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Connect to Back4App

14min
Add Back4App to your App project
Now that you have created an App at Back4App, the next step to use the backend features is to connect with Back4App servers. You will see how to install the SDK and initialize your App project using the Back4App API and your Keys.﻿
The Open source Parse SDK is available in the main frontend technologies including JavaScript (ReactJS, React Native, AngularJS, VueJS, NodeJS), iOS (Objective-C/Swift), Android (Java/Kotlin), Flutter, PHP, .NET/Xamarin, Unity, Embedded C. You can also connect using the GraphQL or REST APIs.
In this guide, you will connect and send your first API Call to Back4App using the Parse SDK.﻿
Goal
To Add Back4App to your software project using the Parse SDK.
Prerequisites
To complete this tutorial, you will need:
An application software project environment ready to use.
Find your application keys at Core Settings. go to Server Settings > Core Settings > Settings > App Id and other.
1 - Create your App at Back4App
If you still do not have an App at Back4App please take a look at our guide and see how to create your first Back4App App. 
2 - Install Parse SDK
JavaScript - React Native
Parse SDK for JavaScript can be used in a large amount of platforms and frameworks. To deal with it, the Parse npm module contains many versions to use in different environments. Below, you can choose 4 possibilities to install the Parse JS SDK:
1. Install the NPM module
Install the Parse NPM module and the AsyncStorage. To do so, run the following command.
$ npm install parse @react-native-async-storage/async-storage --save
Use CocoaPods to add the native RNAsyncStorage to your project:
cd ios & pod-install
2. Install the SDK
App.js
1   import AsyncStorage from '@react-native-async-storage/async-storage';
2   import Parse from 'parse/react-native';
3 
4   //Before using the SDK...
5   Parse.setAsyncStorage(AsyncStorage);
1   import AsyncStorage from '@react-native-async-storage/async-storage';
2   import Parse from 'parse/react-native';
3 
4   //Before using the SDK...
5   Parse.setAsyncStorage(AsyncStorage);
﻿
Facing any trouble? Feel free to check the complete Install Parse SDK guide to JavaScript projects. Also, feel free to check the official Parse Documentation regarding Parse SDK for JavaScript.
﻿
JavaScript - React
1. Install the dependency of Parse JavaScript SDK
$ yarn add parse
2. Install the SDK
JS
1  //Import Parse minified version
2  import Parse from 'parse/dist/parse.min.js';
1  //Import Parse minified version
2  import Parse from 'parse/dist/parse.min.js';
﻿
﻿Facing any trouble? Feel free to check the complete Install Parse SDK guide to JavaScript projects. Also, feel free to check the official Parse Documentation regarding Parse SDK for JavaScript.﻿
JavaScript - Node.js
We strongly encourage you to use the latest Parse NPM module. To do so, run the following command.
$ npm install parse --save
2. Install the SDK
Node.js
1  var Parse = require('parse/node');
2
3  Parse.initialize("APP_ID","JS_KEY"); //PASTE HERE YOUR Back4App APPLICATION ID AND YOUR JavaScript KEY
4  Parse.serverURL = 'https://parseapi.back4app.com/'
1  var Parse = require('parse/node');
2
3  Parse.initialize("APP_ID","JS_KEY"); //PASTE HERE YOUR Back4App APPLICATION ID AND YOUR JavaScript KEY
4  Parse.serverURL = 'https://parseapi.back4app.com/'
﻿
﻿Facing any trouble? Feel free to check the complete Install Parse SDK guide to JavaScript projects. Also, feel free to check the official Parse Documentation regarding Parse SDK for JavaScript.﻿
JavaScript - Angular
1. Install the NPM module
We strongly encourage you to use the latest Parse NPM module. To do so, run the following command.
$ npm install parse --save
2. Install the SDK
JS
1  import * as Parse from 'parse';
2
3  @Component({ ... })
4
5  export class AppComponent {
6    ...
