Oracle Visual Builder vs Oracle APEX

What is Oracle APEX?
APEX Pros
What is Oracle Visual Builder?
VBCS Pros
VBCS vs APEX
Summary

Oracle is one of leaders of low-code/no-code platforms – Oracle Visual Builder Cloud Services and Oracle APEX.

Oracle APEX is the more mature of the two low-code platforms as it’s been around for over 20 years with a very large support community. It’s an enterprise worthy platform for that is used to extend Oracle EBS and fusion ERP applications. Oracle APEX can also be used to build custom web applications that are mobile ready and can easily integrate Oracle Fusion REST APIs and Oracle EBS PL/SQL APIs.

Oracle APEX allows Users to leverage SQL and PL/SQL skills, along with declarative features like wizards and drag-and-drop functionality, to rapidly develop and deploy applications. It also includes a robust security models such as internal LDAP system , Azure Active Directory and Oracle Identity Cloud Services (IDCS) , making it suitable for building enterprise mission-critical applications within organizations.

Some key features of Oracle APEX include:

Rapid Development: User can quickly create applications using pre-built components and templates.
Low Code: APEX abstracts much of the complexity of web development, allowing Users to focus on business logic rather than technical details.
Scalability: Applications built with APEX can scale to meet enterprise-level requirements, leveraging Oracle Cloud Database’s scalability features.
Security: APEX provides features for authentication, authorization, and data security to ensure applications are protected against common security threats.
Integration: APEX applications can integrate with other Oracle products and services, as well as third-party systems, through various integration options.
Responsive Design: APEX applications are responsive by default, ensuring a consistent user experience across different devices and screen sizes.

Overall, Oracle APEX empowers Users to rapidly build and deploy web applications within the Oracle ecosystem, enabling organizations to streamline business processes and improve productivity.

Oracle APEX Pros

Here are some reasons why APEX is a great low-code development platform from a deck Larry Ellison presented at CloudWorld 2023:

APEX Application Development Methodology – Smaller Teams & Less Time

Smaller Development Teams: 50 becomes 10
Faster Development Methodology: Prototype Features and Iterate
More Secure: Does Not Generate Security Bugs
More Reliable: Generates Stateless Applications with Automatic Failover

10x Development Productivity Gain!

oAppsNET & APEX Applications

APEX can be used for extend Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) and Oracle Fusion applications.

Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) Integration: APEX applications can be integrated with Oracle EBS to provide additional functionality or customizations. Developers can create APEX applications that interact with EBS data using APIs or direct database access. For example, you can build automate back office tasks, reports, or forms within APEX that access EBS data for specific business needs.

Oracle Fusion Applications Extension: Similarly, APEX can be used to extend Oracle Fusion applications by building custom applications or modules that complement the functionality provided by Fusion. These custom applications can embedded into Fusion applications which interact with Fusion application data and processes through integration points such as REST APIs or database view generated from data lakes created by Business Intelligence (BI) Publisher or Business Intelligence Cloud Connector (BICC).

Here are some APEX enterprise applications built by oAppsNET:

It’s also worth noting that APEX is a great tool when you want to modernize your legacy applications – especially ones built on outdated Oracle solutions like Forms, Reports, Discoverer and Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition (OBIEE).

What is Oracle Visual Builder?

Oracle Visual Builder ( VB) was released in 2018 is a cloud native low-code application that was introduced for the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and can be used to extend Fusion Applications as well as building custom applications. VB Studio combines Oracle JET (JavaScript Extension Toolkit), Oracle Integration Cloud, and REST services along with a declarative cloud environment for developing mobile and web applications with the developer and lifecycle management tools. This includes integrated Git repositories, issue tracking and code review tools and an integrated build system for continuous development and deployment of your apps.

Visual Development: Easily design web and mobile apps visually, while incorporating custom JavaScript for advanced functionalities.
Low-Code Development: Build applications swiftly with pre-built components and connectors, reducing manual coding efforts.
Integration: Seamlessly connect applications to various data sources, services, and APIs using Oracle Integration Cloud, with native support for REST services.
Mobile App Development: Create responsive mobile apps for iOS and Android, utilizing device features and optimizing performance with JavaScript.
Collaboration: Foster teamwork with version control, issue tracking, and role-based access, enhancing collaboration across development teams.
Scalability & Security: Host applications on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure for scalability and security, while ensuring secure communication with external systems through Oracle Integration Cloud.

Oracle VB / VBS – Pros

Here are some pros for Oracle Visual Builder:

VBS – Embedded is free for Fusion Apps but VB is also offered as a standalone OCI service.
Faster Development Methodology
Native connectors to Oracle services
VBS Dedicated CI/CD service called Visual Builder Studio

Visual Builder use scenarios

Oracle Visual Builder has one main use case – enhancing Fusion Applications

	Oracle APEX	Oracle Visual Builder
Type	Low-code platform	Low-code Platform
Main Development Language	SQL and PL/SQL	JET (JavaScript Extension Toolkit)
Licensing	Free version are available for on premises (XE) or Cloud ‘Always Free Oracle APEX” Included with and Oracle Database License	Free with some Oracle SaaS software, otherwise you need to purchase as standalone
Community	Very large User community that is over 20(+) years. There are many APEX on-line and In-person conferences and Seminars	As of 2024, it’s gaining momentum
CI / CD	You need 3rd party CICD tools (i.e. BitBucket, Git, Liquibase)	Included with VBS App UI Extension Architecture (VBS-Embeded) otherwise you need 3rd party CICD tools (i.e. BitBucket, Git, Liquibase)
Deployments	It can be deployed anywhere you have a Oracle Database (On-Premises or any cloud platform )	Limited to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure

Summary: Oracle VB or APEX

To summarize, both tools have their place and distinct advantages. As of April 2024, from oAppsNET perspective, it’s very clear that Oracle APEX is the a better choice for enterprise Oracle organizations as APEX have a very large user community, continual investment by Oracle, supports both on-premises and cloud applications, it can be deployed anywhere you have a Oracle database, support all Oracle ERP systems (EBS, PeopleSoft, NetSuite, Fusion Apps) .

However, Oracle Visual Builder can still be an interesting alternative for Oracle Fusion Apps Customers as it’s a low-code platform for your ERP system.

Interested in Oracle low-code and no-code tools?

We focus on Oracle APEX but are proficient in other technologies such as OutSystems and Oracle Visual Builder, etc. Contact us if you’re interested in starting a low-code project and are looking for a partner.