This document discusses Backend as a Service (BaaS) and compares different BaaS providers. It notes that choosing a BaaS provider does not lock a developer into that system and allows importing of existing data. It then compares the SDKs, custom backend logic capabilities, free usage limits, and paid tier offerings of Parse, Stackmob, Kinvey and APIOMAT. The document advocates that generated SDKs from a provider like APIOMAT can save development time compared to generic SDKs when building an app with multiple data models.

1. Backend as a Service
Philipp Michel, @phimi_
Dr. Lutz Kohl, @lutzkohl
@iPhone developer conference 2012
22.11.2012, Stuttgart

2. Do you need a
Backend?

3. new
App
with without
or
Backend Backend
Instagram Rapunzel
XING Toothbrush
WWM Flashlight
kaufDA Rechnen

4. with
Backend
Backend new
exists or Backend
Immoscout24 Wunderlist
DB Navigator Angry Birds
HRS Hotels IT-Gipfel
Amazon myTaxi

5. Where is the
problem?

6. new
Backend
selfmade or BaaS
slow dev speed fast
full customizability depends
expensive dev cost cheap
depends scalability promised

7. BaaS
functionality
crud your data
multi platform sdks
push
geo queries
user management
data browser
pic/file hosting
query language
im/export
custom business logic

8. BaaS-
Companies
+ some others...

9. BaaS -
Myth With choosing a BaaS-Provider...
...I will be locked in his system
No. You own the data. You can export it.
...I won‘t be flexible enough
No. You can inject custom backend logic.
... I cannot connect to my existing data
No. You can import/connect your data.
see also
http://www.kinvey.com/blog/922/breaking-backend-as-a-service-myths

10. Let‘s see how it works!

11. Let‘s compare
BaaS Offers

12. Which SDK‘s do I get?

13. API O
SDK‘s Parse Stackmob Kinvey
MAT
REST, iOS
yes yes yes yes
Android
JS yes yes yes no
third
Ruby yes no no
party
third
Java yes no yes
party
third
PHP no no yes
party
third
Python no no yes
party

14. How can I do custom
server logic?

15. server API O
Parse Stackmob Kinvey
logic MAT
write Java node.js
business js Scala w/ cloud js
logic in Clojure foundry
create jar handle
command command
tools w/ maven js on
line tool line tool
ant or sbt website
log yes yes yes yes

16. What do I get for
free?

17. API O
free Parse Stackmob Kinvey
MAT
number of
200
users
Free in Public Beta
storage 1GB 2gb
api calls 1M 60K
pushs 1M 60K
number of
1
versions

18. What do I get for
400$/month?

19. Parse Stackmob Kinvey API O
199$/m 400 $/m 400 $/m MAT
number of
12K
users
Free in Public Beta
storage 10GB 100GB
api calls 15M 9M
pushs 5M
number of
2
versions

20. What‘s in the SDK‘s?

21. iOS
Parse Kinvey API O MAT
SDK
type generic generic generated
caching yes yes yes
offline yes yes soon
connected
yes yes yes
objects

22. Where are the
servers?

23. API O
Parse Stackmob Kinvey
MAT
Servers in USA USA USA Germany

24. Example:

25. CityKit
• Adresses, Offers, Coupons,
Appointments around the user
• 24 Data Model Classes, csv import
• Native iOS & Android App
• PHP-Website, GWT-Dashboard
• only 2 month for planning and
implementing backend and iOS-App

26. Generic vs. generated
SDK
• if we would have used a generic sdk
we would have implemented 24 data
models 4 times
• we edited the data models on the
website --> data models in the sdks
were generated automatically

27. Contact
• http://www.apiomat.com
• info@apiomat.com
• @APIOMAT
• +apiomat
• Facebook Page