What is Mendix?
Now that you have learned what low-code is, as well as the different platforms there are, we will now go into more detail about the one we will be discussing in this book, Mendix. This is how the Mendix logo looks:
Figure 1.3 – Mendix logo
Mendix is a low-code platform, as well as being the leader in low-code development. It provides tools to build, test, and deploy applications.
A little background into Mendix's history: Founded in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, in 2005, Mendix has been building out the platform so that businesses can go live sooner and attain success faster. In addition, on October 1, 2018, Mendix was acquired by Siemens, the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe. This allowed integrations and improvements to happen in a short period of time. You can see the entire Mendix team in the following photo:
Figure 1.4 – Original Mendix team members, 2007
I mentioned that Mendix is the leader of low-code. Here are some key points as to why it is used by so many companies:
- Cloud-native architecture
- Collaborative visual development
- Multi-channel user experiences
- Scale without redesign
- Able to deploy anywhere
This high-productivity platform allows the development of both mobile and web applications while keeping up the agile (like SCRUM) and DevOps best practices. Mendix even goes above and beyond, allowing business users to give direct feedback to the application, allowing important feedback to be directed to those developers who will be fixing or improving business processes.
While exploring the different low-code platforms and providers, there can be large, critical differences between collaboration and handling application life cycle management. The Gartner 2020 Magic Quadrant beautifully displays how Mendix is leading the way:
Figure 1.5 – Gartner's Magic Quadrant for Multiexperience Development Platforms
Mendix states (https://www.mendix.com/resources/gartner-2020-mq-for-multiexperience-development-platforms/):
You might also be wondering who even uses Mendix. To name a few, ConocoPhillips, Ingersoll Rand, Chubb, Canada Post, New Balance, as well as eXp Realty. These businesses saw the need to transition to a low-code environment, as well as seeing how Mendix would help them achieve their goals – goals to modernize, to engage at an unprecedented level, to innovate, as well as to automate when possible.
