Parse is a mobile backend as a service (MBaaS), a subcategory of PaaS. This is a presentation evaluating the service for a post-graduate seminar course.

1. PARSE
BACKEND AS A SERVICE
Ville Seppänen

2. CONTENTS
Whatis Parse?
Parse Data&Parse Push
Android Demo
Other services: Cloud code, Social, Analytics
Evaluation &Summary

3. WHAT IS PARSE?

4. PARSE IS A MBAAS
Parse is ahosted closed-source, proprietarymobile-backend-as-
a-service (mBaaS)
Itoffers BaaS over APIs for severalplatforms

5. SERVICE CATALOGUE
Parse Database
Parse Push notifications
Parse User managementand Socialweb integration
Cloud Code server-side code hosting
Parse Analytics

6. SUPPORTS MOST PLATFORMS
Mainplatforms: Android, iOS, OS X, JavaScript, Windows 8,
Windows Phone 8, Unity, REST
3rd partylibraries: .NET, Java, Clojure, jQuery, Node, PHP,
Python, Objective-C, Qt, Ruby, ...

7. OWNED BY FACEBOOK
April2013: "Facebook boughtmobile cloud services company
Parse for areported $85 million"
readwrite.com/2013/04/29/parse-acquisition-makes-its-
rivals-very-happy
Even when you are notin Facebook, you are partof Facebook?

8. SUBSCRIPTION LEVELS

9. PARSE RUNS ON AMAZON WEB SERVICES
aws.amazon.com/solutions/case-studies/parse

10. PARSE SUPPORT
GettingStarted guides, Tutorials and API documentation
StackOverflow (843 parse.com questions)
Parse's own "StackOverflow clone"
Parse Developer Dayconference held in September 2013
parse.com/help

11. APP BASICS
Asingle Parse developer accountcan hold manyApps, paying
customers can collaborate on an app
Apps are isolated from each other
Dashboard for simple managementand monitoring

12. DASHBOARD

13. PARSE DATA

14. EFFORTLESS DATABASE
JSON-based, auto-generated schema, semi-relational
notreal-time, notauto-syncing(started makingachatapp
around the db untilI realized this)
AParse devsuggested creatingsync with push notifications
ParseObjects can onlybe 128kb, ParseFile objectcan be 10
megabytes
parse.com/questions/real-time-updates-like-firebase

15. SMALLEST WORKING EXAMPLE
//InitParseandauto-generateananonymoususerforthisinstallation
Parse.initialize(this,YOUR_APPLICATION_ID,YOUR_CLIENT_KEY);
ParseUser.enableAutomaticUser();
//UploadanewobjecttotheParsedatabase
ParseObjectgameScore=newParseObject("GameScore");
gameScore.put("score",1337);
gameScore.put("playerName","SeanPlott");
gameScore.saveInBackground();

16. SUBCLASSING PARSEOBJECT
Instead of:
ParseObjectshield=newParseObject("Armor");
shield.put("displayName","WoodenShield");
shield.put("fireproof",false);
We can have:
Armorshield=newArmor();
shield.setDisplayName("WoodenShield");
shield.setFireproof(false);
@ParseClassName("Armor")
publicclassArmorextendsParseObject{/*...*/}
ParseObject.registerSubclass(Armor.class);

17. SPECIAL CLASS: USER

18. SPECIAL CLASS: INSTALLATION

19. REST CALLS
curl--requestGET
--header"X-Parse-Application-Id:Xlsvm0...WL4in"
--header"X-Parse-REST-API-Key:0OPlRuE...5lk"
--get
--data-urlencode'where={"playerName":"SeanPlott","cheatMode":false}'
https://api.parse.com/1/classes/GameScore
{
"results":[
{
"playerName":"SeanPlott",
"updatedAt":"2011-08-21T18:02:52.248Z",
"cheatMode":false,
"createdAt":"2011-08-20T02:06:57.931Z",
"objectId":"Ed1nuqPvcm",
"score":73453
}
]
}

