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  1. Stackups
  2. Application & Data
  3. Platform as a Service
  4. Mobile Backend
  5. Firebase vs Kinvey vs Parse-Server

Firebase vs Kinvey vs Parse-Server

OverviewDecisionsComparisonAlternatives

Overview

Kinvey
Kinvey
Stacks20
Followers42
Votes13
Firebase
Firebase
Stacks42.5K
Followers36.0K
Votes2.0K
Parse-Server
Parse-Server
Stacks191
Followers238
Votes32

Firebase vs Kinvey vs Parse-Server: What are the differences?

1. **Real-time capabilities**: Firebase has real-time database functionality out of the box, while Kinvey and Parse-Server require additional setup to achieve real-time updates. 2. **Scalability**: Firebase is known for its robust scalability features, making it a preferred choice for applications expecting high user traffic compared to Kinvey and Parse-Server. 3. **Authentication options**: Kinvey offers more advanced authentication options, including multi-factor authentication and identity management, whereas Firebase and Parse-Server have more basic authentication features. 4. **Pricing model**: Firebase has a straightforward pricing model based on usage, while Kinvey and Parse-Server may have more complex pricing structures with additional fees for specific features or usage thresholds. 5. **Flexibility and control**: Parse-Server allows more flexibility and control over the backend infrastructure since it can be self-hosted, unlike Firebase and Kinvey that are cloud-based solutions with limited control over the backend environment.

In Summary, Firebase, Kinvey, and Parse-Server differ in real-time capabilities, scalability, authentication options, pricing models, and flexibility/control over the backend infrastructure.

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Advice on Kinvey, Firebase, Parse-Server

Jared
Jared

Contractor at Insight Global

Aug 9, 2019

ReviewonFirebaseFirebase

I started using Firebase over 5 years ago because of the 'real-time' nature. I originally used to use Real Time Database, but now I use Cloud Firestore. I recommend using the Google Firebase PaaS to quickly develop or prototype small to enterprise level web/mobile applications. Since Google purchased Firebase, it has exploded and it growing rapidly. I also find some level of comfort that it is Backed by Google.

272k views272k
Comments
Noam
Noam

Jul 16, 2020

Needs adviceonNode.jsNode.jsExpressJSExpressJSReactReact

We are starting to work on a web-based platform aiming to connect artists (clients) and professional freelancers (service providers). In-app, timeline-based, real-time communication between users (& storing it), file transfers, and push notifications are essential core features. We are considering using Node.js, ExpressJS, React, MongoDB stack with Socket.IO & Apollo, or maybe using Real-Time Database and functionalities of Firebase.

1.15M views1.15M
Comments
Eric
Eric

Owner at The Richner Group

Sep 24, 2020

Needs adviceonReactReactElasticsearchElasticsearchFirebaseFirebase

We are starting to work on a web-based platform aiming to connect investors/wholesalers (clients) and buyers (service providers). A third service provider, lenders, will be added in the future.

The ability to create profiles of buyers w/ their buying criteria, to create saved records of properties for sale (provided by client) to be cross-referenced against the buyers' criteria is our core functionality.

In-app, timeline-based, real-time communication between users (& storing it), file transfers, and push notifications are post MVP features we would like as well.

We are considering using React, Elasticsearch / App Search w/ their Search UI, and using Real-Time Database and functionalities of Firebase.

30.1k views30.1k
Comments

Detailed Comparison

Kinvey
Kinvey
Firebase
Firebase
Parse-Server
Parse-Server

Kinvey makes it ridiculously easy for developers to setup, use and operate a cloud backend for their mobile apps. They don't have to worry about connecting to various cloud services, setting up servers for their backend, or maintaining and scaling them.

Firebase is a cloud service designed to power real-time, collaborative applications. Simply add the Firebase library to your application to gain access to a shared data structure; any changes you make to that data are automatically synchronized with the Firebase cloud and with other clients within milliseconds.

A Parse.com API compatible router package for Express. Read the announcement blog post here: http://blog.parse.com/announcements/introducing-parse-server-and-the-database-migration-tool/. Read the migration guide here: https://parse.com/docs/server/guide#migrating

