Exposing Enterprise Services via REST APIs

Appery.io has always made it quite simple to integrated with backend systems via REST APIs — but what if those systems are behind the firewall and don’t support REST?? Many enterprise apps required access to data that is sitting on a SQL Database or on some business application like SAP or Oracle.

Enter RESTXpress!

With RESTXpress enterprises can easily expose databases and business applications securely via REST. Once exposed as REST services, they can easily be integrated into Appery.io apps.

Deployed behind the firewall, RESTXpress comes in two easy-to-install parts. An administrative console (running in a browser) easily sets up enterprise assets as REST services and a run-time gateway presents the enterprise assets as services to the outside world.

Right now, RESTXpress supports databases as assets to be made into REST services. You can use any SQL database with JDBC drivers. This month, we’ll be rolling out SOAP web services as a new type of enterprise asset that can be easily wrapped into a REST service.

And, RESTXpress is free!

You can watch a demo video, download the installer, or join the discussion community…all from one info page.

Originally published on the Appery.io blog. 

Building Apps with Appery.io and Mashery-Managed APIs [Webinar]

What: Neil Mansilla (Mashery) and I will describe the Mashery API management platform and the Appery.io mobile app development and support platform and will explain how they fit together. Max will then demo building two apps in Appery.io using Appery.io plug-ins for Mashery-managed APIs.

When: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM (Timezone: America/Phoenix)

Register now: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/920503433

A Mobile App Is More Than Just a Backend

There are more than over 40 services that provide a mobile backend as a service, also known as BaaS. The most well known are Parse (acquired by Facebook), Kinvey, StackMob, and many more. Appery.io also provides a mobile backend.  All make it very easy to setup a backend for your app such cloud database, Push notifications and other features. built.io is a new backend as a service (BaaS) provider and joins the already crowded space.

Many believe that to build a mobile app (HTML, hybrid, or native) all you need is to create a mobile backed. In the article What Happens When Almost Anybody Can Build A Mobile Business App? the author talks about how easy it is to create a mobile app using build.io backend services. And it is very easy — to create the mobile backend. But who is going to create the app UI and then connect the UI to the mobile backend? A mobile app is not just the backend. A mobile app has user interface (UI), backend services, 3rd party APIs and then connections between UI and the services.

What tools can you use to build the mobile UI and connect the UI to the services? One response I recently got was: “Use Eclipse or xCode”

The reason you would be using cloud-based backend services is because they are very simple to create and use. You don’t have to install anything, configure anything. Just sign up and start building your backend. Eclipse and xCode are very powerful tools but they are not easy to use. They are traditional tools meaning they need to be downloaded, installed and configured. At least for Eclipse, you would need to download and configure various frameworks to build the app UI. It’s not easy and will take a long time. So, why would you easily create a cloud-based mobile backend but then pick more complicated tools for building the UI?

A mobile app is more than just a backend. It is mobile UI, backend services and 3rd party APIs, all integrated. Appery.io is the only cloud-based platform that provides all the tools you need:

  1. Visual and source UI development tools
  2. Integrated backend services (BaaS)
  3. Connections to any API as well as pre-built connectors to many popular APIs

Appery.io Is Not Backend as a Service (BaaS) Provider

At the TechCrunch Disrupt hackathon and conference a number of people asked if Appery.io is like Parse (acquired by Facebook)? Appery.io is not like Parse. There is some overlap as Appery.io does provide backend as a service (BaaS) such as cloud database, Push Notifications, and soon cloud code but that’s just one of the Appery.io platform components.

The other major component is cloud-based visual UI builder for creating HTML5, jQuery Mobile and PhoneGap apps (Parse and other backend as service provider are not offering UI tooling).

Appery.io is a cloud platform that provides:

  1. Visual and source UI development tools (HTML5, jQuery Mobile, PhoneGap)
  2. Backend Services (Database, Push Notifications, Cloud Code)
  3. Visual data binding tools for connecting to any 3rd party APIs, plus API plug-ins (pre-built services to popular APIs such as Salesforce, Foursqaure)

Over 30 Teams Used Appery.io to Build Their Apps at TechCrunch Hackathon

Over 30 teams used Appery.io platform to build their mobile apps during the TechCrunch hackathon this past weekend. That’s the most of any sponsors. Here are some pictures of teams presenting:

View more pictures from day 1 and day 2.

Three of the apps were features on TechCrunch:

Bar Power
Bar Power Is A Nightlife App To Help You Be Less Of A Jerk At Bars

Storykid
Is An App That Helps Young Ones Tell Stories (And Their Parents, Too)

Kar Nanny
Helps You Track Your Kids And Cheating Spouse Using GM’s App Platform

Appery.io At TechCrunch Disrupt Hackathon Day 1 Pictures

It’s 3:15am ET and the TechCrunch Disrupt hackathon is still going strong. A large number of teams are using Appery.io to build their apps. Pictures from Day 1:

Appery.io Team At TechCrunch Disrupt Hackathon — Win Awesome Prizes!

 

ny-disrupt-2013-logo appery_io (1)

 

This weekend (April 27-28) Appery.io team is going to be at the TechCrunch Distrupt Hackathon in New York City. We are going to be offering great prizes if you build your app using the Appery.io platform.

  • 1st place best app: $3,500
  • 2nd place best app: $,1000
  • 3rd place best app: $500

But, you can win even more! There are many other sponsors, in particular API sponsors that offer prizes if you build an app using their APIs. To help you win even more prizes, we have built plug-ins for various API sponsoring the hackathon:

  • AT&T In-App Messaging and Location API (up to $7,000 in prizes)
  • CrunchBase API (tickets to TC Disrupt conference in Berlin)
  • Pearson API ($500 worth of Amazon gift cards)
  • Twilio API

By building your app in Appery.io with some of the APIs that also offer prizes, you increase your chances of winning! Appery.io team will be there during the hackathon to answer any questions you might have.

We have created a special hackathon page where you can sign up for a free Pro plan and watch a recording of  a special webinar, prepared just for the hack.

Good luck and hope to see you there!