BaaS 2.0 - Speed up app development with prefabricated, extensible, open-source backends

Building modern apps requires a LOT of boilerplate backend code -- setting up server endpoints, forwarding requests to the database, and performing authentication are examples of code that developers have to write over and over again.

In this talk you'll learn how to dramatically cut down development time by using prefabricated, open-source backends like deepstream.io and Horizon. We'll also talk about how prefabricated backends are changing application architectures, and the impact end-to-end event driven application development is making on end-user experience.

We’ll also talk about how Horizon.io and RethinkDB provide a fantastic solution to these problems, and how I expect the future of web development to unfold. If we have time, we'll dig into some code using Horizon and see just how simple it is to build applications by starting with a prefab backend.

Transcript

1. BaaS 2.0 @pickledego Speed up app development with prefabricated, extensible, open-source backends
2. preface • I am not Mike Glukhovsky
 • Mike _really_ wanted to be here, and he sincerely apologizes that he can’t be!
 • I have presented on very similar topics and am excited to speak today
3. who am i? • web developer • worked at novell, mycanvas, ancestry.com, ClientSuccess • i’ve built full-stack products used by hundreds to millions of customers • using clojure, java, c#, javascript, html, css, etc. • father of 4
4. Building Relationships that Last
5. Backend as a Service (BaaS)
 (“Serverless")
6. who here is familiar with BaaS?
7. // TODO: 1. What is BaaS? 2. Why should I care? 3. Is it viable today?
8. // TODO: 1. What is BaaS? 2. Why should I care? 3. Is it viable today?
9. a brief history of BaaS
10. wikipedia [Baas] is a model for providing web and mobile app developers with a way to link their applications to backend cloud storage and APIs exposed by back end applications while also providing features such as user management, push notifications, and integration with social networking services.[4]
11. http://skillcrush.com/2012/04/17/frontend-vs-backend-3/
12. http://skillcrush.com/2012/04/17/frontend-vs-backend-3/
13. http://skillcrush.com/2012/04/17/frontend-vs-backend-3/
14. But let’s dive a little deeper…
15. Java Spring Jackson Hibernate Load Balancer Bandwidth Servers Blades OAuth 2.0 User Mgt javascript html css Infrastructure Backend Frontend Tomcat Security Reliability Scaling File Storage Racks REST API Ubuntu Ext4 MySQL
16. Java Spring Jackson Hibernate Load Balancer Bandwidth Servers Blades OAuth 2.0 User Mgt javascript html css Infrastructure Backend Frontend IaaS Tomcat Security Reliability Scaling File Storage Racks REST API Ubuntu Ext4 MySQL
17. Java Spring Jackson Hibernate Load Balancer Bandwidth Servers Blades OAuth 2.0 User Mgt javascript html css Infrastructure Backend Frontend IaaS PaaS Tomcat Security Reliability Scaling File Storage Racks REST API Ubuntu Ext4 MySQL
18. Java Spring Jackson Hibernate Load Balancer Bandwidth Servers Blades OAuth 2.0 User Mgt javascript html css Infrastructure Backend Frontend BaaS IaaS PaaS Tomcat Security Reliability Scaling File Storage Racks REST API Ubuntu Ext4 MySQL
19. Java Spring Jackson Hibernate Load Balancer Bandwidth Servers Blades OAuth 2.0 User Mgt javascript html css Infrastructure Backend Frontend BaaS IaaS PaaS Tomcat Security Reliability Scaling File Storage Racks REST API Ubuntu Ext4 MySQL SaaS
20. what is BaaS? • Backend cloud storage • RESTful API to internal and external systems • Additional features • user management • security • social networking services • push notifications (for mobile)
21. pre-fab
22. http://www.greendiary.com/good-bad-ugly-prefabricated-homes.html
23. http://www.greendiary.com/good-bad-ugly-prefabricated-homes.html
24. http://decorationdelamaison.blogspot.com/2015/05/luxury-prefabricated-modern-home.html
25. Pre-fab Backends
26. http://www.greendiary.com/good-bad-ugly-prefabricated-homes.html
27. http://www.greendiary.com/good-bad-ugly-prefabricated-homes.html
28. http://decorationdelamaison.blogspot.com/2015/05/luxury-prefabricated-modern-home.html
29. features / modules • User management • Social logins / LDAP / Active Directory • Realtime data sync • Analytics • Easy integration with internal and external APIs • API forwarding / “Data forwarding” • CRUD operations auto setup • SaaS OR Internal hosting • Media Streaming • Data encryption • Data and File store • Offline data caching • Custom server-side code
 - API data validation
