4D Launches Wakanda JavaScript Stack

This month sees the "double A-side" release of the Wakanda JavaScript development platform from 4D in both its open source and commercial versions. Refined through a now completed beta program, 4D says that Wakanda provides the "first ever" full stack JavaScript development platform for web and mobile business applications.

Wakanda's roots lie in the development of both web and mobile applications as well as the creation of a development studio, client framework, and NoSQL database. Because of this scope, the current offering is very much positioned as an entire application stack with JavaScript and its Model Driven Architecture (MDA).

The user interface and application data model are built with a WYSIWYG designer from Wakanda Studio, and the Wakanda client framework and GUI designer have been aligned to take advantage of HTML5 and CSS3. The NoSQL object datastore natively speaks REST/HTTP and server-side JavaScript (SSJS). Unlike with SQL databases, the company says that there is no need to use an ORM layer, and there is no hidden SQL generation — Wakanda natively understands business logic.

Users have enthused that the best part of Wakanda is that it is all JavaScript-driven. So for web developers, augmenting the Wakanda system is "as easy as writing JavaScript".

The system can be extended with third-party widgets, libraries, and server modules — and open source developers get additional support with the option to add connectors to their preferred databases.

NOTE: Wakanda is industry standard compliant, including JSON, REST/HTTP, W3C, and CommonJS.

"Now that our new Wakanda is available for download, web and mobile business app developers are programming entire applications with JavaScript, end-to-end," said Luc Hollande, 4D CEO. "Developers no longåer need to learn, integrate, and maintain different technologies in different languages. The Wakanda platform can also be installed on major cloud IaaS platforms such as Amazon EC2 and MS Azure."

Program director for application development software at analyst house IDC Al Hilwa, said the following about Wakanda: "[it] is a well-designed end-to-end application platform that comes complete with a graphical development environment catering to modern developer requirements. The application development approach supported by Wakanda abstracts much of the complexity in developing enterprise applications rapidly and productively."