A Comprehensive Guide to Mobile App Backend Development Process

By:

ITS

Category:

Mobile App Development

Introduction:
Mobile applications have become the cornerstone of innovation, productivity, and convenience in today’s dynamic, tech-driven world. However, the seamless user experiences we enjoy are not solely the result of intuitive interfaces; they owe a significant debt to the intricate, often hidden world of mobile app backend development.

In this ever-evolving landscape, understanding mobile app backend development is crucial for anyone looking to harness the full potential of mobile technology. This blog post is a comprehensive guide to mobile app backend development process.

Join us as we delve into the mobile app backend development world, exploring the latest trends, best practices, and the key factors distinguishing a stellar mobile backend from the rest.

Mobile App Backend Development Process

When embarking on a mobile app development project, understanding the intricacies of mobile app backend development is essential. This often-overlooked aspect forms the backbone of your application, ensuring it runs smoothly, securely, and efficiently.

Setting Up the Development Team

The journey begins with assembling the right team. At the core of your backend development effort is at least one backend developer, but the team’s size should align with the project’s scope and timeline.

Flexibility is key here, as you can start with one or two developers and scale up as the project grows. This adaptability allows you to manage resources efficiently and maintain project momentum.

Choosing the Backend Tech Stack

The heart of your backend development lies in the technology stack you choose. This stack defines the tools and infrastructure that power your app’s server, database, and APIs. The selection process involves key decisions, such as:

Programming Language: This is the foundation of your backend code. Options may include TypeScript, Python, Java, Ruby, and PHP.
Architecture: Decide whether to opt for a monolithic, modular monolithic, microservices, or serverless architecture.
Infrastructure: Select the platform where your backend development will operate, such as AWS, Azure, or others.
Database: Choose between SQL, NoSQL databases, or a combination of different database types to store your data.
Type of API: Determine the API type, whether it’s JSON, REST, GraphQL, XML, or another format.

For instance: your custom backend development technology stack might include TypeScript as the programming language, a hexagonal monolith architecture, PostgreSQL as the database, and infrastructure hosted on AWS Elastic Beanstalk with AWS RDS.

The choice depends on your project’s unique requirements and your development team’s expertise.

Development & QA

With the tech stack in place, it’s time to kickstart development. This can run concurrently with frontend app development, although initiating backend development a bit earlier can be advantageous.

Early backend development work ensures that crucial features are ready when needed by the frontend developers, preventing bottlenecks in the project timeline.

Backend development operates based on “tasks.” Each task represents a piece of functionality required to make your backend development fully operational.

These tasks come with detailed requirements and acceptance criteria, which help guide developers throughout the process.

Typically, each task involves three key steps:

Writing Automated Tests: Ensuring the reliability and functionality of the code.
Modifying Server Infrastructure: Adapting the server to accommodate the new feature or functionality.
Adding the Code: Implementing the code that brings the feature to life.

Once a developer completes a task, the code undergoes a rigorous code review process by other team members. This practice ensures the code’s quality, adherence to standards, and helps catch any potential issues. Upon approval, the code is merged into the main codebase, and the updated app version is deployed on the server.

Afterwards, a dedicated tester then steps in to ensure that the new functionality works flawlessly. The task is marked as complete with successful testing, and the frontend app can seamlessly utilize the newly added feature.

With each completed task, your backend development grows, and your mobile app takes shape. It’s an interactive process where new features are added and existing ones are refined. Eventually, your app is ready to take its final form and move closer to release.

Quality assurance is the backbone of any successful mobile app backend development project. At Inspite Techno Solution, we understand the importance of ensuring the reliability and functionality of the code. Therefore, many big players such as Starbucks chose us to revolutionize their rewards and loyalty program.

Our dedicated QA experts work diligently to guarantee that your backend development operates seamlessly, adhering to the highest standards of quality and performance

Best Tools for Mobile Backend App Development

Mobile app backend development is a critical phase in building robust and efficient mobile applications. To make this process smoother and more efficient, developers rely on a set of powerful tools and technologies.

This section will explore some of the best tools available for mobile apps backend development. These tools empower developers to create the backbone of mobile apps, ensuring they run seamlessly and deliver a fantastic user experience.

Programming Languages

PHP: PHP, short for Hypertext Preprocessor, stands as a stalwart in server-side scripting for webbackend development. It’s chosen by renowned platforms like Wikipedia, WordPress, and Facebook. PHP’s cross-platform compatibility, object-oriented features, and integration capabilities with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript make it a top choice.
Python: Python is a versatile, high-level programming language used in mobile backend development. Platforms like Instagram, Spotify, and Google rely on Python. Its rich library support, readability, and compatibility with various technologies make it a go-to language.
JavaScript: JavaScript is fundamental in web development, working seamlessly with HTML and CSS. Its imperative and structured approach, lightweight nature, and versatility make it indispensable.

