aspects of hosting and launching it. This includes setting up the appropriate infrastructure and guaranteeing that your users can access it. You can choose from different pricing plans to maximize your app’s performance and make sure you have the capacity to support its expansion.

Bubble collaboration features

Bubble also provides tools that enable you to collaborate with multiple individuals on a single project. This encompasses the capacity to designate duties, leave remarks, and monitor advancement. You can also create authorization protocols and access regulations to make sure only people who require it have access to certain elements of the project. For example, you could add some bubble developer freelancers to your development team in order to speed up the completion of your web application. Although you can release only one version of your program, Bubble allows you to control multiple versions.

Bubble ecosystem of resources and community support

Bubble has a large ecosystem of resources and community support, including forums, tutorials, and integrations with external tools and services. This helps users get help and advice when building their web applications, as well as discover new tools and services that can enhance their application.

 

Disclaimer : i have no interest in any of the links above, it’s just the ones i discovered in my Bubble learning journey. If you think some resource of interest should be listed above, please send me a message

Wide range of use cases

Bubble can be used to build a wide range of web-based applications, including marketplaces, social networks, Saas, and much more. Moreover, Bubble can help you to build the one app that doesn’t exist for your need. The limits of the use cases are your imagination.

Why using Bubble as a tool

Employing Bubble to create a web application has several benefits :

  1. You don’t need to have any technical background skills
  2. You can create, deploy and improve quickly your application

No need for any technical background skill

Bubble has built multiple layers of abstraction on the regular technical structures employed to generate websites and web applications. Those layers have been arranged to conceal the intricate details of code and database by delivering easy-to-grasp principles and simple-to-utilize tools to create your application. There is no requirement for a novice to have mastery over HTML, CSS, Javascript, SQL or MySQL. All you need to be aware of is how to use a mouse and a keyboard and turn business rules into a chain of visual commands, also known, in Bubble world, as actions in workflows.

Mastering the Bubble platform requires a learning curve; however, its drag-and-drop and visual programming features make this process simpler. In an incredibly brief amount of time—maybe even less than sixty minutes—you can construct your first web program using Bubble and become familiar with the majority of its aspects. With just a few extra hours, you can make your application accessible to everyone.

Create, deploy and improve quickly

Bubble tool makes creating and running web applications easy, so you can put all of your energy into improving functionality, fixing bugs, and introducing new features. Turning around changes quickly is simple – for example, building a basic AirBnb-style site will take about three hours. After that, you can refine it further and add features every day to make a real difference.

Why using Bubble as a means to something else

With Bubble, you can achieve several goals :

  1. Build your own app
  2. Start your own business
  3. Become a Bubble developer freelancer / employee

Build your own application

it’s no secret that inside companies, digital tools are often missing for employees to do their jobs or to improve the company’s productivity. In a usual way, the company asks a software development company for a quote to develop an application based on a set of specifications. And … it often stops here because the cost of such products are out of company’s financial range.

Now, with Bubble, anyone in the company can start to build a web application to solve his problems or to improve his productivity at no cost and without any coding skill nor having to invest in servers, database or so.

Start your own business

You have an idea that has been in your head for a while. But you’ve never been able to realize it because you’ve always thought it would require some coding skills or you haven’t the money to ask for a developper to build it.

With Bubble, you can now create yourself a MVP (Most Valuable Product) of your without any help, without writing a single line of code and start testing it very quickly. You can add monetization rapidly and begin earning money.

Become a Bubble developer freelancer / employee

By starting to develop on Bubble you may learn new skills to build and maintain web application developed with Bubble. As of year 2022 and anticipating the next years, a lot of no-code and more precisely Bubble devs will be needed. Hence, Bubble and all the no-code world can be an opportunity to you if you plan to change of work and career.

Here’re two – recent – examples of people who literally change their business path after having discovered Bubble :

Limits of Bubble

In itself, Bubble has some limitations. As you’ll level up your expertise in Bubble, you’ll see that most of Bubble limits can be overcome by the use of plugins, API and the possibility to include javascript code.

There’re several limits, though, that Bubble can’t address. Among those limits :

  • You can’t create visual games like « Call of Duty » or kinda games like that. And Bubble is not meant to do so.
  • You can’t get the source code of your web app. In fact, all of your app is built onto Bubble’s framework and infrastructure. Every component of these are tightly bounded. All combined together can’t be exported « just as is » in source code without disclosing Bubble’s core secret sauce and business. It means that you’re entirely dependent on Bubble platform to run your app. Else, you have to rebuild everything from ground up.
  • Bubble database seems to show limits – ie low performances – when dealing with the manipulation of high volumes data sets at once and when mass deleting records. But those limits can be superseded by using workarounds and new technics that can be implemented only on Bubble.

 

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