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Alysson Melo

Announcing Parse Server 4.4

Announcing Parse Server 4.4

Parse Platform nurtures a vibrant open source community reaching +33K stars on Github’s official repo. According to npm, the number of Parse Server installations grew up over 50% in the last 12 months and reached over 30K per week. Parse Javascript SDK installations are already +100K per week, growing up over 50% in the previous 12 months.

Today we are pleased to announce that the most recent Parse Server version, the 4.4, is available on Back4App (How to upgrade Parse Server). This is a big release with a new cloud code validation feature, a new afterLiveQueryEvent trigger, and fixes/improvements on GraphQL API, security, auth, and more. For a detailed change list, please visit the repo release page. 

On the next topics, I’m going to deep dive into some of those changes showing practical examples.


Back4app Editorial Team

Top 10 Alternatives to Xamarin

This article will discuss the best ten alternatives to Xamarin and review the pros & cons of each framework.

The introduction of mobile technology has made it easier for people to access the Internet. To be more specific, mobile technology has given rise to several applications to manage different activities like banking, ticket booking, watching live videos, getting connected to people through live streaming, and many more. Mobile apps are developed primarily for two different platforms, Android and iOS.

Cross-platforms like Xamarin help to accelerate mobile app development and reduce the total application cost. Although it’s a great platform, Xamarin may not be ideal for specific use cases.

So, this article will help you to understand the best Xamarin alternatives.


Back4app Editorial Team

Which is better? Flutter or React Native

Which is better? Flutter or React Native
which is better flutter or react native

The developers used to face a lot of issues regarding the development of software for different platforms. It is because most of the operating systems use different frameworks. Because of this, the tools, and languages for developing the applications and software are also different. As different platforms use different native frameworks, it gets hectic for the developers.

It is because they not only have to develop the application as many times as many platforms, but they also want it to run on. But due to the difference of different frameworks, developers also have to learn different applications. As this is a very time-consuming process, a great solution is to use the cross-platform frameworks.

The cross-platform frameworks make the development of applications for the developers because they only need to design and code for one application and it can run on all different platforms and operating systems.

Being a very time-saving solution, it is attracting many developers not only because of its time-saving properties, but it also comes with a lot of benefits and features. There are a lot of cross-platform framework tools that allow developers to develop applications for different platforms however Flutter and React Native are the most popular ones.

Here we will discuss all about them and we will also have a comparison between them to know which is the better one.


Back4app Editorial Team

Top 10 Serverless Backends for your Mobile App

As the demands of application development keep growing, most developers are looking towards backends that require less maintenance. Serverless backends are fast becoming a lot more popular as mobile application developers adopt them.

Many developers are witnessing better development outcomes and reduced hassle with serverless architecture offerings. It can be the best option to consider for your development requirements. Take a look at the information given below to gain further insight into these backends. Here is a summary of what you will learn:

  • Serverless overview
  • Serverless benefits
  • Types of serverless providers
  • The best ten serverless backend for a mobile app
  • Comparison table

You will also find some suggestions for the top 10 serverless backends for your mobile application.


Back4app Editorial Team

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.


Back4app Editorial Team

Top 10 Cordova Alternatives

This article will provide an overview of Cordova and the best ten alternatives for this cross-platform framework.

This is the era of mobile devices. That is why most people do almost 80 to 90% of their tasks on their phones. It is only possible because of the user-friendly operating systems and interfaces of those mobile phones. Even more, the thing that matters is the mobile application that helps people do all their tasks.

We have seen that in the past few years, the functionalities and the level of convenience mobile applications provide have significantly increased. It is all because of the advancement in the technologies of the tools used to make these applications.

These tools have not added a lot of efficiency in the applications for the users. Still, it has also become straightforward and less time consuming for the developers to develop stunning mobile applications.

One of the primary reasons behind this is that mobile applications are currently built as hybrid web applications that work for different types of mobile devices with different operating systems. This is the reason why the scope of mobile applications has significantly increased.

To make it convenient for the developers, many tools have been made that help them develop hybrid web applications to work cross-platform. However, here we will discuss what Cordova is and what are the top 10 alternatives for Cordova.

Keep reading to know more about the best Cordova alternatives.


Back4app Editorial Team

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.


Back4app Editorial Team

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;

Back4app Editorial Team

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:


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