Parse Server is a backend-as-a-service solution and Node.js framework that provides a ready-to-use REST and GraphQL API for mobile and web applications. It functions as a core backend infrastructure for managing database schemas, user authentication, and API routing.
The system distinguishes itself with a real-time data engine that pushes database updates to clients via WebSockets and a GraphQL server that automatically generates schemas based on application data models. It also features an adapter-based storage layer that abstracts interactions with various cloud and local backends.
The platform covers broad capability areas including identity and access management with third-party authentication integration, binary data management for file hosting, and advanced data querying using native database aggregation pipelines. It incorporates security layers for field-level data protection, account policy enforcement, and traffic management utilities such as rate limiting and query complexity capping.
The server can be deployed via containerized images and supports asynchronous initialization to ensure all internal components are loaded before processing requests.
