Developers out there will probably be better versed in Facebook’s Parse than the average mobile end user. This is due to Parse being a toolkit and support system offered by Facebook to developers as a means to help the development of mobile apps and online storing of certain data. Login information being a prime example. For background, Parse was not a Facebook creation but instead was bought by the company a few years ago. Although, it now looks as though it has reached the end of its lifespan.
Parse announced yesterday in a blog post that they were shuttering the service. A move which is likely to be unpopular with developers and certainly with those who currently make use of the service. In terms of the reasoning, the Parse statement does not go into specifics but does make it clear that they need to “focus our resources” to other areas. Regardless of the reason though, the service is coming to a close and those using Parse will need to look to make changes to accommodate the closure.
The good news though is that Parse recognize that developers who currently rely on the service will need time to make the transition away from their system and to help with that transition, Parse will not fully close until Jan 28 of next year. Essentially, a year from the date of the announcement. To further help in the transition, Parse have created a database migration tool which will help in the transmission of Parse app data to a MongoDB database. The announcement does detail that the Parse app account will continue to function as normal in the meantime. So developers can avoid having to worry about any downtime issues while the transition occurs. In addition, Parse have noted that they have released the Parse Server as open source. Allowing for developers to run the Parse API on their own Node.js server. Those interested in reading more about the upcoming changes, how to mitigate the situation, or for download links to either the database migration tool or the Parse Server, can do so by heading through the source link below.