What is the Parse backend?

The opensource technology has been very active recently with various players launching innovative technologies that add value to businesses. That is why many companies are shifting their computing solutions to opensource technology. Parse is one of the opensource technology platforms that has brought immense value to developers around the world.

What is Parse backend? 

Parse is a Mobile Backend as a Service (MBaaS) with the most significant open-source community today. Parse was first introduced to the developers’ community in 2011. Within a year, its userbase increased exponentially to millions of developers around the world. Parse was acquired by Facebook in 2013 and took over the hosting of about half a million apps. Parse has a reputation and the leading BaaS platform used for creating modern mobile apps.

Before the advent of Parse, developers are saddled with the responsibility of creating the backend for each app project. This procedure is tasking and slows down app development projects significantly.  Besides, there is a need to have a team of developers with specialized skills such as frontend and server development, design, network maintenance, hierarchy, and much more.

In essence, app development, before Parse, requires collaboration among developers. A single developer would find it challenging to develop an app due to the various tasking backend and frontend programming requirements. These challenges make app development cumbersome and annoying.

Parse emerged and brought much-needed relief to developers around the world by simplifying backend development assignments.  The platform soon evolved to what is now known as the Parse server with a plethora of innovative features we see on the platform today.

What are the advantages of Parse?

• The easy-of-use
• Saves you a lot of time on backend development
• You can direct your efforts to UX coding
• It’s open-source and has no vendor lock-in
• Tested and used by thousands of developers

Parse Core Features

• Database (NoSQL or SQL)
• APIs (REST or GraphQL)
• Cloud Functions
• Authentication
• Notifications (Push-Notifications, Email Notifications)
• File Storage
• Social Media Integration

Why is Parse the Best mBaaS?

Although many well-respected companies such as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft offer BaaS platforms today, Parse stands out among all other BaaS technologies. Competing platforms include Firebase, AWS Mobile App Backend, and Azure App Service, Kinvey, among many others.  Here are some of the reasons why Parse Server is superior to all these other platforms. 

• It’s open-source
• It is well documented
• Easy to use Backend framework
• Has a variety of SDKs 
• Offers an intuitive dashboard for managing apps.
• Flexibility to control servers, application layers, and databases 

Why is Open Source Development Critical to the Future of BaaS?

The growth of opensource technologies, along with the value it brings to mobile development, makes it indispensable in modern mobile computing. In fact, innovations are coming up daily such that it could be challenging to keep track of the trends and updates. The fact that Facebook open-sourced Parse in 2016 makes Parse even more valuable for developers around the world. Below is the list of benefits that Parse Server/opensource brings to the world of computing.

1. Many platforms with open-source architecture come with lots of useful features and functions such as social media integration, push notifications, data storage, among others.  Many even support the addition of custom logic to the backend of your app through cloud codes.
2. With Parse, the procedure for managing your application has become seamless and more efficient.  For instance, you can process your data, display analytics, and send instant notifications all from a single dashboard.
3. Parse makes it easy to access all API functions without the need to write any code. 
4. You can send automatic email verification and other emails using email templates. In fact, Parse Server had an inbuilt admin user category for managing the functions relating to user accounts.
5. Parse is in active development, and the blog is updated regularly to inform you about the latest events related to Parse Server and other opensource platforms.

What SKDs are supported?

Parse backend supports multiple SDK including:

• Android
• iOS
• JavaScript
• .NET + Xamarin
• Unity
• PHP
• GraphQL
• Ect

What projects to code using Parse backend?

• Mobile apps in general
• SaaS Application
• Social Networks
• Geolocation apps (Taxi apps, Food delivery, etc)
• IoT
• Mobile e-Commerce apps
• etc

Where to host my Parse app?

• Parse specialized hosting services like Back4app.
• Self host your app at AWS, DigitalOcean, Azure, etc.

Conclusion

Parse is the most used open-source backend as a service available today. The features list encompasses databases, cloud-functions, authentication, notifications, and more. The advantages include an easy to use dashboard, reducing development effort and no vendor lock-in.

General FAQ