 - Business logic • Push notifications • Email services • Environments (dev / test / live) • Versioning • Client code generation
30. what does the code look like?
31. Horizon
32. initialize
33. collections
34. collections
35. collections
36. collections
37. collections
38. roll your own
39. Horizon: other features • OAuth (Google, Slack, Auth0, etc.) • Users and Groups • Open-source! • RxJS • Extendable (plugin architecture coming soon)
40. login with google
41. login with facebook
42. setup reference to /people
43. add a person object
44. // TODO: 1. What is BaaS? 2. Why should I care? 3. Is it viable today?
45. “My backend services are great!”
46. Pros of BE Dev • Choice / customization • Built how i want it • Can use whatever frameworks and technologies I need • Full control over security, api, tech stack, etc. • No vendor lock-in • Less reliance on third-party APIs • Possibly easier to support (no middle man)
47. Full control
48. It’s MINE!
49. MY PRECIOUS!
51. – Tod Nielson, Heroku CEO “Complexity gets abstracted,
 and things move up the stack”
52. Who here develops awesome web applications?!
53. – Tod Nielson, Heroku CEO “Complexity gets abstracted,
 and things move up the stack”
54. – Tod Nielson, Heroku CEO “Complexity gets abstracted,
 and things move up the stack”
55. We’re web developers!
56. Java Spring Jackson Hibernate Load Balancer Bandwidth Servers Blades OAuth 2.0 User Mgt javascript html css Infrastructure Backend Frontend BaaS IaaS PaaS Tomcat Security Reliability Scaling File Storage Racks REST API Ubuntu Ext4 MySQL
57. Pros of BaaS • Faster time to market • Lower costs • Lower initial cost • Incremental costs depend upon usage • Resources sharing • Fewer developers • Easier to Manage • No servers to maintain • Less Code (less maintenance) • Easy scaling • Built-in service management • Fewer developers
58. what does this mean for businesses?
59. what does this mean for you?!
60. disruptive technology?
61. ABSOLUTELY!
62. As businesses understand the lower costs,
 they will adopt BaaS just as they have IaaS
63. lower cost => adoption
64. right now: it’s about mindshare
65. illustrated by Jeremy Kemp Gartner Hype Cycle
66. illustrated by Jeremy Kemp Gartner Hype Cycle BaaS 2014
67. illustrated by Jeremy Kemp Gartner Hype Cycle BaaS 2016
68. the future of web app development?
69. absolutely
70. // TODO: 1. What is BaaS? 2. Why should I care? 3. Is it viable today?
71. Common concerns
72. is it secure?
73. what about custom code / endpoints?
74. can i integrate it with my existing system?
75. what if my hosting company goes belly up?
76. is anyone using it in production?
77. YES!
78. users • inVision (for sharing) • ContentBox • Vibram • Petco • Vibram • USA Today • Citrix • Food Network • Travel Channel • Cadillac • Hipmunk • TOMS • CBS • Korea Telecom • Apigee • Salesforce • Splunk • Apple • Symantec
79. vendors Hosted (shorter list) • Parse • Kinvey • AnyPresence • Backendless • GoInstant • built.io Open Source • Apache usergrid_ • LoopBack.io • deepstream.io • Horizon.io • deployd • DreamFactory • Appcellerator
 Cloud • Syncano • Salesforce1 • Firebase • Microsoft (Azure Mobile Services) • Apple (CloudKit) many more! http://baas.apievangelist.com/compan
80. http://www.kinvey.com/blog/2608/backend-as-a-service-welcomes-vendor-32-salesforcecom
81. features • User management • Social logins / LDAP / Active Directory • Realtime data sync • Analytics • Easy integration with internal and external APIs • API forwarding / “Data forwarding” • CRUD operations auto setup • SaaS OR Internal hosting • Media Streaming • Data encryption • Data and File store • Offline data caching • Custom server-side code
 - API data validation
 - Business logic • Push notifications • Email services • Environments (dev / test / live) • Versioning • Client code generation
82. vendors Hosted (shorter list) • Parse • Kinvey • AnyPresence • Backendless • GoInstant • built.io Open Source • Apache usergrid_ • LoopBack.io • deepstream.io • Horizon.io • deployd • DreamFactory • Appcellerator
 Cloud • Syncano • Salesforce1 • Firebase • Microsoft (Azure Mobile Services) • Apple (CloudKit) many more! http://baas.apievangelist.com/compan
83. (picture of a backend engineer) (picture of a backend engineer)
84. of course, all that glitters is not gold
85. every technology has it’s purpose
86. don’t treat this as a panacea
87. BaaS for web dev is still relatively new
88. “use the right tool for the job” –Dad
89. BaaS is the future
90. Thank you “For the time will soon come when [App Developers] will shape the fortunes of all.” – Galadriel
91. Thank you
93. Questions?