The document discusses different backend options for mobile applications, including custom backends, iCloud, Dropbox, cloud platforms like Heroku, and backend as a service (BaaS) providers. It compares features of the options like data storage models, management requirements, costs, and lock-in. Popular BaaS providers mentioned are Parse, Kinvey, and BaasBox which provides user management, data storage, and push notifications without requiring an application server or database server.

1. Back-end ecosystems
for your applications
Claudio Tesoriero
@baasbox Cesare Rocchi
Monday, February 25, 13

2. Outline
• Needs when choosing a backend
• Features
• Overview of different approaches
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3. Who am I?
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4. UX designer and developer
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5. Who are you?
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6. Quick version
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7. It’s complicated
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8. Thank you!
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9. App Target
• Not apps where mobile is “just a view”
• Apps which are inherently mobile
• From web to app
• App needs a back-end
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10. Examples
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11. dayoneapp.com
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12. culturedcode.com/things
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13. Questions
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14. Have I to manage it?
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15. Have I to manage it?
• At which level?
• Am I able to do it?
• Have I time to learn?
• Is it worth it?
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16. What’s the synch model?
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17. What’s the synch model?
• Does it match my goals?
• Can I change it if needed?
• What about protocols?
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18. Have I to pay?
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19. Have I to pay?
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20. Who is to pay?
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21. Impact on UX?
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22. Impact on UX?
• Does it break any flow?
• How frequently?
• is it “ok” with that?
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23. Lock-in?
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24. Lock-in?
• How to migrate data?
• Switching cost?
• Effort
• Code front-end
• Data compatibility
• Cash
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25. Options
• iCloud
• Dropbox
• Custom
• Back-end as a Service (BaaS)
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26. What is iCloud?
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27. Stores and synchs stuff
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28. It just works ...
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29. ... when it works.
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30. SWIPE CONFERENCE 2012
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32. SWIPE CONFERENCE 2012
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34. Questions
• Have I to manage it?
• What’s the synch model?
• Who’s to pay?
• Impact on UX?
• Lock-in?
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35. Have I to manage it?
• Learn the API
• Apple takes care of
• installation
• scalability
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36. What’s the synch model?
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37. Daemon
• Monitors changes
• Works on metadata
• Shreds files
• Supports conflict resolution
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38. Special folder, synched
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39. Synched when “appropriate”
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40. Types of Information
• Key-value
• Documents
• CoreData
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41. Who’s to pay?
• The final user
• Your app will use his quota
• 5Gb for free
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42. Impact on UX?
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43. Impact on UX?
• User expectation
• No control on upload
• “Why isn’t there?”
• Open the app to synch
• User turns off iCloud?
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44. Lock-in
• Huge
• Only on iOS
• No way to migrate
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45. Dropbox
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46. Dropbox
• File-based
• Special folder
• Synchronized across devices
• Supports other platforms
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47. Have I to manage it?
• Already set up
• installation
• bandwidth
• scalability
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48. What’s the synch model?
• Desktop synchronizes continuously
• Mobile apps have to query the backend
• HTTP API
• SDKs for iOS, Android, Ruby, Python
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49. What’s the synch model?
• No conflict resolution (revision #)
• Data serialization is up to you
• No file shredding
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50. Who’s to pay?
• The final user
• Your app will use his disk quota
• 2 Gb for free
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51. Impact on UX?
• Authentication the first time
• User might modify files
• Control on the upload
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52. Lock-in
• None
• Each user owns his data
• Personal/team usage
• ... but nothing more
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53. Similar
• box.net
• sugarsync.com
• google drive
• amazon S3
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54. Custom
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55. SWIPE CONFERENCE 2012
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56. IaaS PaaS SaaS
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57. IaaS PaaS SaaS
• Data • Data
• Application • Application
• Runtime
• Middleware
• OS
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58. IaaS PaaS SaaS
• Data • Data
• Application • Application
• Runtime
• Middleware
• OS
AWS, Rackspace, ... Heroku, Appfog, ... Baasbox
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59. IaaS PaaS
• Data • Data
• Application • Application
• Runtime
• Middleware
• OS
AWS, Rackspace, ... Heroku, Appfog, ...
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60. PaaS
• Data
• Application
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61. PaaS Questions
• Which language?
• Which DB?
