Parse Open Source Community

What Parse Open Source Community does

Parse Open Source Community is a volunteer-led open source project that maintains Parse Platform, a Node.js-based backend-as-a-service (BaaS) framework originally developed by Facebook and open sourced in 2016. The platform provides core backend infrastructure for mobile, web, and IoT applications, including database management (MongoDB and PostgreSQL), user authentication, file storage (with adapters for AWS S3, Google Cloud Storage, and local file systems), push notifications, real-time data synchronization via Live Queries, server-side Cloud Code functions, and both REST and GraphQL APIs. A web-based Parse Dashboard is included for data and configuration management. The project distributes native SDKs across nine platforms — iOS, Android, JavaScript, PHP, Flutter, Dart, .NET, Swift, and Arduino — giving developers a single backend abstraction usable from a broad range of client environments.

The platform is released under permissive open source licenses and is distributed exclusively via the npm registry and GitHub, with no commercial licensing tier. Its only revenue stream is community donations through Open Collective and GitHub Sponsors, used to fund testing infrastructure, CI/CD pipelines, documentation hosting, security audits, and a bug bounty program. Growth is entirely product-led and community-driven, with adoption tracked through GitHub stars (30k+), active developers (41k+), and monthly npm downloads (1M+). There is no parent company, no venture or private equity backing, no formal corporate structure, and no executive management team disclosed. The project targets individual developers, startups and small teams seeking rapid backend setup without vendor lock-in, and enterprise teams with self-hosting requirements driven by compliance, data residency, or cost considerations.

Name

Parse Open Source Community

Legal name

Parse Open Source Community

Website

https://parseplatform.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Parse Open Source Community maintains Parse Platform, a volunteer-led open source Node.js backend-as-a-service framework for mobile, web, and IoT applications, serving 41k+ active developers globally via npm and GitHub.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Open Source Backend Platform

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

GraphQL, gRPC & Modern API Protocols (BPAMAOAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Integration & Messaging Platforms (API Gateway, Queues, Event Bus) (HDABAAAG), Event Streaming & Pub/Sub Platforms (HDAEAIAD)

Keywords

• Open source backend
• Backend as a service
• Self-hosted backend platform
• Mobile backend infrastructure
• Developer sdk platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Menlo Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others, Operations

Revenue model

1. Community Donations: Parse Platform is a community-funded open source project relying entirely on donations to maintain testing infrastructure, CI/CD pipelines, hosting for documentation and demos, development time from volunteer maintainers, and security audits including a bug bounty program.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Parse Open Source Community maintains Parse Platform, an open-source Node.js-based backend-as-a-service framework that provides database management (MongoDB and PostgreSQL), user authentication, file storage, push notifications, REST and GraphQL APIs, real-time data synchronization via Live Queries, and Cloud Code (server-side JavaScript functions). It also ships a web-based Parse Dashboard for backend administration and a suite of multi-platform SDKs covering iOS, Android, JavaScript, PHP, Flutter, Dart, .NET, Swift, and Arduino for building mobile and web applications.

Product overview

Parse Platform is an open-source backend-as-a-service (BaaS) platform consisting of a core server product (Parse Server) that provides backend services for mobile and web applications, paired with Parse Dashboard for web-based management. The platform offers comprehensive SDK support across 9+ platforms (iOS, Android, JavaScript, PHP, Flutter, Dart, .NET, Swift, Arduino) and supports both REST and GraphQL APIs. Parse Server can be self-hosted on any Node.js infrastructure, providing full control over data. The ecosystem includes official extensions for storage adapters (AWS S3, Google Cloud Storage, local file system), messaging (AWS SQS), email services, and push notifications, as well as community-built adapters for additional databases (MySQL, Oracle, DynamoDB) and various SDK wrappers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Parse Server: The main backend server powering all Parse Platform features
• Parse Dashboard
• Parse React
• Parse Blockchain
• Cloud Code
• Parse Server Benchmark

Products and services

• Parse Server

Quantifiable outcome

• Deploy backend infrastructure in minutes with simple npm install and minimal configuration
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• MongoDBcoreTechnology or IntegrationParse Server uses MongoDB as its default database. MongoDB is the primary datastore powering Parse Platform's backend-as-a-service capabilities.
• PostgreSQLcoreTechnology or IntegrationParse Server supports PostgreSQL as an alternative database option alongside MongoDB, providing flexibility for different deployment requirements.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreTechnology or IntegrationOfficial AWS S3 adapter available for Parse Server to store files in Amazon S3. AWS SQS adapter also available for message queue functionality across Parse Server clusters.
• Google Cloud PlatformcoreTechnology or IntegrationOfficial Google Cloud Storage adapter available for Parse Server to store files in Google Cloud Storage.
• Node.jscoreTechnology or IntegrationParse Server is built on Node.js and can be deployed on any infrastructure that runs Node.js, making it infrastructure-agnostic.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Back4App: Hosted BaaS platform built directly on top of Parse Server, offering Parse-compatible APIs and SDKs as a managed service — they re-distribute and operate the same core engine as Parse Open Source Community.
• Nhost: Open-source BaaS built on Postgres and GraphQL with auth, storage, and serverless functions, positioned as an open alternative to Firebase/Amplify for developers needing Postgres-native backends.
• Backendless: Commercial BaaS offering visual app development, real-time database, user management, and messaging APIs — a direct Parse competitor targeting the same SMB/indie developer segment.
• Appwrite: Open-source BaaS providing auth, databases, storage, functions, and realtime as self-hostable Docker containers — competing on the same developer-self-host value proposition as Parse.
• Supabase: Open-source Firebase alternative providing a Postgres-backed backend-as-a-service with auth, storage, realtime, and edge functions — the most direct head-to-head to Parse in the OSS BaaS space.
• DreamFactory: Open-source API gateway and BaaS that auto-generates REST APIs from any database (SQL Server, MySQL, Postgres, MongoDB) — comparable as an enterprise-oriented backend-as-a-service with self-hosting options.
• Hasura: GraphQL-first backend platform exposing Postgres data via instant APIs with auth and event triggers — overlapping with Parse's GraphQL offering and self-hostable positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Firebase: Google's flagship cloud BaaS offering Firestore, Auth, Cloud Functions, Hosting, and Cloud Messaging — the commercial incumbent against which Parse Open Source Community is explicitly positioned as an alternative.
• AWS Amplify: Amazon's managed BaaS covering auth, data, storage, and APIs as part of the broader AWS ecosystem — a broad incumbent offering overlapping capabilities but tied to AWS infrastructure.

Emerging players

• Pocketbase: Lightweight single-binary Go-based BaaS gaining traction in indie/hobbyist circles, offering auth, file storage, and realtime — an emerging OSS alternative targeting similar self-host-friendly developers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ParsePlatform
• GitHubgithub.com/parse-community
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/parse-platform

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Parse Open Source Community