我应该使用Azure移动服务还是坚持使用Web Api

Question

I am developing a prototype app/website as a 'spike' for a project feasibility study. We need both a website and an app.

I have come from a web forms/c# background with fair amount of sql experience.. and have been up a steep learning curve to get to grips with MVC, Entity framework etc.

I have developed an MVC app first which has OAuth and uses Asp.Identity (and roles - just couldn't stay away im afraid:).

This uses an Azure Website and Webjobs to handle other tasks.. I really like the idea of not having to manage the whole server.

Following what seems the logical step for a mobile app, I have also added Web Api to it.. and have done some successful checks that it is there and working using fiddler etc.

I now need to 'Spike' the mobile element of this and quite favour the Cordova approach since there are no real performance requirements and it looks like AngularJS etc can yield good gains. So I have added the Cordova tools to my dev environment and done a couple of the tutorials and successfully have an app on my android phone.. so far so good.

So looking at Azure Mobile services, this seems to offer some nice facilities for our app.. however, and I realise it is still new, but it does seem geared to wards a Node-JS 'server side' application if using Cordova.. is this fixed or am I OK using C#? But also I feel I may have circumvented the need for the Mobile services part by adding WebApi..

On the surface it looks like the mobile services is a great 'cloud as service' model for simple app only requirements. Or am I wrong .. and should I be using it IN ADDITION to my website..

The APP and Website are going to use the same database, authentication etc. Which brings me on to the database.. This is not really an 'existing database' (which is where all the tutorials for Mobile Services seem to head).. I can start again if needed.. but of course it is built with code first EF models.

Should I divert energies to using mobile services or, as I am suspecting, carry on developing my own RESTful apis added on to my website.?

I guess I am looking for some best practice guidance here.

Answer 1

the .NET backend for Mobile Services is actually WebAPI based and is actually geared towards dev's who want to take advantage of their existing .NET/WebAPI skills in writing the backend services as compared to the Portal-based JS backend (you can also write more complex code the JS backend).

A key thing to note about Mobile Services is that it's a collection services, not just a backend to your data store.

You have authentication, push notifications, offline support, hybrid connect, etc... on the backend and corresponding client libraries for most mobile platforms (note, since it's REST based, there's not stopping you from consuming the same services from non-mobile platforms such as WPF, ASP.NET MVC, etc..)

So the question is, how much of the other features do you actually need and how much effort is it for you to write them yourself vs simply consuming/configuring them in Mobile Services.

Answer 2

I will answer your overly complex question with a overly simple answer: Mobile Services were designed for mobile devs with no or little experience developing a backend to use a backend with services for their mobile apps. If you're an experienced backend developer, you can do the same from scratch.