I need a backend to store location updates and messages, I was thinking of using JSON to connect to the Amazon S3 server and to fetch and store data.
How many clients could be connected to this server? Is there a way to link a MYSQL server to Amazon S3 for login and users accounts?
S3 is not a database store; you write/delete/replace an entire object.
You want AWS RDS. Amazon manages the DB (MySQL supported). Skim the reference architectures for something applicable to your needs. Scale them down; they're designed to make use of as many AWS services as possible.
http://aws.amazon.com/rds/
http://aws.amazon.com/architecture/
Other option is Amazon Dynamo DB. This is an infinite-scale nosql db with a fully managed REST API. You dont worry about the data size growth, speed etc. AWS take care of all these.
http://aws.amazon.com/dynamodb/.
Even in this case, you need to have some code running in the backend, which receives your REST calls from the iOS and writes to the Dynamo.
Other even easier solutions are https://parse.com/ and https://www.firebase.com/
These are solutions specifically for your kind of needs - Make a mobile backend Datastore. They give client SDK, which has a very great value in terms of offline synch. You just invoke the SDK from the apps and will synch with the backend datasore when the connections are available - reduces your code complexity a lot !
Related
I am trying to code an IOS application and already have an ec2 server designated for the app. I want to know how the app could send image data to the server. The ec2 server would receive incoming image data continuously from all the users that use the app. The server would then process the data. It would be similar to what applications such as Instagram do but, of course not at such a large scale.
I am a beginner at client-server communication and want to know how to implement this into my app. I also do not use stack overflow too frequently, so please tell me if I am doing something wrong if you need more information.
To be more specific, a user would post an image in the app. I currently have already set up an ec2 server to possibly receive that image. I want all of the images that users post to be delivered, processed, then stored in the ec2 server. Is there some way to handle the actual delivery of data. The question is a little broad because I want to know where to look. Would I have to write a script that is constantly running in the background and receiving data at some port? Is there another service I could use that handles this?
Um, briefly, you'll have issues with running on an EC2 if you have many users sending images at the same time.
Look into setting up API Gateway <-> Lambda <-> DynamoDB or S3 on AWS. Then your client can POST images/data to your gateway with a HTTP request.
First you must decide if your data is streaming (continuously pushed from server) or stored (pulled from the server as needed). The Instagram example you provided suggest that you have no need for real-time streaming data.
A streaming solution is more complicated and may typically require a technology like web sockets (or AWS IoT) to accomplish. A storage solution will be much simpler.
For storing you have the choice between creating and managing server(s) using a platform like EC2 (you'll need more than one server to scale to many users), or using managed 'serverless' technology like Lamba where you only need provide the code. The tradeoff is for this convenience is usually price.
For image storage, a typical pattern is creating database records that contain an S3 URL for the underlying image (as well as any metadata). You can create this database record and upload your file using whatever server technology you choose; Lambda may require an API Gateway server but remember that the AWS SDK can invoke Lambda functions directly.
As we all know, I'm one of the thousands of devs who relied on Parse and now forced to find Parse alternative. While transferring Parse-Server to AWS+MongoDB, I've discovered DynamoDB. I'm thinking of just tranferring my whole server side logic to DynamoDB. What are some of the problems that Parse doesn't have that might exist for DynamoDB?
Since Parse includes a web server, you can interact with it via simple HTTP requests. DynamoDB is just a database, so you would need to connect directly through the AWS SDK, or build an API in front of it, possibly using API Gateway and Lambda.
In addition, since Parse is a full-featured Backend as a Service, and DynamoDB is only a database, there are some features in Parse that won't be available if you just use DynamoDB directly from your iOS application. For example user password resets require sending an email to the user. DynamoDB has no "password reset" functionality and can't send emails directly. You would have to build that feature yourself using something like Lambda and SES.
Parse also handles file upload and file hosting, which are features you would no longer have if you just used DynamoDB directly from iOS. You would have to build those features yourself, possibly using S3.
If you are only using Parse as a data store then using DynamoDB directly could certainly work for you, but then again so could MongoDB or any other NoSQL database. You should definitely explore how your database schema would look in DynamoDB before committing to it, because there are certain restrictions on index types and query types that might make it difficult to transition your current schema.
AWS + DynamoDB would be your way to go.
I worked extensively in both, DynamoDB and MongoDB systems and can give you a short summary of an advise.
MongoDB is very easy to work with and has unmatched flexibility in query structure, requires very little thinking ahead of setting up the system.
DynamoDB will provide unmatched scalability, much stricter (very strict) set of rules for creating schemas and requires a lot of planning before you do the setup. However, you don't need to worry about setting up or managing database environment, no worry about master/slave architecture and no concerns of scaling your database.
I go with DynamoDB these days and it's been great.
