When you set out to build a web or mobile app, what’s the first thing you focus on? Probably not the fun animations or the core functionality. No—before you get to the exciting parts, you need to set up the essentials: designing an efficient database schema, setting up user authentication, and make sure your app can handle traffic. In other words, the tedious but crucial groundwork.
And it’s not something you can just rush through. These tasks form the foundation of your app, so it’s important to get them right. But wouldn’t it be nice to skip ahead to the fun part?
Well, you can! Backend-as-a-Service (BaaS) gives you pre-built backend components, letting you focus more on building the front end and crafting the user experience. Let’s get into it.
What is Backend-as-a-Service (BaaS)?
Backend-as-a-Service (BaaS) is a service that allows you to outsource common backend tasks for web or mobile applications. BaaS providers take care of things like databases, user authentication, push notifications, storage and even hosting. This means that you can build the foundations of your app with robust and tried-and-tested components to ensure quality, all while focusing on your app’s front end and core features without worrying about the backend infrastructure.
How BaaS works
In traditional app development, you'd need to set up and manage databases, write APIs, and handle other backend tasks yourself. But with BaaS, all these services are ready-made for you. You interact with them through APIs, without having to worry about scaling.
BaaS handles things like:
User authentication
File storage
Database management
Serverless functions
Real-time synchronization
Push notifications
This way, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. You can simply plug in these reliable, pre-built solutions and focus on building your app, making it easier to scale and grow without the hassle.
Why use BaaS?
So why would you pick a BaaS provider over building it yourself? Sure, having control over every bit of your project is attractive — but if you want to get a lot done and build a working app quickly, sometimes you have to rely on external tools. Similarly to how you’d use Hugging Face for AI capabilities or Stripe for payments, you can leverage BaaS for backend needs, saving yourself a bit of time and resources.
Faster development
BaaS speeds up development because you don't need to build your backend from scratch. Even if coding an login page would only take you a few hours, those hours are better spent working on your app’s core functionality. Additionally, not only is it faster, but also more robust and secure, saving you time on maintenance in the long run.
Cost savings
Backend-as-a-service is extremely cost-effective. Not only can you group all infrastructure costs in one bundle, some open-source backend-as-a-service solutions like Appwrite have a very generous free tier. With BaaS, you only pay for the services you use, which can help reduce costs compared to maintaining your own backend infrastructure.
Scalability
BaaS platforms are designed to scale automatically. As your app grows and requires more resources, the BaaS provider handles the scaling, ensuring your app runs smoothly even with increased traffic.
Security
BaaS providers often handle security features like data encryption, authentication, and compliance with standards like GDPR, CCPA and HIPAA. This helps ensure that your app's backend is secure without requiring in-depth security expertise on your part.
Key features of BaaS
BaaS platforms offer several core services that you can easily integrate into your app:
User authentication
BaaS platforms simplify the process of adding user authentication, allowing you to integrate login and signup systems without building them from scratch. Many platforms support common authentication methods, including:
Username and password: Standard form-based login.
OAuth2: Third-party logins using services like Google, Facebook, or GitHub, making it easier for users to sign in.
Social logins: Allow users to log in with their existing social media accounts, reducing the friction of account creation.
Additionally, BaaS often handles user security and data compliance as well, with features like password hashing, breached password detection, strength configuration, dictionary, and personal data protection.
Database management
BaaS platforms provide built-in databases that allow you to store and manage data without needing to set up your own database infrastructure. Most BaaS platforms offer:
Relational (SQL) or NoSQL databases, depending on the type of data you need to store.
Automatic scaling of the database as your app grows.
Easy data querying through provided APIs, making it simpler to fetch, update, or delete data.
This eliminates the need to manage databases manually and allows you to focus on developing your app. Plus, to customize it even further, you can easily integrate any external database into a BaaS.
Serverless functions
Serverless functions, or "cloud functions," allow you to run custom backend code in response to specific triggers. BaaS platforms make it easy to define and deploy serverless functions for tasks like:
Custom business logic: Execute specific tasks when triggered by events like database updates, API requests, or user actions.
Automating workflows: Handle processes like sending emails, updating records, or processing data without setting up additional infrastructure.
Integrating external solutions: Set up payments, SMS and email communications, AI features and more with third-party solutions.
This feature allows you to add advanced functionality to their apps without the overhead, making backend development more efficient.
Push notifications and messaging
Push notifications are an essential feature for keeping users engaged. With BaaS, you can send notifications directly to your users without having to build a notification system from scratch. Common uses of push notifications include:
Alerting users to new messages or updates.
Sending reminders or notifications based on app activities.
Re-engaging users who haven’t interacted with the app for some time.
This feature is easy to set up and helps you maintain user engagement and best practices without additional infrastructure.
File storage
BaaS platforms offer integrated file storage, allowing you to easily store and manage media files such as images, videos, and documents. You can:
Upload and retrieve files using simple APIs.
Store and serve files securely, often with options for access control to ensure only authorized users can view them.
This feature saves you the trouble of setting up and managing external storage solutions.
Common use cases for BaaS
1. Mobile apps
BaaS is widely used in mobile app development, where developers can quickly implement features like user authentication, data storage, and push notifications.
2. Web applications
Web developers use BaaS for dynamic web apps, leveraging pre-built backend services to handle database interactions, real-time updates, and user management.
3. Prototypes and MVPs
Startups often use BaaS to quickly build prototypes and MVPs (Minimum Viable Products). BaaS allows them to validate ideas and test products without heavy investment in backend infrastructure.
4. E-Commerce platforms
E-commerce apps need robust backends for managing users, payments, and inventory. BaaS provides these backend services, so developers can focus on the customer-facing aspects of the app.
Popular BaaS providers
There are several well-known BaaS providers:
Firebase: A popular BaaS owned by Google, offering real-time databases, user authentication, cloud storage, and hosting services.
Back4App: Built on Parse, Back4App provides a scalable platform for building apps with real-time database and user management features.
Appwrite: An open-source BaaS that focuses on developer experience, offering user authentication, databases, storage, serverless functions and messaging for self-hosted or cloud.
Conclusion
Backend-as-a-service simplifies the development process by handling backend tasks, allowing you to focus on building the front end and user experience. With features like user authentication, database management, storage and more BaaS helps you speed up development, reduce costs, and scale your app easily.
And if you’d like to get your hands on an open-source BaaS, here are a few tutorials to help you get started with Appwrite:
