Rapid Development Platform: Architecture and Practices at Vivo

1. What is a rapid development platform

A rapid development platform is a productivity tool that accelerates software development, shortening demand cycles and improving development efficiency. It aims to achieve fast development, quick deployment, low risk, low cost, and low entry barriers.

Analogous to how molds boost manufacturing efficiency, the platform can complete a demand’s development and launch within a minute. Like 3D printing, it enables visual drag‑and‑drop development, simplifying complex processes and supporting rapid iteration.

2. What we are doing

Vivo’s browser, as a core internet product, requires high performance, high concurrency, high availability, and rapid response to thousands of backend operations. To meet these needs, we built a rapid development product for configuration and operation backends, focusing on:

Fast backend design and content publishing;

Multi‑dimensional permission control (menus, users, etc.);

Custom data workflows;

Developer secondary development and quick rollout.

3. Product architecture – two phases

3.1 Phase One: Configuration Platform

Launched at the end of 2017 to meet new kernel cloud‑control requirements, the configuration platform became one of the kernel’s ten core capabilities, serving dozens of services and handling billions of requests annually.

3.1.1 Platform Overview

The platform provides a unified form designer and data storage solution, supporting over 20 component types and hundreds of properties, along with generic backend APIs. It enables rapid integration, component enrichment, and cloud‑based configuration deployment.

3.1.2 System Architecture

3.1.3 Form Designer and Rendering Engine

The form designer abstracts backend forms, allowing visual component creation. The rendering engine can generate a complete backend in about one minute.

Key layout elements include global operations, query area, rules, tables, and configuration actions. Components cover basic fields (text, number, image, etc.) and composite components (sub‑forms, nested structures).

3.1.4 No‑Code Platform Services

Beyond low‑code, the platform adds intelligent delivery, cloud control, and smart push capabilities.

3.1.4.1 Intelligent Delivery

Real‑time data orchestration and API generation enable automatic configuration distribution and complex form composition.

3.1.4.2 Cloud Control

Supports region, carrier, user‑profile, version, and other custom control elements for online operation.

3.1.4.3 Smart Push

Combines control, configuration, and system push to provide real‑time backend‑driven notifications.

3.2 Phase Two: Low‑Code Platform

In 2021, responding to the low‑code wave, Vivo launched the “Houyi” platform, offering visual composition, multiple portals (home, operation, developer, documentation), and extensive data channel support.

3.2.1 Platform Overview

Houyi provides a one‑stop solution for project, module, menu, and page creation, with templates for rapid development.

3.2.1 System Architecture Diagram

3.2.3 System Description

Developer & Operation Sub‑systems

Offer one‑click project creation, automatic backend portal generation, and visual editing with rich templates.

General Storage Sub‑system

Provides standardized storage for operational data, supporting various data sources and automatic data‑model generation.

Open Platform Sub‑system

Acts as a bidirectional data sync channel with authentication, rate limiting, and security measures.

Delivery Platform Sub‑system

Extends configuration delivery capabilities, integrating content libraries and advertising services.

3.2.4 Product Showcase

Shows portals, operation platforms, and documentation platforms, each with dedicated UI and functionality.

4. Conclusion

After completing both phases, Vivo now possesses rapid backend development capabilities that significantly boost R&D efficiency. Ongoing challenges include standardizing configuration language, improving visual usability, and handling complex backend requirements. Future articles will cover generic APIs, data processing, storage solutions, ecosystem building, high‑performance API practices, and disaster‑recovery capabilities.