No-Code/Low-Code, and Security: What’s the Developer’s Role?

No-code and low-code (LCNC) platforms are transforming how organizations build applications. Business units can launch tools in days instead of months, and developers can accelerate delivery by skipping boilerplate coding. 

But speed comes with tradeoffs. These platforms often remove traditional development guardrails, which means security risks can slip in unnoticed. Even when the platform itself is well-designed, misconfigurations or insecure design choices can expose sensitive data. The question for leaders is: what role should developers and security teams play when they don’t have complete control of the environment? 

Where the Risks Show Up 

There have already been high-profile cases where misconfigured low-code portals exposed millions of records, including personal data tied to healthcare, government services, and enterprise applications. In other cases, links to shared databases have been accidentally indexed by search engines, leaving sensitive information wide open.  

OWASP’s Low-Code/No-Code Top 10 highlights these risks: misconfiguration, weak access controls, injection flaws, and oversharing data through public endpoints. In short, while LCNC tools make it easier, they don’t make applications secure by default.  

Governance and Visibility 

The challenge for security teams is visibility. Low-Code/No-Code tools make it easy for non-developers in business units to create apps outside the oversight of IT or security. Without governance, it’s impossible to know where sensitive data is flowing.  

Organizations should:  

• Maintain an inventory of all low-code/no-code applications, connectors, and workflows.  

• Classify applications by risk; those touching sensitive or regulated data need stronger controls and regular review. 

• Implement baseline security policies that platforms must meet and monitor configuration drift. 

• Create a Security Champions Program that bridges business, IT, and security, ensuring innovation and security stay aligned.  

The Developer’s Role in No-Code/Low-Code Security 

Even when developers aren’t writing every line of code, their influence is key to securing the LCNC ecosystem. They understand how applications interact, where data moves, and what could go wrong when systems are loosely coupled.  

Here’s how developers can lead:  

• Guide Secure Design – Help business users and citizen developers think about authentication, authorization, and data handling from the start. 

• Review and Advise – Participate in design reviews or risk assessments for LCNC apps, especially those connecting to core systems or APIs. 

• Set Reusable Security Patterns – Provide templates and pre-approved connectors that make it easier to "build safe" by default. 

• Act as Security Champions – Bridge the gap between security and business units by advocating for secure practices and helping non-technical teams navigate them. 

In short, developers become the connective tissue between innovation and safety. Their expertise helps extend secure development principles into new, democratized ways of building software. 

Read more about Why Low-Code/No-Code Can Be a Security Advantage 

Building a Secure LCNC Culture 

LCNC platforms thrive on accessibility, but that same accessibility can amplify risk if teams lack security awareness. The best safeguard isn’t just policy; it’s culture. 

Organizations that succeed with LCNC tools treat security as a shared responsibility. They invest in education, helping developers and business technologists understand how vulnerabilities emerge and how to prevent them. They empower teams with knowledge, not just controls. 

When developers are trained to recognize risks, mentor others, and embed security thinking into every workflow, the entire organization moves faster and safer. 

Empowering Developers Through Training 

As LCNC adoption accelerates, so does the need for developers who can guide secure design across all kinds of platforms. Structured, ongoing security education builds the confidence and skills needed to support innovation responsibly. 

At Security Journey, we believe security starts with the developer and extends to everyone building software, no matter the tool. By embedding security learning into daily workflows, organizations can prepare teams to build securely in any environment, from traditional codebases to low-code platforms. 

In a world where anyone can build an app, developers remain the key to building them securely.