Where to host your app for free?

There is a wide range of web hosting services available presently. Each one of them offers intense competition against one another. The pricing for hosting services varies from one company to another. But the question that comes: what is the need for mobile app hosting? How to do it effectively?

When launching a mobile app, you need to make sure it reaches out to a broader audience group. Unless proper marketing is done, it may become challenging to make a positive impact on the industry. That is the reason why backend hosting for your mobile apps becomes so critical.

Want to discover the best hosting services for a mobile app? Please keep reading below:

BaaS Overview

BaaS stands for Backend as a Service. BaaS automates the backend web hosting process while outsourcing services like server maintenance and operation procedure. So, with BaaS, it becomes convenient enough to focus on client-side development. Additionally, BaaS offers some high utility tools for the creation of backend codes. It also helps in speeding up the overall development process. BaaS comes with some high utility features like APIs, Social Media integrations, push notifications, file storage, scalable databases, and cloud code functions.

The best five backend services to host your app for free

Back4app

Back4app is a BaaS or Backend as a Service provider used for developing scalable and extensible web and mobile apps within a shorter duration. The best part about Back4app is the ability to auto-scale a project and reduces time to market. Uniquely customizing every app is much possible with this BaaS provider.  

Back4app supports both shared and dedicated hosting. While dedicated hosting offers the most efficient flexibility solutions with customizable privacy and security settings, shared hosting is auto-scalable and the perfect cost-effective solution for small-time projects.   

Back4app plays a significant role in converting codeless or coded logic into an application programming interface through REST API and SDKs. The incredible thing about Back4app is that you will have the option to see your API service’s REST endpoints without any trouble. Such an option allows developers to invoke different methods to add new services for a better outcome.

Firebase

If you dream of working with real-time data, Firebase is the best option to consider. Firebase is a highly efficient Backend as a Service provider, working on Google Cloud and dealing with GenX app development. The best part about Firebase is its ability to take the load off the developers to focus on crafting the most innovative user experiences. There is no need to manage any server when using Firebase. It is your API, Data Storage unit, and server. The codes are written in such a pattern that modifying them is more straightforward than said.

When connecting an app to this BaaS, you are connecting it through one specific web socket and not normal HTTP. The reason behind connecting through web sockets is the high speed they generate in comparison to the HTTP. Also, there is no need to make individual calls through web sockets because a single connection is sufficient to manage proceedings. Firebase Storage offers a high level of protection, be it for email handling or managing binary files.

Heroku

Heroku runs on Amazon Web Server and can be best described as a Platform as a Service. When PaaS integrates with AWS, the developers are blessed with a truly fantastic web development experience. To make an app run on Heroku, a few commands need to be included. These commands are available on the Heroku documentation.

While there are plenty of competitors out there, Heroku promises best in class experience for the developers. The navigation is smooth, the target is clean and clear, and the app running process on other platforms is well placed.  Any language can be used to develop apps in Heroku due to its open-source nature. Whether you are considering PHP, Python, Ruby, Java, or Node JS, developing apps in Heroku will not be a problem.  

Heroku can be easily connected to Salesforce. This makes it a convenient option to create suitable bidirectional sync between Salesforce and the app. Staying connected to enterprise customers becomes easier than ever.

Kuzzle

Kuzzle is another effective backend service provider for developing web, loT, and mobile applications. Developers prefer using Kuzzle over other similar tools because of its excellent backend service management part. Whether it is data security, faster results, real-time queries, data storage on the database, or anything else, Kuzzle effectively handles these activities. As a result, developers gain better control over time management while managing the program’s front end.

Kuzzle comes with many advantages. Kuzzle will automatically handle the back-end part; thus, you can concentrate more on the user interface designing and other front end development. Kuzzle has also included Redis, Docker, Elastic Search, and Node.JS for better implementation and understanding. So naturally, it makes Kuzzle a powerful competitor.

Backendless

Backendless is another effective Backend as a Service platform used to speed up the mobile app development process. Rated highly among mobile app developers, Backendless makes the backend development task more convenient, easier, and efficient. Using Backendless, every backend task like debugging, source control, mobile development, data modeling, and deployment management can be handled effortlessly.

What’s coolest about Backendless is the auto-generation of APIs you need for an application development process. These auto-generated APIs can be managed and modified according to the requirement of the developers.   

Conclusion

This article compared the best five backend providers to host a mobile application for free. When developing an app, you need to focus on the frontend as well as the backend. Additionally, you need to manage the APIs acting as a connecting bridge for both sides. The responsibilities of developers become higher and complicated as well.

With the introduction of the Backend as a Service concept, the backend work process will be automated. Coding will be generated automatically, thus allowing the developers to focus on the front end. Using the BaaS platform for app development certainly helps reduce the overall time to develop an application and lowers the cost factor.

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