The Best Mobile Backend APIs for your Application

Backend APIs are essential tools for the development and management of agile and feature-rich mobile applications. Many API backend services today contain useful features and functionalities that accelerate development tasks and help businesses service customers better. Take a look at some of the leading current mobile backend services mentioned below. 

This article explains Mobile Backend as a Service, APIs, and list the best API backend providers for mobile apps. Want to know more? Keep reading.

What is Mobile Backend as a Service?

Mobile Backend as a Service or MBaaS often referred to as BaaS, is one of the fundamental requirements for mobile platform development. The feature sets of MbaaS and BaaS are fundamentally similar, with the only difference being BaaS geared towards the creation of web applications.

A MbaaS platform offers developers the ability to achieve frontend applications to backend APIs or backend cloud storage. Using a MbaaS platform helps developers be free from the responsibilities of managing servers and performing server-related applications. Typically, a MbaaS platform offers various fundamental features such as push notifications, user management, posting, and social logins through social network APIs. 

Custom SDKs used by MBaaS providers facilitate API endpoints’ connection to multiple frontend client types such as Android and iOS applications created with mobile application technologies such as Ionic, Unity, ReactNative, and Flutter. The pre-built APIs of a MbaaS service provider like APIs for services, logins, and push-notifications.

Mobile Backend as a Service Advantages

• Focus on the user-experience

A MbaaS platform helps developers achieve organized and fast application development by improving backend development. It enables developers to lay stress on improving the frontend or user interface with an application. As a result, they can offer better experiences for users. 

• Reduce the costs of development

Using a MbaaS reduces the expenses of development as the need for paying backend developers for mobile app development. Also, it is possible to save considerably on infrastructure costs with MbaaS. Companies that rely on mobile backend services do not need to rely on IT specialists’ services for carrying out different tasks related to application development. The costs of development are quite low with the use of a MbaaS solution.

• Services can be scaled easily

MbaaS options available in the market today provide a great deal of scalability and added flexibility to users. As a result, users who opt for a MbaaS platform can avail a great number of services and features with both free and paid options. This makes scaling applications based on growing needs quite easy and facilitates effortless resource management. 

What is an API? 

An API or application programming interface can be defined as a specification of different interactions within a software section. To understand API, one can take the example of a vehicle whose API would have information regarding its properties, i.e., braking, accelerating, reversing, etc. The API would also have information regarding how these functions will be performed by the vehicle. The same analogy can be applied to software systems and components.

API Advantages

• Automation

Automation is one of the biggest advantages of using an API. It reduces the tasks needed to be performed manually by automating them. Using mobile backend APIs is a great way for developers to perform faster workflow management and implement updates for raising productivity without delay. Businesses and developers rely on APIs to achieve tasks faster and reduce the amount of required human effort.

• Greater capability

Using a robust mobile platform backend API raises the capabilities of a business to deal with rising demand. Implementing a feature-rich API helps to create an application layer to enable the swift distribution of information across different systems and effortlessly roll out new services for customers. APIs also let developers create custom services for new user groups. Introducing an API to a business’s workflow helps to create fast system changes that are reflected without delay.

• Better efficiency

Pushing out new content becomes a lot easier with the right API for your business. It is a lot more convenient to publish content and make it available across all channels automatically. Many businesses rely on APIs for getting their content out to large audiences fast and can help them prevent going through the more expensive and time-intensive options of conventional marketing. Relying on an API can be a great way of raising publishing and marketing efficiency.

Top 5 Backend API Services for your mobile app

1. Back4app

Back4App is a leading open-source BaaS offering based on multiple open-source technologies. It is relied upon by developers across the globe for its powerful features, usability, and benchmark scalability. This backend as a service lets developers perform swift and fast app development, hosting, and management. Back4App is suitable for hosting web, mobile, and IoT applications.

2. Parse

Parse is another popular backend as a service option for the development of web, IoT, and mobile applications. This framework is used mainly in projects that deal with Android and iOS mobile applications. It provides support for a wide range of front-end technologies such as React Native, Java, Ionic, Swift, and Xamarin. 

3. AWS Amplify

AWS Amplify refers to a set of tools and services for developing AWS-based full-stack applications. Mobile and frontend developers rely on this platform for its advanced features and functionalities. Amplify is utilized for the development of custom onboarding, voice-powered experiences, real-time AI feeds, and more. 

4. Firebase

Firebase is a leading backend as a service platform with several cutting-edge features. It provides users many useful tools for mobile and web application development. Firebase is based on NoSQL and performs data storage with the JSON protocol. 

5. Backendless

Backendless is another option to consider when you are looking for a modern application development platform. It is an open-source mobile backend as a service with a wide variety of tools for swift and effortless application development. The key offerings of Backendless include dedicated and cloud-based managed servers along with user-defined APIs. 

Conclusion

The mobile backend API options listed above are all capable of delivering optimal efficiency and user experiences. Evaluate their pros and cons to make the right decision for your projects.  

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