Why is Parse Server the future of Backend As A Service?

Are you a developer? Have you ever coded your way through a web or a mobile application that is cool and scalable? Being an amateur or a pro is irrelevant in this context. If your answer to the first question is “Yes”, then this article is just for you. Have you heard of the term “Parse Server”? Even if you haven’t, being a developer, Parse Server is worthy of your time and interest.

Before we jump into the technicalities of how Parse Server is going to ace the future of backend as a service (BaaS), let us try to understand what exactly BaaS is.

What is Backend As A Service (BaaS)?

Backend as a Service (BaaS), also known as Mobile Backend as a Service (MBaaS), is a way for developers to connect web and mobile applications to backend cloud storage and APIs, while also providing services such as:

• User Management and Authentication
• Push Notifications
• Social Networking Integration
• Data Analytics

Why is BaaS important?

When developing applications, building the backend can be time-consuming and complex. Developers need expertise in multiple areas such as server-side development, network maintenance, designing, and scaling. This is where BaaS platforms come into play. BaaS enables you to manage a centralized database, helping your users share content via the cloud, and lets you focus on creating the frontend and design of your product without worrying about backend complexities.

Simply put, if you know basic HTML and CSS, you can build a web application without worrying about developing the backend. BaaS follows an ‘API-first’ approach, where the API is created first and acts as a foundation for mobile platform development.

Parse Server - An Introduction

Today, every application stores data and provides services to its users. All the account details and related data need to be stored somewhere on the internet for communication with users. This requires a server-side application. Before Parse, developers had to build their own backend from scratch, which was time-consuming and complex. This required expertise in server-side development, network maintenance, front-end development, and scaling.

This is where parse comes in. It was a game-changer for developers by simplifying the backend development process. Launched in February 2016, Parse Server is the open-source version of the Parse platform and can be deployed on any infrastructure that supports Node.js.

Highly Robust System of Parse Server

Parse Server has evolved from the original Parse with more facilities and capabilities, thanks to the contributions from the global developer community. Some of the key features and benefits of parse server include:

• Self-Hosting: You can host your Parse Server applications locally and choose your database platform and file storage system.
• Global Hosting: Parse Server can be hosted globally, extending its reach to a larger audience.
• Open Source: With constant improvements from developers across the globe.

However, Parse Server also faces some challenges:

• Complex Deployment: The deployment process can be tricky.
• Lack of Dedicated Internal Dashboard: Though an open-source internal dashboard was launched, it still requires significant work.

Despite these challenges, Parse Server’s open-source nature and flexibility make it a strong option for backend development.

How to use Parse Server

The efficiencies of Parse Server can be harnessed in one of the two ways:

• Self-hosting at AWS, Azure, Digital Ocean, etc.
• Use a Parse Server hosting service like Back4App, Firebase, etc.

With Self Hosting, apart from the deployment issue, the biggest problem is with the scaling of the app. As the number of users on your application increase, you will start facing performance and reliability issues, since Parse Server can correctly handle apps only up to a certain size. because Parse Server was designed to allow developers to migrate their applications to other hosting providers. Fortunately, we have some vendors providing Parse Server hosting service which can host parse applications, providing migration alternatives. Using these services, we, as developers, can reap the benefits of both – Parse and Parse Server.

Parse Server Hosting Services

Some of the most widely used Parse Server hosting services are:

Back4App

Back4App is one of the finest and the most popular alternatives for Parse among developers community. It’s an easy way to build, host and manage apps using the open source Parse Server. Based on the highly efficient open source backend framework, Parse Server, Back4App has several rich functionalities:

• Featured Parse Server: Back4App uses Parse Server as a core product as it is the finest framework for backend development which can help developers save precious time building an app.
• Boosted Server Performance: It supports a smart database index, queries optimizers, auto-scaling, automated backups and redundant storage capacity.
• Easy Deployment: Back4app is a ready-to-go platform. You can set up your app in less than 5 minutes.
• Real time database and analytics: It provides real time data storage and synchronization. Real time analytics is a key feature.
• Within your budget: Predictable pricing, transparent and easy-to-budget.
• Great technical support team: The engineer support of Back4App is always available to help its users.

Firebase

Firebase can be considered as a good alternative for Parse. It is built on Google infrastructure, not on the dedicated Parse Server. It mainly focuses on the application and database hosting. Key features are:

• Real time database: Store and sync app data quickly
• Authentication: Authenticate users securely
• Cloud Storage: Store and serve files at Google scale
• Performance Monitoring: Provides insight into your app's performance
• Google Analytics: Free and unlimited app analytics

A major disadvantage of Firebase is that adding cloud code is quite difficult.

Kinvey

Kinvey is a good mobile backend as a service provider and certainly worth a look for being a Parse alternative. Like Parse, they offer a generous free tier, push notifications and analytics. Key features are:

• Instant-on platform: No delay in getting your project started.
• Scalability: Scalable services to meet high user adoption and app usage requirements.
• No cloud lock-in: Runs on any cloud to meet your global deployment needs.

The reason why Back4App is the best alternative for Parse is that it is a Parse Server hosting solution where the functionalities are almost similar to what you may have used for Parse. Also, there is no vendor lock-in issue in Back4App.

Conclusion

With top-class and renowned Parse alternatives like Back4App and contributions from developers all across the globe, Parse Server is bound to be the future of backend as a service. Whatever product you are trying to come up with, whatever problem you are trying to solve, Parse Server will definitely save you from the unwanted burden of developing a backend. Hope after this, you will consider evaluating Parse Server for your next project.