Just completed a migration from Parse to AWS Dynamo (a few thoughts were posted here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/parse-aws-migration-server-less-mobile-backend-mike-kirkwood?trk=prof-post
My experience was that DynamoDD was an acceptable replacement for much of Parse. However, it required some data model changes as DynamoDB doesn't support Pointers or Relationships like Parse did. So, in the app had to adjust some of the writes to add more data to the record in DynamoDB. This did offer some nice benefits in the queries.
DynamoDB also allows you to add indexes to match specific queries.
And, for my use, DynamoDB has proven to be much faster queries than Parse was.
DynamoDB is just a database service, so you can use it to store Parse data but you'll still need a server to process the data and host APIs, etc... On AWS, you could spin up an EC2 instance to run the server, or try to make it run on Lambda.
Parse Server does not natively support either Lambda as a hosting environment or DynamoDB as a storage backend, but fortunately members of the community have recently developed integration for both of these:
https://www.npmjs.com/package/parse-server-dynamodb-adapter
https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/issues/483
With CloudKit, you can focus on your client-side app development and let iCloud eliminate the need to write server-side application logic. CloudKit provides you with Authentication, private and public database, structured and asset storage services — all for free with very high limits.
You cannot upload any code to run on Apple's servers?
I've heard it being compared to Google App Engine and other cloud computing platforms, but without the ability to run your own code, isn't the whole thing pretty limited and not really comparable?
For example, if I want to build a news app which periodically pushes stories on topics that the user is interested, then this can't be done just using CloudKit because I would need scheduled jobs and data processing on the server.
Any thoughts?
Server-side
As you said CloudKit doesn't allow server-side code.
But there are possibilities.
Crons
You don't want to connect to the iCloud Dashboard everyday in order to perform the push by adding a record. One solution here is to code an app on a mac server (I guess mac mini as server will become more popular with CloudKit) that add a new Daily CKRecord every day.
Subscriptions
Subscriptions concept is that the client registers for specific updates. You can create a record type called Daily for instance and make users register to it. You should check the Apple documentation and WWDC14 videos (even if Subscriptions are not detailed, it's a good start point).
The good thing is push notifications are linked with the subscription concept. So basically you say: Send my a notification for each new CKRecord of type Daily added.
BaaS party
What is the point for using CloudKit (vs Parse and other?)
Price: CloudKit has a really nice pricing
Ready to go: 2 clicks inside XCode and you are ready to go
User consistency: you get free user login for all his devices through their iCloud account. With a very good privacy system. And you can get relationships with a smart system.
But:
You are stick on Apple platform. We don't even know if we could export the data..
Only data-centered for now (no server-side code)
The CloudKit dashboard is too limited
The future
CloudKit is still pretty new. At the WWDC some guys behind it made me understand that they are still heavily working on it. My bets are they are working on 2 important points :
Server side code execution through remote scheduled tasks
CloudKit for Analytics (Visualization side)
Edit: Apple guys are fully aware and concerned about the lack of web access for the data. It means that one day it may be accessible from other platforms. I read in a comment that Apple probably would have bought Parse if CloudKit wasn't better, AFAIK they tried to buy Parse (skills buy it's said, but we don't really know).
Update WWDC15
CloudKit is now available in JS and some dashboard are available now. Wait and see.
Update February 2016
CloudKit Now Supports Server-to-Server Web Service Requests
Web Services Reference
In some cases, we do not need server-side logic, and just storing static data can cover all the usage scenario.
In this case, it would be very helpful if there's a free accessible storage that you can store something. CloudKit provides such stuffs rather then full service platform.
Yes it is limited. Anyway can be useful for some people. For example, your case actually can be supported CloudKit. Though CloudKit is just a static storage, it support subscription. Which monitors a set of conditions and pushes the event notification to client. It's fortunate that the only background job feature supported by CloudKit is just what you need.
Anyway, if you need more, then you might need to consider full fledged servers. Usually simple web services with simple server-side code execution support are also limited.
You cannot upload any code to run on Apple's servers?
You can and you can't. You can't upload code / SOAP based web services to the server, instead of it you can upload / store observers on the server, called subscription.
whole thing pretty limited and not really comparable?
I would say in CloudKit and in MBaas client communicates with server though a more narrower more robust interface: you can not upload exotic web service to do XML parsing, database manipulations and based on it trigger push notifications, but RestFull architecture allows you to perform the 4 basic operation on the data store, and with subscription client can get notified about INSERT / UPDATE / DELETE operations performed on tables.
I think MBaas is just the next step in evolution of server - client architecture. First it seems it is limiting, but you can do all as in SOAP based web services world. Development is extremely fast / scalable / comfortable to use and easier to control things like permissions / setup, maintain server, security needs almost no effort.
Believe it or not, you can actually get REALLY far with this approach.
