parse-community/parse-server

Parse Server is an open-source backend that you run yourself instead of paying a hosted service to run it for you. The "Parse" part is the original name of a backend-as-a-service product, and this project carries on that platform as community-maintained software. You take this codebase, deploy it onto any infrastructure that can run Node.js, and your mobile or web app suddenly has a working server side without you having to design one from scratch. Under the hood it is a Node.js application that works with the Express web framework, which is the most common way to build web servers in JavaScript. You can drop Parse Server into an existing Express app or run it on its own. It stores data in either MongoDB or PostgreSQL (with the PostGIS extension for geographic queries), so your choice of database is flexible. For deployment, you can run it locally, inside a Docker container, or on any cloud that supports Node.js. The point of using it is that common backend tasks come pre-built. You get object storage and queries through the Parse SDKs that mobile and web clients use, plus file storage, user accounts with email verification and password reset, an account-policy system, custom server-side logic through what is called Cloud Code, idempotency enforcement so duplicate requests do not create duplicate records, localization, multi-tenancy, configurable logging, and a Live Query feature that pushes data changes to clients in real time. There is also a built-in GraphQL layer that automatically generates an API from your data classes, which you can extend with your own schema, and the project supports route allow-listing, file-URL domain restrictions, and custom routes for tightening security. You would reach for Parse Server when you want the convenience of a hosted backend service but need full control over hosting, data, and cost, or when you are migrating from the original hosted Parse and want a drop-in replacement. The project ships under both a current release branch and long-term-support branches for older major versions so you can stay on a stable line while you plan upgrades. The full README is longer than what was provided.