Applications to the layman is all about the games they get to play or the applications they get to use as a end product. What remains in the shadows are the back-end servers and platforms that host and enable the apps to run and function in a way they should.
Back-end processes are like the black sheep; ignored and unnoticed till the time something goes wrong in them and as a result the app, software or game malfunctions. Only then do people start acknowledging the importance of back-end infrastructure.
What it eventually boils down to is the fact that back-end infrastructure is the backbone of the development and the end product. If the back-end setup fails or malfunctions then the end result wouldn’t run and as a result the development company suffers.
This means every e-commerce, retail, software and digital companies providing apps for their services and product are heavily reliant on the back end infrastructure and without proper care and maintenance, these companies can often end up paying huge amounts of penalties and refunds to their invigorated customers who pile up in queues once the app. malfunctions.
Upgrade and Maintenance
Mobile Apps. function through repetitive pinging the servers for information and updates. Combine this process with that of millions of users using the app. resulting in traffic overload that can lead to server overload and app. crash. The mobile back-end infrastructure face relatively more spikes as compared to that of PCs and Laptops.
Therefore, it is important to understand the intricacies involved with handling and maintaing back-end structures in a way so as to balance the capacity for which it is set up.
Agility
Today, there is heavy competition in the market, and every app developer and their competitors are in a rush to deliver apps and softwares so as to acquire greater market share. This is done through a lot of automation process that involves testing, rectifying errors, staging and providing fixes if the app has already been released. All this is to be achieved without compromising on quality.
This process is known as Agile Delivery. Balancing and managing apps and their development to post sale service process needs to be automated and controlled in such a way so as to reduce errors and prevent any major failures on the back end servers later on that could possibly damage the company’s reputation for the long haul.
Analysis
These days, mobile apps are usually hosted on API-based RESTful/JSON Web service architectures. The drawback to this infrastructure set up is that due to mobiles pinging to and from the servers, many of the data can’t be tracked that gets lost or intervened in between and hence, it is not possible to rectify errors in the issue of problems quickly.
The entire process of identifying which API failed to ping or receive or intervene data due to which the app failed becomes a cumbersome process and thus takes more time to rectify.
Hence it is important for the development team to analyze the entire process that goes into delivering the final product to the customer. Analysis also helps you to identify problems before users encounter them. With every app connecting more and more devices, APIs and Platforms, it’s best to get acquainted with analytic tools much sooner than later.
Conclusion
I think it is suffice to say that the mobile user experience is dependent as much on the back-end infrastructure, if not more, as the front-end mobile app. user interface. I am of the opinion and often recommend that it is essential for the development team to prioritize the streamline process. the agility,delivery process and monitor all of your apps’ moving parts of the back-end so the front end user experience can be flawless.