I've not used CloudKit, but I can describe for you my application stack:
AngularJS (or your favorite client side HTML rendering framework): A single page will host a series of templates/controllers selected by the router and driven by users changing the anchor to select which page they're on.
Firebase.io (or your favorite cloud storage): Any dynamic data goes into the cloud document store. The controller needs to load the data and render the template on the client, and when the data changes, send the data back. This also provides the authentication and authorization as well, since you can limit access to the data.
Now you need a place to serve the HTML/CSS/JS/images... which requires no 'server side code execution', just a web server where you can put the assets.
Using this technique you could store all the user's topics in the database for that user, and when the page loads, go and aggregate all the sources for those topics (also stored in the database) completely client side. There's nothing in your example application which actually requires server side execution that I can see, so long as you have cloud storage which will provide you with authentication and authorization services, and a 'dumb' web server for serving up static assets.
CloudKit isn't a full-fledged web hosting service. Instead, it's an SDK for iCloud. You shouldn't be putting a web site up there, just storing user data that you may want to use in multiple applications or platforms.
iCloud APIs enable your apps to store app data in iCloud, keeping your apps up to date automatically. Use iCloud to give your users a consistent and seamless experience across iCloud-enabled devices.
I a thinking of creating an iPhone/iOS app that would include a feature where one user could create a list of words and then save them to their account on a server. Also (and this is very important), the user could share their list with other users by giving them permission.
So my question is, how can I go about creating such a server? For right now, I have a home computer (running Windows XP that just stores data for my music system) which I can use to host the server. I am also open to the use of other online storage services like Google Drive or Dropbox (I can't remember if Amazon does anything like that). However (and I know this may complicate things a bit), but at least for now, I want/need to stick with free services/options.
Just to recap, the key features that I am looking for are:
create users/accounts (on the server)
eventually I may [try] to incorporate the use of other services to log users in like with their email account, OpenId, etc.
the ability to access (log in to) the server (with credentials) from my app
the ability to send/receive data between the server and my app
the ability to share data between users
I know this is a lot to ask for, but if anyone has any suggestions or can get me going in the right direction, it would be much appreciated.
The basic setup would be as follows:
Backend: Database (MySQL), Web server (Apache), with server side scripting (PHP).
Client: iOS device with developed app.
Communication: use HTTP client/server model, communicating with something like JSON.
This is much the same setup as a web server, but instead of serving html/css/javascript etc the results will be JSON.
As far as implementing specifics such as login in, and sharing data between users, this is purely dependent on your implementation. This is not trivial, and not something that can be easily stated in a single post.
Hope this helps.
You could build your own webservice in PHP, Ruby or Python. If you do so I would recommend building a RESTful webservice (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Representational_state_transfer) and then use RestKit (http://restkit.org/) to handle the data in the iOS app. Especially RestKit's CoreData integration is nice in my opinion.
Another solution would be using a service like Parse (https://parse.com/products/data). The first million or so requests per month are free but after that it could get pricy. I personally have not tried it so I couldn't tell you if it is any good.
I am new to iOS app development and am interested in developing an app that needs to utilize existing technologies to sync app specific data across multiple i-devices (iPhone, iPad, Touch, etc.). As an example, the app can be installed on multiple devices. On one device, the user will initially create an account. Then in subsequent logins, the user may create a task list, and each task item may possibly include a captured photo image. On the user's second i-device, as he logs in, he would be able to see and access the list and images (locally). Can someone explain to me what technologies I can leverage on to implement such an app?
Specifically:
How do I set up and manage the user accounts? Do I Need a dedicated server and sql database set up for my entire user base? And what programming/scripting languages do I need to learn?
How about the mechanism of pushing and pulling app data from one device to another? Do I need some kind of cloud technologies (SaaS?) to handle the storage and transferring of the data?
Any specific open source or commercial products I can leverage on?
Thanks in advance.
Kenny
I personally have not have had a situation like this, but here is what I would recommend.
You will need to have a server set up with database software.
You will need to write an api for yourself based on HTTP POST (REST) or maybe you could write a SOAP service.
I would HIGHLY recommend purchasing an SSL cert. for your server that way you can send the username and password in your request and it will be encrypted automatically.
For the api, you have a whole selection of languages and databases at your disposal. I am personally biased towards asp net with an MSSQL server.
with your api you will need to write methods to authenticate the user, and then save and send your data.
In your app you will simply send web requests to the server (ASIHttpRequest maybe?) and you can receive JSON responses back, which you can then deserialize into workable objects and vice versa.
if you do use asp net, you can use the newtonsoft JSON library to convert your objects for sending and convert received objects.
I dont remember the name, but there also is a JSON library for obj-c that is usable on iPhone.
Use a SQL server and host a database of logins and passwords.
Then, from each device, create a connection to the server, and download the login information for the account.
Also, not to be rude but: Google it.