Parse vs. Firebase

Google has been investing a lot in improving Firebase during the last couple of years. It has the ability to provide a unified platform to build iOS, Android, and web applications. Authentication, AdMob, indexing, Analytics, notifications, VR/AR, and test lab are some of the new features that have been introduced in this Firebase’s latest versions.

While, on the other hand, Parse Server can be a better choice to build new APIs and applications. It’s an excellent option for developers looking for an open-source backend with a relational data structure.

If you want to know more about both Parse server and Firebase, then keep on reading the following information to get a compelling sense of comparison between them.

Parse vs. Firebase | Comparison Table

Here is a table comparing both platforms.

Want to know more? Keep reading.

Firebase 

There are multiple Web, Android, and iOS applications in the market which are using Firebase as their backend service. Firebase is one of the most amazing backend platforms that can be used to host web and mobile applications.

Firebase development platform is being run on Google Cloud and contains some of the most striking features, which seem to be pretty beneficial for developers.

Striking features of Firebase

Do you want to know some of the promising features of Firebase? Here we have compiled an effective list of firebase features for you to consider:

Data Storage 

Firebase is letting developers store data in JSON format. This data format is available via REST APIs or client libraries readily. The data will be stored in the cloud, and ultimately, you will be able to access it anywhere, any time, without any problem.

Real-time data synchronization 

The Firebase development platform has been designed on the basis of a model-server scheme. This design scheme is highly effective for interactive mobile and web applications. Every change that will be done in data on the server will be updated in real-time to the registered clients.

The data will sync on the client devices almost instantly. Small customization of applications and cloud managing features will let us update application variables within no time.

Data security and authentication 

Firebase is robust because it can let you utilize cross-platform APIs for iOS and Android applications. It can also support JavaScript with an utterly flexible security Application Programming Interface.

It can let you perform authentication via social accounts such as Facebook, Twitter. Even users’ Google accounts are also validated along with social accounts.

Database 

When it comes to hosting application data, then this is the point most developers usually worry about. However, if you are working with Firebase, you don’t have to worry about this. It is because Firebase can take care of hosting data effectively. With a central database, it can update all the users in real-time and with real-time data.

Some other promising features of Firebase are including Cloud Firestore, remote configuration, app testing, crash reporting, Firebase console, firebase test lab, etc.

Parse Server 

Parse Server is actually an open-source version of Parse, which is being supported by a solid open-source developers’ community. In fact, Parse Server has overcome the shortcomings present in Parse while retaining all the good things present in Parse before.

Most amazingly, Parse Server is a self-hosted platform that can be used as an effective solution to develop new iOS and Android applications as well as APIs.

Amazing features of Parse Server

Have a look at the following exciting features of Parse Server to get a better idea about the things in this regard:

Easier deployment 

Parse server is supporting the Express web application framework. It needs an infrastructure that is based on Node.js. Once your data is ready in the database, then there is no need to make any significant change to your client code to run applications.

Data storage

Parse uses SQL or NoSQL DB for data storage and Amazon S3 bucket connector for file system storage. Parse server is offering enhanced database functionalities, for example, data backup and restore indexing and performance refactoring.

Parse server also allows users to choose a file system as per their preferences. This also allows to store a JSON file as a backup which can be restored when needed. Parse server doesn’t contain any limitation on cloud functions, queries, and database triggers.

Dashboard 

Parse server contains a great dashboard that enables its users to configure and manage their applications and send push notifications.

Pointer permission 

Parse Server manages to offer data security without any change in client code. Pointer permission is the latest update in the Parse Server, which is available to its latest version.

Live queries 

Users can easily construct their queries, while Parse Server will fetch data accordingly.

Parse has no Vendor lock-in 

An open-source development environment will offer complete control over code. It gives developers the power to migrate data whenever needed.

When Facebook announced Parse shut down, developers migrated their data to other BaaS solutions. With such experience, it might seem difficult to trust any BaaS provider might seem unacceptable anymore.

Parse server is offering long-term stability over any vendor-based platform. Even more, Parse Server has a robust community background along with rich features. Therefore, this is certainly better as compared to firebase for application development.

Conclusion

This article provided a comparison between Parse and Firebase.

Parse is an open-source backend framework. It is extremely easy to use; users can deploy it on any cloud, works with GraphQL and REST APIs, SQL and NoSQL databases, and provide high levels of flexibility. On the other hand, it has fewer features compared to Firebase.

Firebase is Google’s app development platform. It has a comprehensive set of features, high performance, and reliability levels and provides an end-to-end development experience. On the other hand, it has vendor lock-in, works only with NoSQL databases, and offers less flexibility than Parse.

Want to know more about app development platforms? Please check the article BaaS – Backend as a Service.