Mobile Backend-as-a-Service offers scalability, automatic RESTful API generation

By Suzanne Kattau

August 2, 2012 — (Page 1 of 2)
Scalability and automatic RESTful API generation are two of the most important features mobile app developers can expect from mobile Backend-as-a-Service, an emerging, cloud-based set of services that provide developers with customizable back ends for mobile app platforms so that developers can focus their time and energy on the app itself.

What can developers expect from mobile BaaS? According to both vendors and analysts, the platforms can offer database creation, event tracking, geolocation, hosting, identity, messaging, notifications, security and social media integration.

Forrester Research analyst Michael Facemire recommended that mobile app developers seriously consider mobile BaaS services in his blog post, “Mobile Backend-as-a-Service: The New Lightweight Middleware?” App developers can benefit from mobile BaaS solutions, he wrote, because the platforms also include “a cloud-based storage facility for your data, automatic RESTful API generation providing read/write access to that data, over-the-wire-optimized ways to access this data (generally JSON today), user management facilities for authenticating access to your data, and a set of analytics that allow you to determine how your users are using your mobile app.”

Mobile apps have different needs than typical app development.

Aditya Bansod

They need to anticipate poorly connected networks, rapidly changing customer requirements, and a very high bar for user experience. “With a mobile BaaS, developers can focus on the customer experience, and not worry about having to write repetitive and often redundant back-end code,” said Aditya Bansod, vice president of product management at Sencha, which offers a mobile BaaS platform.

Mobile BaaS providers say developers can use mobile BaaS to reduce their app’s time to market and development complexity. “Traditionally, setting up a back end typically consumes half or more of the app development cycle, taking months to build and requiring a team of specialized developers,” wrote Apigee software engineer Rod Simpson in a blog post entitled “BaaS: The Mobile Backend is now a Service.”
“By taking advantage of BaaS, developers can bring their apps to market faster than ever before.”

Related Search Term(s): app development, BaaS, cloud, mobile

Pages 1 2

Share this link: http://sdt.bz/36848

Technorati

Digg

Slashdot

Facebook

Friendfeed

Twitter

del.icio.us

Kik Launches an Open API to Enable Mobile Developers to Bake Instant Content Sharing Into Any App API-powered developers like Rude Boy Games, DrinkOwl and FlyScreen can promote their apps to millions of Kik Messenger users.

Perfecto Mobile launches performance testing in the cloud Mobile apps can now be tested on real devices under simulated network conditions while under load from one common script

Cloud, mobile development take center stage at Innovate 2012 Software updates and a new security solution were the main attractions at the event

Kik Launches an Open API to Enable Mobile Developers to Bake Instant Content Sharing Into Any App
API-powered developers like Rude Boy Games, DrinkOwl and FlyScreen can promote their apps to millions of Kik Messenger users Read More...