Frameworks

Laravel: For PHP enthusiasts, Laravel is a go-to framework. It follows the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architectural pattern and offers features like Artisan command-line tools, Object-Oriented libraries, and Eloquent ORM. Laravel simplifies tasks with tools like dependency injection and unit testing.
Django: Python developers find Django to be an invaluable tool. This framework follows the model-template-views (MTV) architectural pattern and boasts extensibility, rapid mobile app development, scalability, and security. It’s the framework behind popular platforms like Instagram and Mozilla.

Databases

MongoDB: MongoDB, a NoSQL database, is favored by web developers for its scalability and flexibility. It uses JSON-like documents and offers features like Ad-hoc queries, indexing, replication, and robust data security. MongoDB is compatible with various programming languages, making it a versatile choice.
MySQL: MySQL, a relational database management system, excels in web-based applications. Known for its speed and high performance, MySQL offers scalability, cross-platform compatibility, and powerful data encryption. It’s a choice for platforms like Flickr, Twitter, and Facebook.

Types of Mobile App Backends: Choosing the Right Foundation

Selecting the appropriate backend development stack function for your mobile app is a pivotal decision that can significantly impact your mobile app development process and project outcomes.

Backend development systems come in various forms, each tailored to specific requirements and preferences.

This section explores three primary types of mobile app backends, helping you make an informed choice based on your project’s unique needs.

Mobile App Backend Development Tools used in popular Apps

When it comes to mobile app development, the backbone of any successful application lies in its backend. Behind the scenes of some of the most popular apps like Twitch, WhatsApp, and Netflix, a sophisticated array of backend tools and technologies keep everything running smoothly.

In this section, we’ll delve into the backend development tools employed by these giants of the tech world, shedding light on the technologies that make them tick.

Twitch – Powering the Live Video Behemoth

Twitch boasts one of the largest live video distribution systems globally, and this requires a robust backend infrastructure. To keep the live video streaming and chat functionality at its best, Twitch relies on several key tools and technologies:

Erlang: This functional programming language empowers Twitch’s backend with high concurrency and scalability, allowing it to manage the massive number of concurrent users streaming and interacting on the platform.
FreeBSD: While most large-scale platforms opt for Linux, Twitch’s choice of FreeBSD as the operating system offers unparalleled performance, especially when it comes to handling system load per packet.
Ejabberd: An open-source XMPP server, Ejabberd, plays a crucial role in managing message delivery, routing, and instant messaging across the platform.
Mnesia: This Erlang-based database management system is highly efficient in storing data and temporary messages. Its real-time key/value lookup and high fault tolerance make it an ideal choice for Twitch’s needs.
BEAM (Bogdan’s Erlang Abstract Machine): As the Erlang-based virtual machine, BEAM is pivotal in enabling high concurrency and resilience in handling Twitch’s services.
YAWS (Yet Another Web Server): YAWS aids in storing multimedia data, offering reliable and fast connections to deliver multimedia content to billions of devices in near real time.

WhatsApp – The Chat App Giant

WhatsApp’s incredible scale and success are powered by a mix of robust backend technologies and tools that ensure seamless communication and security:

Erlang: WhatsApp employs Erlang’s scalability and reliability, with its unique actor model architecture, for handling a staggering number of concurrent users and messages.
FreeBSD: The choice of FreeBSD as the operating system, backed by WhatsApp’s founders’ extensive experience with it, ensures excellent performance and resource optimization.
Ejabberd: WhatsApp utilizes a customized version of Ejabberd, a highly modified XMPP server, to manage message routing and delivery with high efficiency.
Mnesia: Mnesia, an Erlang-based distributed DBMS, is the backbone for storing data and temporary messages, offering fault tolerance and real-time key/value lookup capabilities.
BEAM (Bogdan’s Erlang Abstract Machine): BEAM provides the concurrency and resilience required to manage the enormous traffic and loads WhatsApp handles daily.

Netflix – The Streaming Superpower

The world’s leading streaming service, Netflix relies on a combination of technologies to deliver high-quality content seamlessly to millions of users. Here are some of the backend tools in Netflix’s arsenal:

Java: Netflix’s backend is primarily powered by Java, known for its scalability, security, and robustness. This language provides a strong foundation for their services.
Spring Boot: To create stand-alone, production-grade applications efficiently, Netflix utilises Spring Boot, a popular Java-based framework.
Amazon S3: For data storage and processing, Amazon S3 ensures reliability and scalability, allowing Netflix to handle massive data volumes effectively.
Apache Cassandra: This highly scalable, distributed database system supports Netflix in managing its vast content library and user data.
AWS Services: Netflix leverages various Amazon Web Services for hosting, deployment, and infrastructure management. AWS provides scalability, reliability, and security, key for their streaming service’s global success.

These popular mobile apps demonstrate the importance of choosing the right backend tools and technologies. Each of them relies on a combination of programming languages, databases, backend server, and cloud services to ensure their services run smoothly, securely, and efficiently, all while handling an immense volume of data and users.

These mobile app backend development tools are a testament to their critical role in delivering exceptional user experiences and driving the success of these tech giants.