Probably, and choosing the right option is not that easy
A lot of companies start with a great iPhone app idea. From that point on though, starts the stress of technical decisions. “Should we use hybrid technology or go native?”, “Should the app be written in Objective-C or Swift?”, “What OS should I support?” and finally “Do I need a backend?”, “What kind of back end?”, heck “What is a backend?”.
This question is very easy to answer. If you answer yes to any of the questions below, then the answer is: “yes, you need a backend”.
- Do you have any need to synchronize data between multiple devices?
- Do you want to display your user’s data on a web site?
- Do you want to offer back up for the data generated by the user?
- Do you want to be able to change your app behaviour based on your input without re-releasing the app?
- Will your user consume the content you create within your app?
What is your answer? Do you need a backend? If your answer is no, then you’re among the very few. Most applications today require some kind of backend. Consider yourself lucky, you just saved a lot of money and headaches.
What is a backend?
A back end is a software that runs on a server that your application and website can communicate with. You can use this backend for lots of things:
– storing data
– sharing data
– control your app
– host content to show in your app
– run your business logic in a central place so you don’t have to re-implement that business logic in your apps
– crunch some numbers based on the data stored on that backend
Your options
Now that you have established you need a backend and you know what a back end is, let’s see what your options are.
- CloudKit
- AWS Amplify
- Hosted Backend (unlimited power to you :0)
- Self-hosted backend
Each of below options had pros and cons but in this case the right consultant can help you to choose well.
https://medium.com/swlh/do-you-actually-need-a-backend-739a26d96111