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Apache Thrift VS Backendless

Compare Apache Thrift VS Backendless and see what are their differences

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Apache Thrift logo Apache Thrift

An interface definition language and communication protocol for creating cross-language services.

Backendless logo Backendless

Backendless is a mobile Backend as a Service (mBaaS) platform.
  • Apache Thrift Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-07-12
  • Backendless Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-20

Apache Thrift features and specs

  • Cross-Language Support
    Apache Thrift supports numerous programming languages including Java, Python, C++, Ruby, and more, enabling seamless communication between services written in different languages.
  • Efficient Serialization
    Thrift offers efficient binary serialization which helps in reducing the payload size and improves the communication speed between services.
  • Service Definition Flexibility
    Thrift provides a robust interface definition language (IDL) for defining and generating code for services with strict type checking, fostering strong contract interfaces.
  • Scalability
    Due to its lightweight and efficient serialization mechanisms, Apache Thrift can handle a large number of simultaneous client connections, making it suitable for scalable distributed systems.
  • Versioning Support
    Thrift supports service versioning which helps in evolving APIs without disrupting existing services or clients.

Possible disadvantages of Apache Thrift

  • Steep Learning Curve
    For new users, especially those not familiar with RPC frameworks, learning and understanding Thriftโ€™s IDL and operations can be complex and time-consuming.
  • Documentation and Community Support
    Compared to some alternative technologies, Apache Thrift's documentation and community support can be less robust, which might pose challenges in troubleshooting or seeking guidance.
  • Lack of Advanced Features
    Thrift does not support some advanced features like streaming or multiplexing out of the box, which could limit its use in complex systems requiring these functionalities.
  • Infrastructure Overhead
    Integrating Thrift into an existing system might introduce infrastructure overhead both in initial setup and ongoing maintenance, especially when dealing with multiple languages.
  • Protocol Limitations
    While Thrift is highly efficient, its protocol limitations might require additional workarounds for certain data structures or transport mechanisms, complicating development.

Backendless features and specs

  • Codeless Development
    Backendless offers a 'Codeless' feature, which allows users to build backend logic without writing any code. This is particularly beneficial for those who are not familiar with complex coding languages.
  • Real-Time Database
    The platform provides real-time data synchronization, allowing applications to update data instantly across all clients. This is essential for interactive applications such as chat apps and real-time data feeds.
  • API Services
    Backendless allows the creation of REST and SOAP APIs effortlessly. This makes it easier to integrate with other services and provides a clear pathway for extending app functionality.
  • User Management
    The platform comes with built-in user management features such as registration, login, password recovery, and social logins. This helps in reducing the effort required to implement user authentication and authorization.
  • Mobile and Web App Support
    Backendless supports both mobile (iOS/Android) and web applications, offering SDKs for multiple platforms which streamlines the development process.

Possible disadvantages of Backendless

  • Pricing
    Although Backendless offers a free tier, many features and higher usage levels are locked behind a paywall. This may be prohibitive for startups or small projects with limited budgets.
  • Learning Curve
    Even though Backendless offers codeless development, mastering the platform as a whole can be challenging for beginners. There are many features and settings that require some time to understand fully.
  • Vendor Lock-In
    Relying too much on Backendless-specific features can create difficulties if you decide to migrate to another backend service in the future. The migration process can be complex and time-consuming.
  • Limited Customization
    While Backendless offers many out-of-the-box features, there can be limitations in terms of customizing the backend behavior in comparison to building a custom backend.
  • Community and Support
    The community around Backendless is smaller compared to more established backend solutions like Firebase. This can make finding community support, third-party plugins, or comprehensive tutorials harder.

Analysis of Apache Thrift

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Apache Thrift is considered to be a good option for projects needing cross-language communication and efficient serialization. Its efficiency and wide adoption have proven it to be a reliable framework in many production environments.

Why this product is good

  • Apache Thrift is a widely used framework for scalable cross-language services development. It allows for seamless communication between programs written in different languages by providing code generation and serialization capabilities for a variety of languages. Thrift supports an efficient binary protocol and is highly customizable, making it a robust choice for services that require performance and flexibility. Additionally, it's an open-source project under the Apache Software Foundation, which ensures it has a strong community and ongoing updates.