20. ACCESS CONTROL LISTS (ACL)
Each objecthas its own ACL of users/roles/everyone and their
read/write access rights
{
"*":{
"read":true
},
"F4ori0jU9r":{
"write":true,
"read":true
}
}

21. CLASS-SPECIFIC ACCESS CONTROL
Get: fetchingan objectbyits objectId.
Find: issuingaqueryto fetch objects.
Update: savingan objectthatalreadyexists and has been
modified.
Create: savingan objectthatis new and hasn'tbeen created
yet.
Delete: deletingan object.
Add fields: addingfields to the class.

22. ROLE-BASED ACCESS CONTROL
Users can be grouped into roles
Subroles can be grouped into roles
Roles can be referred to in ACLs
//Createnewroleobject
ParseACLroleACL=newParseACL();
roleACL.setPublicReadAccess(true);
ParseRolerole=newParseRole("Administrator",roleACL);
//Adduserandchildroletorole
role.getUsers().add(newUser);
role.getRoles().add(childRole);
role.saveInBackground();

23. PARSE PUSH

24. PUSH NOTIFICATION

25. PUSH NOTIFICATIONS
Parse offers scheduling, expiration time and targetsegmenting
Can be sentfrom the dashboard and from allSDKs, butonly
received in iOS, Android and Win8 "Metro"
Requires Apple Push Certificate on iOS and Windows Push
Credentials on Win8 apps. On Android Parse has its own
service, with pros and cons

26. CUSTOMIZING PUSH NOTIFICATIONS
alert: the notification's message.
badge: (iOS only) the value indicated in the top rightcorner of
the app icon. This can be setto avalue or to Incrementin order
to incrementthe currentvalue by1.
sound: (iOS only) the name of asound file in the application
bundle.
content-available: (iOS only) if you are usingNewsstand, set
this value to 1 to trigger abackground download (more here).
action: (Android only) the Intentshould be fired when the push
is received. If nottitle or alertvalues are specified, the Intent
willbe fired butno notification willappear to the user.
title: (Android only) the value displayed in the Android system
traynotification.

27. PUSH CHANNELS
Installations (notusers) subscribe to pushes

28. JAVASCRIPT PUSH
Send push message
Parse.initialize("RNh7...vfJtTC","1CdI01...21iU");
varrecent=newDate(newDate().getTime()-(24*3600*1000));
varquery=newParse.Query(Parse.Installation);
query.equalTo('channels','Control');
query.greaterThanOrEqualTo("updatedAt",recent);
Parse.Push.send({
where:query,
data:{
alert:"HelloJavaScript!"
}
},{
success:function(){/*Pushwassuccessful*/},
error:function(error){/*Handleerror*/}
});

29. JSON DATA PUSH
{
"title":"BaasChat",
"alert":"Hellomobileclient!",
"myCustomData":"foobar"
}

30. EXECUTE (ANDROID) CLIENT CODE VIA PUSH
{
"action":"fi.vilsepi.peekaboo.TAKE_PHOTO",
"sneakyPayload":"anyparametersforourfunctioncall"
}
<!--thefunctiononReceive(context,intent)ofthisclasswillbecalled-->
<receiverandroid:name="fi.vilsepi.peekaboo.BackgroundPushReceiver">
<intent-filter>
<actionandroid:name="fi.vilsepi.peekaboo.TAKE_PHOTO"></action>
</intent-filter>
</receiver>
UiPushReceiverpushReceiver=newUiPushReceiver(newHandler());
registerReceiver(pushReceiver,newIntentFilter("fi.vilsepi.peekaboo.PHOTO_TAKEN"));
publicclassUiPushReceiverextendsBroadcastReceiver{
publicvoidonReceive(finalContextcontext,Intentintent){
Stringaction=intent.getAction();
Stringchannel=intent.getExtras().getString("com.parse.Channel");
JSONObjectjson=newJSONObject(intent.getExtras().getString("com.parse.Data"));
//etc..
}
}

