Store data on Microsoft BizSpark and get them via API

Question

I got an assignment to write a SDK/API for a mobile app, which will be developed in all 3 platforms(Android/Windows/iOS) by different persons. Since those mobile app developers are outside companies, my company doesn't want to expose any Data Base structure related information to them.

Earlier they wanted me to use Parse.com as the back-end but now they have moved to Microsoft BizSpark. If someone out there with hands on experience with this hope I could get help for following.

• Can it store data ?
• Can we develop a common API kind of thing on it to access by different OSs (Android/Windows/iOS)?

Is there any better recommendation Microsoft BizSpark or Parse.Com ?

Answer 1

Parse is (was) a BaaS (Backend as a Service). It's an out-of-the-box solution for a ready-made backend with API. It allows developers to easily set up a backend and connect to it using API endpints without doing all the boilerplating involved.

Parse was bought by Facebook. Parse.com's hosted services were closed in the beginning of 2017.

Since Parse is open source, you can download the code right now and host your own Parse service wherever you want it. Even on Microsoft Azure, if you wanna spend some of your BizSpark credits.

And of course it has client side SDKs for mobile devs.

Other notable (M)BaaSes:

• Google FireBase : Which unlike Parse is fully hosted by Google. It's closed source, you can't install your own copy and you pay by usage. Has many many features (login, data storage, push messaging, crash analytics etc...).
• Amazon's AWS Mobile : Amazon's take on the same recipe. Again: a hosted service. many features.
• Apple's CloudKit : Geared towards Apple products.
• Many many more, some specializing on specific use cases (like PubNub's messaging MBaaS): https://github.com/relatedcode/ParseAlternatives