User Management- Add any number of users, using the authentication systems of your choice.;Business Logic- Kinvey's custom business logic allows you to host your code in our cloud.;Data Storage- Instantly and securely sync data between your app and Kinvey backend.;Cross-Platform- iOS, JavaScript, Android, Windows, BlackBerry – Kinvey supports them all.;Push notifications;Large file storage;Analytics- Core usage data and dashboards come native in your backend
Add the Firebase library to your app and get access to a shared data structure. Any changes made to that data are automatically synchronized with the Firebase cloud and with other clients within milliseconds.;Firebase apps can be written entirely with client-side code, update in real-time out-of-the-box, interoperate well with existing services, scale automatically, and provide strong data security.;Data Accessibility- Data is stored as JSON in Firebase. Every piece of data has its own URL which can be used in Firebase's client libraries and as a REST endpoint. These URLs can also be entered into a browser to view the data and watch it update in real-time.;Real-time Synchronization- Firebase takes a new approach to the way data is moved around an app. Rather than using a traditional request & response model, it works by synchronizing data between devices. Whenever your data changes, all clients are immediately notified within milliseconds. The synchronized data is also persisted, allowing new clients to be immediately updated.;First-class Data Security- Traditional applications intermix security code with application code, whereas Firebase treats security as a first-class feature. You define your security policies in one place using a flexible rules language, and Firebase ensures that they are consistently enforced across all parts of your application. Having all your security logic in one place allows for easy auditing and helps you avoid security mistakes. The safety and security of your data is our top priority.;Automatic Scaling- The Firebase API is built from the ground up for performance and scale. Whenever your data changes, Firebase calculates the minimum set of updates required to keep all your clients in sync. In addition, all Firebase API functions are designed to scale linearly with the size of the data being synchronized. More importantly, Firebase handles all of the scaling and operations for you. Your app will scale from its first user to its first million without any code changes.;Servers are Optional- Firebase can provide all of the data storage, control, and transmission needs of most apps. In many cases, Firebase can completely replace your server and server-side code. This means you no longer need to build complicated backend software and can instead focus on your application logic and your customers.
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Statistics
Stacks
20
Stacks
42.5K
Stacks
191
Followers
42
Followers
36.0K
Followers
238
Votes
13
Votes
2.0K
Votes
32
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 5
    Easy setup
  • 2
    MongoDB
  • 2
    Great free tier for testing prototypes
  • 2
    Excellent documentation
  • 1
    Will be discontinued sometime in 2023
Cons
  • 1
    Base plan starts at $2,500 / year
Pros
  • 371
    Realtime backend made easy
  • 270
    Fast and responsive
  • 242
    Easy setup
  • 215
    Real-time
  • 191
    JSON
Cons
  • 31
    Can become expensive
  • 16
    No open source, you depend on external company
  • 15
    Scalability is not infinite
  • 9
    Not Flexible Enough
  • 7
    Cant filter queries
Pros
  • 13
    Open Source
  • 7
    Well documented
  • 4
    Easy setup, easy api, Fast,more platforms,realtime
  • 3
    No vendor lock-in
  • 2
    Backed by People
Cons
  • 1
    No guarantee (comes as is)
Integrations
Salesforce Sales Cloud
Salesforce Sales Cloud
Urban Airship
Urban Airship
HP Cloud Compute
HP Cloud Compute
Google Compute Engine
Google Compute Engine
Trigger.io
Trigger.io
Famo.us
Famo.us
Backbone.js
Backbone.js
Ember.js
Ember.js
AngularJS
AngularJS
React
React
Parse
Parse

What are some alternatives to Kinvey, Firebase, Parse-Server?

Socket.IO

Socket.IO

It enables real-time bidirectional event-based communication. It works on every platform, browser or device, focusing equally on reliability and speed.

Parse

Parse

With Parse, you can add a scalable and powerful backend in minutes and launch a full-featured app in record time without ever worrying about server management. We offer push notifications, social integration, data storage, and the ability to add rich custom logic to your app’s backend with Cloud Code.

PubNub

PubNub

PubNub makes it easy for you to add real-time capabilities to your apps, without worrying about the infrastructure. Build apps that allow your users to engage in real-time across mobile, browser, desktop and server.

Pusher

Pusher

Pusher is the category leader in delightful APIs for app developers building communication and collaboration features.

SignalR

SignalR

SignalR allows bi-directional communication between server and client. Servers can now push content to connected clients instantly as it becomes available. SignalR supports Web Sockets, and falls back to other compatible techniques for older browsers. SignalR includes APIs for connection management (for instance, connect and disconnect events), grouping connections, and authorization.

Ably

Ably

Ably offers WebSockets, stream resume, history, presence, and managed third-party integrations to make it simple to build, extend, and deliver digital realtime experiences at scale.

Syncano

Syncano

Syncano is a backend platform to build powerful real-time apps more efficiently. Integrate with any API, minimize boilerplate code and control your data - all from one place.

built.io

built.io

Built.io Backend is an mBaaS that allows you to avoid designing, building, and supporting a custom backend for your mobile & web applications. Enterprises can dramatically reduce cost, lower risk and accelerate time-to-market for apps.

NATS

NATS

Unlike traditional enterprise messaging systems, NATS has an always-on dial tone that does whatever it takes to remain available. This forms a great base for building modern, reliable, and scalable cloud and distributed systems.

SocketCluster

SocketCluster

SocketCluster is a fast, highly scalable HTTP + realtime server engine which lets you build multi-process realtime servers that make use of all CPU cores on a machine/instance. It removes the limitations of having to run your Node.js server as a single thread and makes your backend resilient by automatically recovering from worker crashes and aggregating errors into a central log.

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