7
8    constructor() {
9      // Initialize your Parse App Keys
10     Parse.initialize("APP_ID","JS_KEY"); //PASTE HERE YOUR Back4App APPLICATION ID AND YOUR JavaScript KEY
11     Parse.serverURL = 'https://parseapi.back4app.com/'
12   }
13 }
1  import * as Parse from 'parse';
2
3  @Component({ ... })
4
5  export class AppComponent {
6    ...
7
8    constructor() {
9      // Initialize your Parse App Keys
10     Parse.initialize("APP_ID","JS_KEY"); //PASTE HERE YOUR Back4App APPLICATION ID AND YOUR JavaScript KEY
11     Parse.serverURL = 'https://parseapi.back4app.com/'
12   }
13 }
﻿
﻿Facing any trouble? Feel free to check the complete Install Parse SDK guide to JavaScript projects. Also, feel free to check the official Parse Documentation regarding Parse SDK for JavaScript.﻿
JavaScript - Browser-based application
After creating your index.html, install Parse SDK directly on it, inside the <head> tag, using the code below.
HTML
1   <!DOCTYPE html>
2   <html>
3   <head>
4    <title>My First Application</title>
5    <script type="text/javascript" src="https://npmcdn.com/parse/dist/parse.min.js"></script>
6    <script type="text/javascript" type="text/javascript">
7      Parse.initialize("APP_ID","JS_KEY"); //PASTE HERE YOUR Back4App APPLICATION ID AND YOUR JavaScript KEY
8      Parse.serverURL = 'https://parseapi.back4app.com/'
9    </script>
10  </head>
11  <body>
12    <!--
13      Your code
14    -->
15  </body>
16  </html>
1   <!DOCTYPE html>
2   <html>
3   <head>
4    <title>My First Application</title>
5    <script type="text/javascript" src="https://npmcdn.com/parse/dist/parse.min.js"></script>
6    <script type="text/javascript" type="text/javascript">
7      Parse.initialize("APP_ID","JS_KEY"); //PASTE HERE YOUR Back4App APPLICATION ID AND YOUR JavaScript KEY
8      Parse.serverURL = 'https://parseapi.back4app.com/'
9    </script>
10  </head>
11  <body>
12    <!--
13      Your code
14    -->
15  </body>
16  </html>
﻿
﻿Facing any trouble? Feel free to check the complete Install Parse SDK guide to JavaScript projects. Also, feel free to check the official Parse Documentation regarding Parse SDK for JavaScript.﻿
Flutter
Install the Parse Flutter SDK
Install the latest Parse Flutter SDK in your application. First of all, create a Flutter Project using the following commands:
Create a Flutter Project
flutter create flutter_parse
 Check if everything is OK running the application:
cd flutter_parse
flutter run
Installing Flutter plugin for Parse Server
You will add Parse to the project dependencies. Go to pubspec.yaml and add the following:
dependencies:
  parse_server_sdk_flutter: ^latest_version
Setting up Parse SDK
In your Dart Code, clean all main.dart code and start a new one importing the Parse SDK.
main.dart
1  import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
2  import 'package:parse_server_sdk_flutter/parse_server_sdk_flutter.dart';
1  import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
2  import 'package:parse_server_sdk_flutter/parse_server_sdk_flutter.dart';
﻿
Facing any trouble? Feel free to check the complete Install Parse SDK guide to Flutter projects. Also, feel free to check the official Parse Documentation regarding Parse SDK for Flutter.
Android
Gradle set up
Go to your Android Studio Project and find the build.gradle (Module:app) file. After that, copy and paste the code snippet right after thedependencies{} tag.
Java
1   // ... code
2   dependencies {...}
3
4   repositories {
5     mavenCentral()
6     jcenter()
7     maven { url 'https://jitpack.io' }
8   }
9
1   // ... code
2   dependencies {...}
3
4   repositories {
5     mavenCentral()
6     jcenter()
7     maven { url 'https://jitpack.io' }
8   }
9
﻿
It’s also necessary to look in theandroid{} tag if the compileSdkVersion of your app is 27 or higher and also if the targetSdkVersion of your app is 27 or higher. If they aren’t, you must change these versions to 27 or higher, otherwise your Parse SDK for Android may not work properly.
