Back4App Blog

Monthly Archives

20 Articles
Jessica Clark

The best Firebase alternatives for React Native

The best Firebase alternatives for React Native
Firebase Alternatives for React Native

This article will discuss some of the Firebase alternatives for React Native and their features.

React Native is a JavaScript framework that Facebook provides for making mobile applications’ user interface. It is so widely used because it helps developers smoothly work and create mobile apps using a cross-platform framework. Simultaneously, using the services of platforms like Firebase significantly reduces the application backend side development.

This makes it very professional, functional, and cheap for the developers to make stunning mobile applications. However, using Firebase to React Native will not be the optimal solution for everyone to use different Firebase alternatives to React Native.


Mariana Clark

Top 4 Alternatives to React Native (#3 is amazing)

Top 4 Alternatives to React Native (#3 is amazing)
React Native Alternatives

This article will discuss the best alternatives to React Native and review the pros and cons of each framework.

Developing sleek and feature-rich mobile applications is a prerequisite for any business targeting high conversion rates. It requires mobile platform developers to utilize an agile app development framework like React Native, which offers several convenient features for its users. 

RN framework is now considered the standard choice for developing iOS and Android applications. Yet, many developers prefer to use React Native alternatives for their mobile application development and deployment requirements. Take a look at some of the best available alternative frameworks you can use below. 

The best alternatives to React Native include:

  • Flutter
  • Cordova
  • Xamarin
  • Ionic Framework

Want to know more? Please keep reading:


Jessica Clark

The Best Flutter Alternatives

The Best Flutter Alternatives
Flutter Alternatives

This blog post will present an overview of Flutter and the best ten alternatives for this cross-platform framework.

In the present highly Darwinian and disruptive mobile application world, businesses can’t risk missing their presence on either Apple Store and Google Play platforms.

While going for native applications for multiple platforms, budgeting can be an important problem. That’s where cross-platform mobile applications come up as an unrivaled choice for businesses that are aiming to ensure their presence on iOS and android platforms effectively.

However, with the sea of cross-platform mobile application development frameworks, choosing the best can be a bit daunting. But knowing the best alternatives to Flutter, a Google-backed cross-platform mobile application development framework, can be the best option.

Ready to know more about the best Flutter alternatives?


Guest Writer

Comparing Angular vs React vs Vue

It is not until just a few years before that developers didn’t have many options for  JavaScript-based front-end development frameworks. Although JavaScript has always been the most preferred language for front-end development, the number of options for choosing among several frameworks only increased very recently. 

Angular has been the most evolved Javascript framework making its journey almost a decade before in 2009 when it was just AngularJS. React was introduced in 2015 and Vue became the latest entrant in 2017. Three of these Javascript frameworks today are the leading technologies for front-end web app development. 

When comparing these 3 Javascript frameworks, developers end up considering the pros and cons of each framework besides weighing the available talent pool and resources. The choice also depends upon the project size, complexities, features, performance, etc. 

Here we are going to introduce these 3 frameworks, their respective strengths and weaknesses, and the key reasons to choose these frameworks for web app development. 


Mariana Clark

NodeJS Backend for your React Native App

Developing and maintaining a server is one of the most challenging tasks that any developer can do. Mobile and web development is one of the most important bases of computer science. The web design market is $20.1 billion in the US alone, whereas the web development market far exceeds this number.

Two of the essential components in modern app development are Node JS and React Native. Similarly, a service known as BaaS is becoming popular nowadays.

Here is a summary of this article:

  • NodeJS | What is? What are the advantages?
  • React Native | What is? What are the advantages?
  • BaaS Backend | What is? What are the advantages?
  • The Best 5 NodeJS Backends for your React Native App

Want to know more? Keep reading:


Alysson Melo

Apple token-based Push Notifications available on Back4App

Apple token-based Push Notifications available on Back4App

We are pleased to announce that the Back4App Push Notification service for Apple devices now supports the HTTP/2 protocol and the token-based authentication mechanism. The benefits of using the new connection mechanism are:

  • It is faster than the previous legacy binary protocol;
  • You can use the same Key for all your Apple platforms(macOS, iOS, Apple Watch);
  • You can use the same Key to send Push Notifications from multiple Apps;
  • The key doesn’t expire so it’s not necessary to update it every 12 months, as certificates did;

Guest Writer

Understanding the Different Types of API Business Models

When creating a new API, there’s something your company needs to prioritize as much as its development: your strategy for monetizing the API product. Building an API costs money, and for sure, your company is looking for a return on its investment. But that entails more than simply releasing a product into the market and expecting it to earn. To get a handsome profit off of your API, you will need to do the following:

  • Understand the different ways that APIs make money,
  • Get to know the various business models that drive modern API consumption, and,
  • Choose the right model and monetization scheme for your own company’s API, based on what’s most appropriate for you. 

Below is a guide on the most common business models and monetization schemes for today’s APIs. After doing rigorous design work on your new product, such as with the Stoplight API editor, it’s now time to make good on your earnings. 


Jessica Clark

Firestore vs. Firebase

Firestore vs. Firebase
Firestore vs Firebase

Firebase is an amazing application development platform for mobile and web application development. It can provide an amazing variety of services and tools. These services and tools are meant to help developers in creating high-end and feature rich applications. So that they can get better opportunities to improve their user base as well as earn more revenue in the best possible time.

However, do you want to know more about Firebase? This article can let you explore much about similarities and differences between Firestore and Firebase. At the end, you will be able to make a bold decision of making the right choice with ease. 

Do you want to learn more? Let’s have a look at the information given below about this topic to get an even better idea about the things in this regard:


Jessica Clark

Does Firebase cost money? Pricing secrets unlocked.

Does Firebase cost money? Pricing secrets unlocked.
Does Firebase Cost Money

Firebase is one of the premier cloud platforms for creating mobile and web applications. Google Acquired the platform from Firebase Inc in 2018. It has since grown to become one of the leading backend services for developers worldwide.

This article will compare Firebase’s plans and explain the differences between free and paid products. Reading this article you find answers for questions like:

  • Is Firebase free of cost?
  • Is Firebase expensive?
  • What Firebase services are paid?

Keep reading to know more.


George Batschinski

Firebase comparison vs other service providers

Developing cutting-edge mobile and web applications requires a powerful and feature-rich backend. A robust backend platform enables developers to access advanced functionality for creating agile applications.

Firebase is now regarded as a top choice for developers across the world today. While it is the preferred backend for many, there are many others solutions worthy of consideration. This article will compare Firebase vs several other service providers.

Read on to discover some of the best competitors and alternative services to Firebase BaaS.