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62. Heroku
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63. Languages
• Ruby
• Python
• Java
• Scala
• Closure
• Node.js
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64. DBs
• Postgres
• MySQL (via addon)
• MongoDB (via addon)
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65. Dyno
• Essentially a process
• Web
• Worker
• # of dynos + db profile + addons = backend cost
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66. IaaS PaaS
• OS • Data
• Middleware • Application
• Runtime
• Data
• Application
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67. IaaS
• OS
• Middleware
• Runtime
• Data
• Application
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68. Questions
• Which OS?
• Which language?
• Which DB?
• How many machines?
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69. Amazon Web Services
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70. Amazon Web Services
• CDN
• Storage
• Networking
• DBs
• Services: email, queue managers
• Con: cost estimation
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71. Good old way
• Buy a server
• pick the hardware
• install OS
• rent space/bandwidth in a farm
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72. Server side frameworks
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73. Ruby
• http://rubyonrails.org
• http://www.sinatrarb.com
• http://www.padrinorb.com
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74. Python
• https://www.djangoproject.com
• http://www.pylonsproject.org
• http://flask.pocoo.org
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75. Node.js
• http://expressjs.com
• http://geddyjs.org
• http://flatironjs.org
• http://railwayjs.com
• http://towerjs.org
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76. ORM
• ActiveRecord
• DataMapper
• Sequel
• SQLAlchemy
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77. BaaS
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78. Baas
• Backend for mobile apps
• Files, key-value
• API SDK
• Push notifications
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79. Baas
• User management
• account creation/verification
• Login with Twitter/Facebook
• ACL
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80. Baas
• Time to market
• Focus on the front-end
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81. Services
• cloudmine.me
• stackmob.com
• kinvey.com
• parse.com
• buddy.com
• sencha.io
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82. Blood pact
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83. Claudio Tesoriero
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84. BaasBox
• No application server
• No database server
• JVM only requirement
• Runs everywhere
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85. BaasBox
• User management
• ACL
• Assets
• Collections
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86. BaasBox
• Download
• ./start
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87. BaasBox on OpenShift
rhc app create pizzabox diy-0.1
cd pizzabox
tar xvfz baasbox-openshift-xx.tar.gz
git add .
git commit -m "init"
git push
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88. BaasBox on CentOS
yum install java-1.7.0-openjdk
scp baasbox-xx.tar.gz user@host:remotepath
cd remotepath
./start
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89. PizzaBox
Dev
BaasBox
Pizzaiolo Clienti
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90. BaasBox Console
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91. BaasBox Web app
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92. BaasBox iPhone app
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93. Asset
curl --form file=@margherita.png
--form name=margherita
--user admin:admin
-H X-BAASBOX-APPCODE:1234567890
http://localhost:9000/admin/asset
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94. Menu
curl -d "name=menu&meta=[
{
"name": "Margherita",
"id" : "margherita",
"price": 5,
"ingredients": "Pizza con pomodoro e mozzarella"
}, ... ]"
--user admin:admin
-H X-BAASBOX-APPCODE:1234567890
http://localhost:9000/admin/asset
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95. Orders
curl -d ""
-H X-BAASBOX-APPCODE:1234567890
--user admin:admin
http://localhost:9000/admin/collection/orders
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96. Create order
curl -d "{
"list": {"margherita": 2,"quattrostagioni": 2},
"user": {
"name": "Cesare",
"surname": "Rocchi",
"address": "Via delle vie 12, Roma", ...
},
"time": "2013-01-02Z14:21",
"total": 12.5,
}"
-H X-BAASBOX-APPCODE:1234567890
--user cesare:cesare
http://localhost:9000/document/orders
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97. Demo
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98. Migration
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99. Now we are working on
• Push Notification
• SDK (iOS, Android, JS)
• 3rd party authentication
• Business analytics
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100. Federico Pacilli
CEO BaasBox
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101. How can we help
each other?
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102. Video Tutorials
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103. How can
YOU
make money?
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104. Marketplace
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105. PizzaBox
Dev
BaasBox
Pizzaiolo Clienti
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106. Marketplace
• Referral program (30%)
• 35% if non-exclusive
• 50%-70% if selling exclusive
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107. We have 3 ideas
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108. You can candidate
job@baasbox.com
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109. We provide
back-end support
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110. 70% for the first year
(+ 30% referral)
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111. 1000€ upfront
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112. Contacts
• http://www.baasbox.com
• twitter.com/baasbox
• facebook.com/baasbox
• github.com/baasbox
• info@baasbox.com
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113. jobs@baasbox.com
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114. youtube.com/user/LiveSeeweb
Lunedi 25 alle 18.30
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