Recommended for

  • Organizations that require cross-language service communication
  • Projects that need high-performance and low-latency data transmission
  • Developers looking for a framework with support for multiple programming languages
  • Teams looking for a customizable serialization protocol

Apache Thrift videos

Apache Thrift

Backendless videos

Backendless 5 Release Overview (webinar)

More videos:

  • Review - Functionality Visibility Control in Backendless Console
  • Review - Backendless version 3.0 Overview

Category Popularity

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Web And Application Servers
Databases
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User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Apache Thrift and Backendless

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Backendless Reviews

2023 Firebase Alternatives: Top 10 Open-Source & Free
There are three comprehensive plans of this BaaS vendor: Backendless Cloud, Pro and Managed. But it only opened the pricing details of Backendless Cloud in this regard. Here are the key components of Backendless Cloud pricing:
Firebase Alternatives โ€“ Top 10 Competitors
Backendless is a highly scalable mobile Backend-as-a-Service (mBaaS) platform providing gazillion of features, including user authentication, live audio and video streaming, message filtering, push notifications, auto-scalability, data persistence, file storage, geo-location, cloud-code, analytics, and custom business logic. It has it all what you need to build awesome...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Backendless should be more popular than Apache Thrift. It has been mentiond 21 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Apache Thrift mentions (13)

  • Show HN: TypeSchema โ€“ A JSON specification to describe data models
    I once read a paper about Apache/Meta Thrift [1,2]. It allows you to define data types/interfaces in a definition file and generate code for many programming languages. It was specifically designed for RPCs and microservices. [1]: https://thrift.apache.org/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Delving Deeper: Enriching Microservices with Golang with CloudWeGo
    While gRPC and Apache Thrift have served the microservice architecture well, CloudWeGo's advanced features and performance metrics set it apart as a promising open source solution for the future. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Reddit System Design/Architecture
    Services in general communicate via Thrift (and in some cases HTTP). Source: over 3 years ago
  • Universal type language!
    Protocol Buffers is the most popular one, but there are many others such as Apache Thrift and my own Typical. Source: over 3 years ago
  • You worked on it? Why is it slow then?
    RPC is not strictly OO, but you can think of RPC calls like method calls. In general it will reflect your interface design and doesn't have to be top-down, although a good project usually will look that way. A good contrast to REST where you use POST/PUT/GET/DELETE pattern on resources where as a procedure call could be a lot more flexible and potentially lighter weight. Think of it like defining methods in code... Source: over 3 years ago
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Backendless mentions (21)

  • Ap Developer
    Go here: https://backendless.com/ . If that don't work for you, Let me know and I'll tell you what next to do. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Join the Free Database Training Course From Backendless
    This article first appeared on https://backendless.com. - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago
  • free-for.dev
    Backendless.com โ€” Mobile and Web Baas, with 1 GB file storage free, push notifications 50000/month, and 1000 data objects in table. - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago
  • How Much Does Custom Software Development Cost?
    Luckily, instead of building the backend from scratch, some backend Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) are available. Consider the following options: REST API, Firebase, Backendless, and JHipster. Using APIs is a great way to adopt a functional backend with lower custom software development pricing. - Source: dev.to / almost 4 years ago
  • Urgent: Low code / No Code App Builders
    The best no-code/low-code platform for building both the frontend and backend in one place is Backendless. They have the best backend features and a really solid UI Builder that gives you pretty much all capabilities you'll likely need. Source: about 4 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Apache Thrift and Backendless, you can also consider the following products

Docker Hub - Docker Hub is a cloud-based registry service

Firebase - Firebase is a cloud service designed to power real-time, collaborative applications for mobile and web.

Apache ZooKeeper - Apache ZooKeeper is an effort to develop and maintain an open-source server which enables highly reliable distributed coordination.

Datomic - The fully transactional, cloud-ready, distributed database

Eureka - Eureka is a contact center and enterprise performance through speech analytics that immediately reveals insights from automated analysis of communications including calls, chat, email, texts, social media, surveys and more.

MarkLogic Server - MarkLogic Server is a multi-model database that has both NoSQL and trusted enterprise data management capabilities.