31. UNDER THE HOOD
On Android, pushes use Parse's own background service
Pushes are cleartextHTTP over open TCP connection from
push.parse.com
{
"time":"2013-10-17T12:33:00.224Z",
"oauth_key":"RNh7DvetGOeZtifApJ2yTUrVg9wY0rq4ULvfJtTC",
"data":{
"alert":"HelloWireshark!",
"push_hash":"3616ff34c02d2e63b895ec112765f270"
}
}

32. DEMO TIME!

33. ANDROID DEMO
1. Enable Settings -> Security-> Unknown sources
2. Installvilsepi.dyndns.org/baas
(testedonGingerbread2.3.3,JellyBean4.2and4.3)

34. PEEKABOO: CAMERA SHARING APP
vilsepi.dyndns.org/baas

35. JAVASCRIPT CLIENT
Latestphotos from allusers

36. HOW IT WORKS
1. on firststart, auto-generate an anonymous user
2. update the user into the database and subscribe to push
channels
3. queryfor users thathave been modified lately, pick one at
random
4. send clientpush to the targetviaParse
5. on receivingTAKE_PHOTO, take aphoto with cameraand
upload itto Parse
6. once photo has been uploaded, send clientpush to requester
viaParse
7. on receivingPHOTO_TAKEN, queryfor Photos thatcurrent
user has requested

37. OTHER SERVICES

38. CLOUD CODE: HOSTED SERVER-SIDE CODE
server-side Javascriptprograms
code is uploaded to Parse usingCLI tool(simple as "parse
deploy")

39. BAASBLOG.PARSEAPP.COM
Vilperi
Demo blog for BaaS seminar
http://fi.lipsum.com/October 22nd 2013, 12:20 pm
Lorem Ipsum on yksinkertaisesti testausteksti, jota tulostus- ja
ladontateollisuudet käyttävät. Lorem Ipsum on ollut teollisuuden
normaali testausteksti jo 1500-luvulta asti, jolloin tuntematon
tulostaja otti kaljuunan...
baasblog.parseapp.com/posts/new
username: baas password: baas

40. NOT JUST WEB APPS
Clientapps can make function calls to server-side code
Cloud code can run scheduled jobs
JS modules for 3rd partyservices: photochecking, email, credit
cards, sms, voice calls
parse.com/docs/cloud_code_guide#functions

41. CLOUD CODE LIMITS
Functions have stricttime limits (15 seconds, 3 seconds for
beforeSave and afterSave)
Background jobs are killed in 15 minutes
Onlyone job runningatatime (payfor whoppingtwo jobs),
restare queued
This is notacomputation IaaS butrather cleaningup the data
thatis stored

42. OTHER CLIENT SDK FEATURES
Socialand identityintegration with Facebook and Twitter
Convinience methods for adaptingdataqueries into UI
elements
Geolocation helper functions
Cachingdatain clientdevices (saveEventually,
saveInBackground...)
Analytics, custom metrics (errors, user behavior)

43. SUMMARY

44. EVALUATION
database is not"real-time"and auto-syncinglike Firebase
datacan be exported easily, butcode is specific to the
proprietaryAPI

45. Varyingdelayin push notifications
Sometimes often the Android client's push service dies silently
CloudCode snippetfor Google Cloud Messaging
parse.com/questions/ios-push-notifications-very-unreliable
citrrus.com/blog/what-going-on-with-parse-dot-com
parse.com/questions/gcm-support

46. cannotchange/resetAPI keys
cannoteasilycopy/fork/clone an app
can onlyview push statistics in the dashboard

47. WHAT PARSE IS GOOD FOR
backend for (multi-plaform) mobile apps
push notifications for marketingand user engagement
probablynotthe bestoption if you onlyneed adatabase

48. QUESTIONS?
dafuqdidijustwatch?

49. THANK YOU!