What is kinodb?

kinodb is a metadata-driven application development and deployment platform, designed for developers.

What does this mean?

It allows developers to build applications, the definitions of which are stored entirely as data, and it deploys those applications to users.

It is termed a platform because a single technical implementation provides a framework for development and implementation activities (security, logging, session management etc.) as well as operational management of deployed systems (change control, security policies, backups etc.)

This has significant benefits, including:

Why is it different?

Traditional Rapid Application Development (RAD) and low-code tools make it trivial to implement simple functionality.  The downside is that they are unsuitable for large or complex applications.  The high level of control provided by traditional development tools is sacrificed for speed and simplicity. 

For simple applications this may be a good trade-off, but the removal of outright capability in favour of simplicity necessarily restricts what these tools can be used for.

You may be several iterations into the development of a product before realising that the tool you have selected lacks the capabilities required for the next feature.

Also, most low-code environments require the developer to step outside the toolset's capabilities to perform complex tasks - 'low-code' is used for the easy bits, but the real work is done by traditional Java, C# or similar code bases, removing the advantage of the low-code concept.

kinodb doesn't make these compromises. In the hands of experienced developers familiar with the design of efficient data structures, transactional data management and the implementation of complex, enterprise-scale systems, it makes the development process many times faster.

What is it used for?

kinodb is used for systems of all kinds.  It has been used for case management, HR systems, investment optimisation systems, asset registers, permit management applications and much else besides.

Some of the characteristics of these systems are as follows:

• Large data models with complex relationships between data entities
• Many user roles with differing capabilities (including public users)
• Multiple applications sharing data within a single technical instance
• Incoming / outgoing web service interfaces with other systems
• Hundreds or thousands of concurrent users
• Support for disparate user device types, browsers and formats
• Very large data sets (many millions of rows)
• Flexible deployment options (in-house / cloud)
• Security features suitable for public Internet deployment.

The kinodb platform provides all of these capabilities out of the box, without requiring the level of technical implementation that would be required using conventional development technologies.

A metadata-driven approach

The metadata-driven approach that the platform implements brings a number of significant advantages to the development and maintenance process:

• Very fast implementation of complex data sets
• Transparency of all aspects of the implementation of very large systems (thousands of tables)
• The developer builds the application whilst it is running, meaning that all changes are implemented and can be reviewed instantly
• The metadata model is automatically checked throughout the development process, highlighting any errors in real time
• Ease of maintenance over many years, including by developers with little pre-existing knowledge of a system’s design
• Ability to refactor the implementation of an existing application in response to changing requirements, whilst preserving existing data
• Technology independence, allowing for new database and browser releases to be supported without change to the application model – compatibility is provided by updates to the platform itself
• Portability between database engines and cloud providers
• The ability to implement all aspects of an application’s functionality without stepping outside the platform’s capabilities
• A highly iterative and incremental approach to the development process, whether this is a build that takes place over a week, or an entire product lifecycle encompassing multiple releases over many years.

Want to know more?

Click on one of the buttons below to find out why so many organisations have chosen kinodb, or one of our pre-configured versions for local government or asset management.