This document discusses the winding down of Parse, a popular mobile backend as a service (mBaaS) platform, and alternatives for developers after it shuts down. Parse announced in January 2017 that it would fully retire its services after a year, citing difficulties with monetization and the need to focus resources elsewhere. The document examines possible reasons for Parse's closure and provides options for migrating Parse apps, including open-source Parse Server and tools to migrate databases, as well as several alternative MBAAS and infrastructure as a service (IAAS) platforms. It concludes by advising developers to always have a backup plan if a core technology is discontinued.

1. LIFE AFTER PARSE.COM

2. PARSE.COM - ???
PARSE.COM MBAAS - POPULAR MBAAS, UNTIL JAN 28TH ;)
▸ DB management
▸ File management
▸ User management (oAuth, sessions, verifying emails, passw. resetting, etc.)
▸ Cloud code (ability to code using JavaScript, run background tasks, write some logic for
custom data management)
▸ Notification service (push notifications, GCM)
▸ Custom API (for caching the data locally, managing users, run queries, creating custom
objects, etc.)
▸ Analytics
▸ REST API (for custom analytics, get access to data from Parse for website, upload/
download large amounts of data, export all data from Parse)

3. “IMPORTANT PARSE
ANNOUNCEMENT”
EMAIL WITH TITLE:

4. EMAIL FROM PARSE.COM
ANNOUNCEMENT
▸ “We have a difficult announcement to make. Beginning
today we're winding down the Parse service, and Parse will
be fully retired after a year-long period ending on January
28, 2017. We're proud that we've been able to help so
many of you build great mobile apps, but we need to
focus our resources elsewhere.”

5. WHY DID IT HAPPEN?

6. POSSIBLE REASONS
MONETISATION
▸ Giving the solution for free and waiting for the app to
become successful as measured by the backend traffic it
generates. It seems there were too few great and
successful apps on the market to generate enough
revenue stream for Parse to survive

7. POSSIBLE REASONS
MOVING TO STRONG ALTERNATIVE AFTER SUCCESS
▸ It was still relatively easy for successful Parse apps to start
building the proprietary backend from scratch on their
own and switch to their solution really soon after they
entered into a pricey Parse plan. Some apps may basically
use Parse infrastructure for free during their harsh times
and they had strong alternative to Parse soon after they
experienced traction and sustainable positive cash flow

8. POSSIBLE REASONS
PERFORMANCE PROBLEMS
▸ Many people have heard about the performance problems
with Parse which were forcing the mobile app users to wait
for far too long for the back-end responses.
▸ It is still not clear whether these problems have been fully
fixed or not, however surely they might have been posing
a significant risk on any serious application.
▸ Serious businesses were not choosing Parse or were
moving away from it.

9. POSSIBLE REASONS
RE-ALLOCATE PARSE CODERS
▸ It may so happen that Facebook was so desperately in
need of dev resources that they closed Parse in order re-
allocate Parse coders to more important products. That’s
probably least likely to be the major cause, especially if
Parse was truly a cash cow or had prospects to become
one in a for reusable future.

10. OK, NOW WHAT?

11. POSSIBLE WAYS:
▸ If you've already had your backend implementation on Parse
you can use migration tools:
▸ - an open source Parse Server which, according to Parse's
assurance, can handle the Parse API on any infrastructure that
supports Node.js, Mongo DB
▸ - a database migration tool (Parse database) which helps you
move your data to another MongoDB instance
▸ - migration rules from Parse team - https://github.com/
ParsePlatform/parse-server/wiki/Parse-Server-Guide#migrating

12. MBASS - MOBILE BACKEND AS A SERVICE
MBAAS SOLUTION ALTERNATIVES
▸ Kinvey (analytics, Data & file store, beacons, 3rd party OAuth, user management, offline caching,
push notifications, location services, data encryption, sms, email), costs 200 for indie
▸ Kumulos (Hosting, File Storage, Analytics, Bring your own Data with DB Hookup, KScripts, 50% OFF*
PARSE APP REBUILDS), costs min. 10 per month or even for free
▸ Backendless (parse migration tool, mBaaS, analytics, notifications, hosting, API engine, marketplace)
▸ Firebase - data storage, user authentication, static hosting
▸ Baasbox - (user management, file management, content management, Geospatial Queries, ‘Twitter
style Friendship’ among users, DB MANAGEMENT, push notifications, SERVER SIDE CODE)
▸ Anypresence (analytics, popular databases, notifications, authentication services, sales management,
RESTful API, ability to use local storage)
▸ Apiomat - mBaaS with enterprise orientation, but with trial period for sure
▸ Built.io - mBaaS + Social API, geolocation, notifications, scale, content management, analytics
▸ AWS Mobile Hub (analytics, user signing, notifications, cache files, cloud logic, cloud store, tests)

13. IAAS - INFRASTRUCTURE AS A SERVICE
IAAS SOLUTION ALTERNATIVES
▸ Amazon Web Services
▸ Microsoft Azure
▸ Heroic
▸ Google Cloud Platform
▸ WMWare
▸ SoftLayer
▸ Rackspace

14. CONCLUSION: ALWAYS
THINK OF SOME BACKUP
PLAN IN CASE ONE OF YOUR
CORE TECHNOLOGIES GOES
BUST.