Last updated on December 28th, 2023
Being a businessman, you know how a strong backend impacts app performance.
There is no additional logic; if you don’t develop a robust backend, your app just might not work well and can actually influence the performance of the app.
When the competition is already fierce, and a lot of apps are there for download, you have to outshine your app. If you are someone who actually wants to provide outstanding services or performance to the users of the app, then you require a powerful backend for your app.
The backend actually functions the same as impactful engines for a rocket. If you want a comprehensive mobile app backend development guide, then just go for it.
What is Backend in Mobile App Development Company?
Mobile Backend development has the ability to process data, security of an app and business logic. Backend development involves middleware, servers, and databases, and it is highly accessible through an API (application programming interface).
A mobile app backend takes care of the following:
- Syncing as well as sharing data across various platforms and devices.
- Processing as well as storing data for a smartphone device
- Refreshing content with the mobile app
- Maintaining the business logic of an app
- Authorizing as well as authenticating the control access of data
Being a backend developer, you may simply question yourself, how do you develop an app from the beginning? To know the complete app development process, you are required to have a good know-how of backend development too.
The mobile backend operates a remote server and is utilized for communication between servers and machines. An app’s mobile backend processes various tasks to better your front-end experience and is simply accessed through APIs.Â
Types of Mobile App Backend Development
- Third-Party SaaS
- MBaaS Solutions
- Custom Backend
Now you know a lot about the mobile backend functioning, check the different types of app backends. Every mobile backend solution serves various mobile app development demands as well as provides business logic.
There are three types of mobile app backends that you must know.
1. Third-Party SaaS
The solution you need to develop might already be released in the market. That implies they have already developed a backend from the beginning for their apps.
Few platforms or apps enable you to connect your front end to their backend on a subscription fee model, where you will need to pay yearly or monthly basis.
This technique plays a crucial role as a plug-and-play solution, where you simply plug in your frontend aspect of the mobile app to their backend on a subscription fee and launch your app. Such solutions are called third-party mobile app backend or even SaaS solutions.
2. MBaaS Solutions
You require powerful backend solutions that allow you to store user data and provide with latest features, such as authentication, login/registration, and push notifications.
All you can do is app development to utilize as a backend or utilize existing MBaaS (Mobile Backend as a Service). This not just saves you time but even enables you to cut down mobile app development costs to a great degree.
Provides you with pre-developed elements with a backend that you can utilize to implement every advanced feature. Actually, you are allowed to acquire your own customized code functionalities outside the available components and libraries.
With this, backend developers don’t have to develop a backend from the beginning but use reusable elements as well as pre-populated libraries. In this solution, app owners have to give a monthly fee for using the services like notifications sent and a large number of users.
3. Custom Backend
You require a custom backend if you need complete flexibility as well as customization in your mobile app. You will need to develop the backend from scratch so that you can provide custom features to your app users.
But, when it comes to backend customization, you might have to give a big amount to the developers or invest in basic infrastructure. However, the custom backend is worth the cost if you are developing an app that has to provide great performance as well as security to the app users.
If you are thinking about the security and performance of the app, then you have to develop a custom backend with the help of a proper tech stack. Additionally, you can opt for a hybrid approach with a blend of SaaS, MBaaS and tailored backend solutions.
Working Process of Mobile App Backend Development
- In the front end, you see the body of your app, but the back end shows you the soul of the mobile app. The backend app interacts with the front end to address a user’s request.
- Without backend, the front end will not work properly.
- And without a proper front end, a user won’t have the ability to know the functionalities of an app.
- But, the front end as well as back end communicate with each other and know the user requests.
- The front end and backend communicate with each other through APIs.
- Whenever a user clicks on their app screen, the front end knows the request and then sends it to the backend. Whereas the app backend retrieves the information which was requested to do through API and sends it back to the front end to show the information.
- Let’s understand a little better with this simple example:
- You’re buying a dress online, and you have finalized it, and now you need to pay a charge free. Apparently, you’ll click on the ‘Buy Now button and immediately get directed to the checkout page to pick one payment option.
- Now the app’s front end will send a quick request to the backend servers to interact with an external payment gateway. If effectively done, you immediately witness a banking page that will ask you to tap into your credential details, like name, card number, and CVV, for secured payment.
- This communication is achieved by the API, which connects the back end and the front end of the mobile application to the external service to assist you to view the payment page.
- The communication between the back end and front end allows the app to work smoothly and has the ability to provide the expected solution to the users. In this case, you have the ability to buy a dress while making an online payment.
