This is an example project using the Parse Server module on Express.

The Parse Server guide is a good place to get started. An API reference and Cloud Code guide are also available. If you're interested in developing for Parse Server, the Development guide will help you get set up. All documentations for Parse Platform's server and its client SDKs are available at parseplatform.org.

• Local Development
  • Helpful Scripts
• Remote Deployment
  • Heroku
  • AWS Elastic Beanstalk
  • Microsoft Azure App Service
  • Google App Engine
  • Scalingo
  • OpenShift Online (Next Gen)
• Using Parse Server
  • Health Check
  • APIs and SDKs
    • REST API
    • JavaScript
    • Android
    • iOS / tvOS / iPadOS / macOS (Swift)

Local Development

1. Make sure you have a compatible Node.js version installed. Run node --version to see your local Node.js version. Open the package.json file too see which version of Node.js this example repository requires at { engines": { "node": "<NODE_VERSION>" } }. Note that there may be other Parse Server version available that support older or newer Node.js versions, see the Parse Server compatibility table.
2. Clone this repository and change directory to it.
3. Run npm install.
4. Install a MongoDB database locally from https://docs.mongodb.org/master/tutorial/install-mongodb-on-os-x.
5. Run mongo to connect to your database, just to make sure it's working. Once you see a mongo prompt, exit with Control-D.
6. Launch Parse Server with npm start.
7. By default the API route will use /parse as a base. You can change this by setting the environment variable PARSE_MOUNT, for example in the CLI run run export PARSE_MOUNT=/app to set the path to app.
8. Your Parse Server is not running and is connected to your local database named dev in which the data is stored that you manage via Parse Server.

Helpful Scripts

These scripts can help you to develop your app for Parse Server:

• npm run watch will start your Parse Server and restart if you make any changes.
• npm run lint will check the linting of your cloud code, tests and index.js, as defined in .eslintrc.json.
• npm run lint-fix will attempt fix the linting of your cloud code, tests and index.js.
• npm run prettier will help improve the formatting and layout of your cloud code, tests and index.js, as defined in .prettierrc.
• npm run test will run any tests that are written in /spec.
• npm run coverage will run tests and check coverage. Output is available in the /coverage folder.

Remote Deployment

Heroku

Alternatively, to deploy manually:

• Clone the repo and change directory to it
• Log in with the Heroku Toolbelt and create an app: heroku create
• Use the mLab addon: heroku addons:create mongolab:sandbox --app YourAppName
• By default it will use a path of /parse for the API routes. To change this, or use older client SDKs, run heroku config:set PARSE_MOUNT=/1
• Deploy it with: git push heroku master

AWS Elastic Beanstalk

Alternatively, deploy your local changes manually:

• Clone the repo and change directory to it
• Log in with the AWS Elastic Beanstalk CLI, select a region, and create an app: eb init
• Create an environment and pass in MongoDB URI, App ID, and Master Key: eb create --envvars DATABASE_URI=<replace with URI>,APP_ID=<replace with Parse app ID>,MASTER_KEY=<replace with Parse master key>

Microsoft Azure App Service

Detailed information is available here:

• Parse Server with Azure Managed Services
• Parse Server Azure Blog Post

Google App Engine

1. Clone the repo and change directory to it
2. Create a project in the Google Cloud Platform Console.
3. Enable billing for your project.
4. Install the Google Cloud SDK.
5. Setup a MongoDB server. You have a few options:
6. Create a Google Compute Engine virtual machine with MongoDB pre-installed.
7. Use mLab to create a free MongoDB deployment on Google Cloud Platform (only US-central).
8. Modify app.yaml to update your environment variables.
9. Delete Dockerfile
10. Deploy it with gcloud preview app deploy

A detailed tutorial is available here: Running Parse server on Google App Engine

Scalingo

Alternatively, to deploy manually:

• Clone the repo and change directory to it
• Log in with the Scalingo CLI and create an app: scalingo create my-parse
• Use the Scalingo MongoDB addon: scalingo addons-add scalingo-mongodb free
• Setup MongoDB connection string: scalingo env-set DATABASE_URI='$SCALINGO_MONGO_URL'
• By default it will use a path of /parse for the API routes. To change this, or use older client SDKs, run scalingo env-set PARSE_MOUNT=/1
• Deploy it with: git push scalingo master

OpenShift Online (Next Gen)

1. Register for a free OpenShift Online (Next Gen) account
2. Create a project in the OpenShift Online Console.
3. Install the OpenShift CLI.
4. Add the Parse Server template to your project: oc create -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ParsePlatform/parse-server-example/master/openshift.json
5. Deploy Parse Server from the web console
6. Open your project in the OpenShift Online Console:
7. Click Add to Project from the top navigation
8. Scroll down and select NodeJS > Parse Server
9. (Optionally) Update the Parse Server settings (parameters)
10. Click Create

A detailed tutorial is available here: Running Parse Server on OpenShift Online (Next Gen)

Using Parse Server

Health Check

You can use the /health endpoint to verify that Parse Server is up and running. For example, for local deployment, enter this URL in your browser:

http://localhost:1337/parse/health

If you deployed Parse Server remotely, change the URL accordingly.

APIs and SDKs

Use the REST API, GraphQL API or any of the Parse SDKs to see Parse Server in action. Parse Server comes with a variety of SDKs to cover most common ecosystems and languages, such as JavaScript, Swift, ObjectiveC and Android just to name a few.

The following shows example requests when interacting with a local deployment of Parse Server. If you deployed Parse Server remotely, change the URL accordingly.

REST API

Save object:

curl -X POST \
  -H "X-Parse-Application-Id: YOUR_APP_ID" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"score":1337}' \
  http://localhost:1337/parse/classes/GameScore

Call Cloud Code function:

curl -X POST \
  -H "X-Parse-Application-Id: YOUR_APP_ID" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d "{}" \
  http://localhost:1337/parse/functions/hello

JavaScript

// Initialize SDK
Parse.initialize("YOUR_APP_ID", "unused");
Parse.serverURL = 'http://localhost:1337/parse';

// Save object
const obj = new Parse.Object('GameScore');
obj.set('score',1337);
await obj.save();

// Query object
const query = new Parse.Query('GameScore');
const objAgain = await query.get(obj.id);

Android

// Initialize SDK in the application class
Parse.initialize(new Parse.Configuration.Builder(getApplicationContext())
  .applicationId("YOUR_APP_ID")
  .server("http://localhost:1337/parse/")   // '/' important after 'parse'
  .build());

// Save object
ParseObject obj = new ParseObject("TestObject");
obj.put("foo", "bar");
obj.saveInBackground();

iOS / tvOS / iPadOS / macOS (Swift)

// Initialize SDK in AppDelegate
Parse.initializeWithConfiguration(ParseClientConfiguration(block: {
  (configuration: ParseMutableClientConfiguration) -> Void in
    configuration.server = "http://localhost:1337/parse/" // '/' important after 'parse'
    configuration.applicationId = "YOUR_APP_ID"
}))

You can change the server URL in all of the open-source SDKs, but we're releasing new builds which provide initialization time configuration of this property.