A guide to the best backend services to host your app

Everyone has dreams of making an application that everyone else will fawn over. However, in this immense sea of software, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find enough energy and manpower to start development. You have to worry about making the barebones – backend – of the software and the face – interface or frontend – so users can interact. Because the current world is all about User Interface/Experience (UI/UX) – no one wants to invest their extra time and effort into developing the backend.

Why do you need a backend service for a mobile app?

There are several reasons why you might need a backend service for your mobile application. The first reason is that the world of application development is becoming fiercer every day because millions of new users enter the market.

Since so many users are entering the market, considerably more developers are also entering the market. In this world of saturated mobile developer market, only applications with a clean user interface survive.

A backend service can help you save a considerable amount of time that can then be used to make the frontend better. This can help the application sell more, but developers can quickly implement more functions without dealing with complex problems that don’t even concern the program’s main functionality.

We have compiled a list of the best backend services for mobile applications (BaaS), so you don’t have to worry about spending extra resources.

What are the core features to host a backend?

• Scalable Database
• APIs
• Notifications
• Authentication
• Storage

The best app backend hosting options

Here is a list with the best options to host your application backend.

Back4App

Back4App is one of the most comfortable and easy-to-use back-end software recommended by countless professional websites for backend services for mobile platforms.

With an intuitive interface and many features that make it one of the most attractive platforms to use right now, Back4App is the go-to choice for many.

Here are some of the features of Back4App that make it an attractive choice for many:

• LiveQuery Real-time database – LiveQuery is a simple feature that allows developers and users to get queries in real-time, ensuring best user interface and experience. 
• Powerful CLI – Back4App has a very powerful CLI that can be used in case the developer runs into any kind of problem. 
• Auto-scaling – Back4App allows auto-scaling on all platforms, allowing businesses big and small to work comfortably without having to worry about paying extra for unique size of customer base or userbase. 
• Other Features – GraphQL and REST APIs, Authentication, Notifications, etc.

Kumulos

Kumulos is a relatively new and unique mobile Backend as a Service (mBaaS). What makes this better than many other similar offerings is how Kumulos has a really clean interface and is able to work with almost every major mobile platform like Android and iOS. 

Here are a number of features that Kumulos provides:

• Easy-to-use – you can create a complete application without even a basic level of knowledge about backend. Kumulos can help you build an application with a simple drag-and-drop interface. 
• Wide support of SDKs – Kumulos is supported on a wide variety of SDKs such as iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Cordova, PhoneGap, Xamarin, Unity, LUA Corona, Windows and even OS X. 
• Scalable – Kumulos is very scalable and you can create an entire application through the cloud-service provider RackSpace. Whether you want an application for a few select users or thousands at a time, Kumulos has the necessary tools and power for it. 

Firebase

Firebase is one of the most popular platforms launched by Google itself. Because such a big website is backing this backend service, Firebase has quickly become one of the most trusted platforms ever. With its low price and high asset of features, Firebase is definitely a Mobile backend as a Service (mBaaS) that everyone should try at least once in their lives. 

Here are some features of Firebase that everyone should know about: 

• Crash reporting – Crash reporting is a special feature that allows developers to easily debug their application through the use of user reporting these bugs and crashes. 
• Free version – for independent developers, paying money for something that they don’t think might even work is one of the biggest risks ever. Firebase has a free version with enough features that could bring many premium backend services to shame. 
• Cloud storage – Users don’t have to worry about their data getting stolen or lost, and developers don’t have to worry about investing in storage options for storing data: all data is stored on the cloud efficiently and can be accessed very easily. 
• Realtime Databases: Firebase provides two different databases that are Firestore and the Real-time Database. Both deliver realtime updates.

Kinvey

Kinvey is a popular platform and was acquired by Progress software. Kinvey comes with a wide variety of features that make it one of the best and most useful platforms ever to develop back-end as a Service. Kinvey can be found on many review websites and has made its name one of the best services for advanced developers.

Here are some of it’s features that puts it apart from the rest:

• Microservices – Kinvey is an enterprise-ready platform and a great way to create microservices.
• Cloud-native services – Kinvey has the option to host cloud-native services. These services allow users to work with special services on the browser without downloading the entire application. This saves size and improves loading times. 
• Reliable – Kinvey is one of the most reliable services ever, with great features that allow customers to use applications without experiencing crashes or other glitches that otherwise ruin the experience. 

AWS Amplify

Amplify is an open-source backend as a service from AWS. The framework is fully integrated with AWS services, and it’s a great way to speed up mobile app development.

• APIs – AWS Amplify provides GraphQL, and REST APIs to it’s users.
• Authentication – AWS Amplify allows users to authenticate and secure their transactions and personal information. This is especially useful when developing online games or applications where sensitive information must be kept. 
• Cloud storage – developers don’t have to worry about buying special servers to host the services that they make through AWS Amplify. This service offers cloud storage, making it one of the more affordable and easier to use services for many. 

Conclusion

We hope that this article has helped you figure out the best mobile Backend as a Service (mBaaS) to host. your mobile app. If you still have any queries, do let us know in the comment section, and we will try to help you as much as possible.