Tools Used in Mobile App Backend Development
- Apache Tomcat
- NGINX
- NodeJS
- Oracle RDBMS
- IBM DB2
- MySQL
- Microsoft Access
- PostgreSQL
Here is the list of mobile app development tools for back-end development. We’ve even compared them on the basis of their features and functionalities. To effectively perform mobile app backend solutions, such tools are applied.
1. Apache Tomcat
- Detection as well as prevention of a memory leak
- Use nonce to stop cross-site request forgery attacks
- Aliases for keeping up the static content outside the war file
- Get the support for JSP 2.2, servlet 3.0, and JSP-EL 2.2
- Asynchronous logging
2. NGINX
- IPv6 and load balancing
- TLS/SSL with SNI
- FastCGI support with caching
- Reverse proxy with caching
- WebSockets
3. NodeJS
- Asynchronous and event-driven
- Single-threadedÂ
- highly scalable
- No buffering when utilizing Node
- Licensed
4. Oracle RDBMS
- Heterogeneous replication
- SQL and PL/SQL support
- Date-time data types
- Two-phase commit protocol
- Result set support
- Data dictionary translations
5. IBM DB2
- Advanced protection for the app
- Automated administration and tuning
- Nonstop availability
- Various data typesÂ
- Multiple languages
6. MySQL
- Open-source
- Stores data efficiently in the memory
- Work effectively with a bit amount of data
- Support large databases, which include 40 to 50 million records
- Secure interface as well as password encrypted
7. Microsoft Access
- Easier to use and understand
- Easy to import and export data to another Microsoft Office
- Readymade templates to develop and publish data
- Enables publishing of web databases easily
8. PostgreSQL
- Supports data types such as numeric, integer, string, Boolean
- Extremely extensible
- Compatibility with data integrity
- Internationalization text search
This list of tools will definitely allow you to pick the ideal tool for your mobile app backend on the basis of your project needs. But, besides the tools part, you additionally need to understand different app functions that are provided with the backend development.Â
Mobile App Functions That are Offered with Backend Development
You have to be cautious of certain things when integrating the backend in app development. Here are the fundamental functions that you use when creating a mobile app.
1. Cloud Server
Cloud-based backend servers provide accessibility, scalability, reliability, and centralized management, making them among the best choices for building mobile apps. Also, cloud servers have sufficient physical and network security to allow the building of secured apps. Microsoft Azure, Google App Engine, and Amazon AWS are well-known cloud servers that you can utilize for hosting mobile apps.
2. Software-As-A-Service (SaaS)
It is a unique and advantageous add-on to the cloud servers that app developers utilize for backend development. Consequently, you can use the backend solutions for the backend as well as front end of apps. Furthermore, it is accessible SaaS-based solutions only for nominal charges.
3. Custom Servers
If you want tailored functionalities or to manage critical data, then installing a custom server to host the mobile app backend is an ideal choice. You have complete control over the backend server. But, you would need a professional team to handle the work and install the server.
Related Article: A Complete Roadmap of Mobile App Development: An Expert Guide
Are You Struggling to Find a Mobile App Backend Development Company for Powerful Backup?
With the help of this blog, you get to learn a lot of things about backend development for mobile apps. Now, you have an idea about the mobile app backend development, the tools as well as tech stacks required to develop a strong backend, and how the backend works.
If you want to create an app with a powerful backend, then this guide is for you. Likewise, you can connect with a professional mobile app development company to develop an interesting frontend and impactful backend for your app.
Frequently Asked Questions For mobile app backend development
1.How much does it cost to build a backend for a mobile app?
The average estimated cost to build a robust backend for a mobile app is $ 8200. However, this is a very general idea of backend mobile app development cost and there are a diversity of factors that directly impact it. Those factors have been stated below –
- Size of the mobile app
- Complexity of the mobile app
- Number of features and functionalities
- Number of third-party integrations
- Location of the app development team
- Non standard data processing
With iTechnolabs’ highly certified developers, you get the best of the backend development services via very flexible pricing models. Get in touch with the consultants of iTechnolabs and get started with the backend development of your mobile app today.Â
2.What are the benefits of app backend development?
There are several advantages of using backend services for mobile apps. We have listed below the benefits of Backend as a Service (BaaS) –Â
- There is no doubt that using a BaaS platform is much cheaper than hiring developers for building custom backend of your app from scratch
- When you use an already set-up backend platform for the development of your mobile app, the speed of development obviously quickens
- Consequently, with faster development speed comes lesser time to market (TTM) of the mobile app
- With backend services, the developers can now divert their minds from dull, repetitive tasks to more important business tasks
- Also, the cost significantly declines because you need not hire developers to build a backend for your mobile app
