Firebase vs MongoDB Stitch vs AWS Amplify vs Azure Mobile Apps: MBaaS Comparison
Tags: Azure, Database, Firebase, AWS, Mongodb

Are you an entrepreneur or an IT manager undertaking a mobile app development? You would probably like to focus more on the front-end. That’s natural since the front-end of the app influences the user experience. Having said that, you can’t cut corners as far as the mobile backend is considered. Building and maintaining a mobile backend takes time and effort. It involves complexities. This is where a “Mobile Backend-as-a-Service” (MBaaS) platform can help. There are several MBaaS platforms though, and you might find it hard to choose one. This comparison between Firebase vs MongoDB Stitch vs AWS amplify vs Azure Mobile Apps can help.

In this comparison, we briefly understand what MBaaS platforms are. We review their pros and cons. We review the above-mentioned MBaaS platforms and compare them. Finally, we analyze when to use any one of these MBaaS platforms.

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A brief summary of various cloud computing models

Before delving into MBaaS, let’s briefly recap the various “as-a-service” models that cloud computing has spawned. We typically talk about 3 types of cloud computing models:

Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS): A managed cloud service provider (MCSP) provides the computing infrastructure only on the cloud. The organization or developer consuming it brings everything else. Amazon EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) is an example of IaaS.

Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS): The MCSP provides the cloud infrastructure, operating system, middleware, runtime environment, and services like databases. The consumer brings the application and data. AWS Elastic Beanstalk is a PaaS.

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS): A software provider offers the entire software on the cloud. Consumers buy a subscription to use the software, and they don’t need to install anything. Gmail is an example of SaaS.

What is an MBaaS platform?

An MBaaS platform utilizes cloud computing, and you can build the backend of your mobile app using it. You can use an MBaaS platform to build the backend of a web application too. This is why MBaaS is close to PaaS, however, web developers mostly use PaaS platforms.

An MBaaS platform manages the cloud infrastructure including servers, storage, and networking. It enables you to host your mobile backend. You can connect the front-end of your mobile app to the cloud storage and APIs on the backend. An MBaaS platform makes this easier for you, therefore, you don’t need to spend a lot of time to build and manage the mobile backend. AWS Amplify and Google Firebase are examples of MBaaS platforms.

Advantages of MBaaS platforms

You can get the following advantages if you use an MBaaS platform:

Cost savings: Cloud computing platforms eliminate upfront investment in IT infrastructure. MBaaS platforms are cloud platforms, and they offer this advantage.

Effort savings: Building and managing a mobile backend can take plenty of time. You need to manage IT infrastructure including servers and network. Storage is another aspect. An MBaaS provider takes care of these, therefore, you save time.

Databases: Prominent MBaaS providers provide database management services. This saves your time and effort.

API integration: Well-known MBaaS platforms make it easy for you to integrate your front-end with APIs. Powerful MBaaS platforms allow you to build, test, and deploy APIs on the platform. This further eases the integration.

The ease of implementing common functions: A mobile app needs common functionalities like push notification, user management, etc.

Disadvantages of MBaaS platforms

Despite their advantages, MBaaS platforms have a few disadvantages too. These are as follows: