# No-Code & Automation

> Build apps and automate work without (much) code - Zapier, Make, n8n, Airtable, Retool, and the enterprise low-code platforms. For founders, ops, analysts, and anyone who'd rather ship than wait for engineering.

11 guides.

- [No-Code, Low-Code, or Code?](https://themissingmanual.dev/guides/no-code-vs-code) _(beginner)_ - When to reach for a no-code tool, when low-code earns its keep, and when you should write code yourself - a clear-eyed decision framework, not a sales pitch.
- [Automation: Triggers & Actions](https://themissingmanual.dev/guides/automation-triggers-and-actions) _(beginner)_ - The trigger-and-action mental model that every automation tool (Zapier, Make, n8n, Power Automate) is built on - learn it once and they all click.
- [Zapier](https://themissingmanual.dev/guides/zapier) _(beginner)_ - Connect the apps you already use with no code: build Zaps from a trigger and actions, add filters and paths, and avoid the task-limit and duplicate-run traps.
- [Make](https://themissingmanual.dev/guides/make-automation) _(intermediate)_ - The visual, operations-priced automation tool (formerly Integromat): build scenarios from modules, map and transform arrays, and handle errors deliberately.
- [n8n](https://themissingmanual.dev/guides/n8n) _(intermediate)_ - The open-source, self-hostable automation tool that lets you drop to code when you need to - nodes and workflows, credentials, and real automations including AI steps.
- [Power Automate](https://themissingmanual.dev/guides/power-automate) _(intermediate)_ - Microsoft's automation tool that lives where your work already is (365, Teams, SharePoint): cloud flows, connectors and approvals, plus desktop RPA and its governance limits.
- [Airtable](https://themissingmanual.dev/guides/airtable) _(beginner)_ - The spreadsheet that is really a database: bases, fields and linked records, views, built-in automations, and Interfaces - plus the point where it stops being the right tool.
- [Retool](https://themissingmanual.dev/guides/retool) _(intermediate)_ - Build internal tools and admin panels fast by dragging components onto real data sources, wiring queries and state - then ship them with auth and deployment that hold up.
- [Webflow](https://themissingmanual.dev/guides/webflow) _(beginner)_ - Design and ship professional marketing sites without hand-coding HTML/CSS: the visual canvas that maps to real web concepts, a built-in CMS, and hosting/SEO realities.
- [OutSystems & Mendix](https://themissingmanual.dev/guides/outsystems-and-mendix) _(intermediate)_ - The two enterprise low-code platforms that show up in big-company job postings: what they actually are, what a real project looks like, and the lock-in and cost to weigh.
- [Production-Grade No-Code](https://themissingmanual.dev/guides/production-grade-no-code) _(advanced)_ - What separates a demo automation from one that survives real traffic - failure modes, error handling and retries, and knowing when to drop into code.