Install the Parse Android SDK
To install the latest Parse Android SDK in your application, continue in the build.gradle﻿(Module:app) file and copy and paste the code snippet inside the dependencies{} tag.
Java
1   android {...}
2
3   dependencies {
4     // code...
5    // Don't forget to change the line below with the latest version of Parse SDK for Android
6    implementation "com.github.parse-community.Parse-SDK-Android:parse:latest.version.here"
7   }
1   android {...}
2
3   dependencies {
4     // code...
5    // Don't forget to change the line below with the latest version of Parse SDK for Android
6    implementation "com.github.parse-community.Parse-SDK-Android:parse:latest.version.here"
7   }
﻿
You can find out which is the latest version of Parse SDK for Android at the Jitpack Website.
Facing any trouble? Feel free to check the complete Install Parse SDK guide for Android projects. Also, feel free to check the official Parse Documentation regarding Parse SDK for Android.
iOS
Install CocoaPods and Import Parse
Xcode can use CocoaPods as a dependency manager for Swift and Objective-C Cocoa projects. To install CocoaPods, copy the following code snippet, paste it into your terminal, and hit return.
$ sudo gem install cocoapods
You can refer to the CocoaPods Getting Started Guide for additional details.
Connect your Parse App
Open your project’s AppDelegate file to set up the app’s credentials. Parse SDK for iOS uses these settings to connect to the Back4App servers. At the top of the file, you should see a function called didFinishLaunchingWithOptions. Paste the following code snippet inside this function, and make sure it is above the line that says return true.
iOS Swift
At the top of your AppDelegate.swift file make sure to include Parse as a module by using the following code snippet right below import UIKit.
AppDelegate.swift
1    import Parse
1    import Parse
﻿
iOS Objective-C
At the top of your AppDelegate.m file make sure to include Parse as a module by using the following code snippet right below #import "AppDelegate.h".
AppDelegate.m
1   #import <Parse/Parse.h>
1   #import <Parse/Parse.h>
﻿
Facing any trouble? Feel free to check the complete Install Parse SDK guide for iOS Swift and iOS ObjC projects. Also, feel free to check the official Parse Documentation regarding Parse SDK for iOS.
PHP
You can use different ways to install the Parse SDK for PHP. We will show a couple of them here. Note that the Parse PHP SDK requires PHP 5.4 or newer.
With composer
Create a composer.json file in your project's root folder, containing the following.
{
    "require": {
        "parse/php-sdk" : "1.6.*"
    }
}
Now, you need to run the “composer install” to download and set up the autoloader. After that, you can require it from your PHP script, using the code below.
PHP
1   require 'vendor/autoload.php';

1   require 'vendor/autoload.php';
﻿
With Git
Go to Parse SDK for the PHP page on GitHub and clone it. You can do this by using your favorite GitHub client or via a terminal, as shown below.
$ git clone https://github.com/parse-community/parse-php-sdk.git
After that, inside your PHP file, you need to include the autoload.php to automatically load the Parse SDK classes.
 Facing any trouble? Feel free to check the official Parse Documentation regarding Parse SDK for PHP.
.NET
We need to add some libraries to set up Parse SDK for .NET. We will get them through Nuget Packages. To do so, go to Microsoft Visual Studio, and at the Solution Explorer, click on your app’s name and go to Manage NuGet Packages... .
Then, click on Browse to search and install the packages parsed by Parse and Xamarin.Android.Support.v7.AppCompat by Xamarin Inc.
Facing any trouble? Feel free to check the official Parse Documentation regarding Parse SDK for .NET.
Unity
Find this project page on GitHub and clone it. Then, open it on Unity3D.
Facing any trouble? Feel free to check the official Parse Documentation regarding Parse SDK for Unity.
﻿
3 - Insert your Keys and initialize Parse SDK
Please check the comments before copying and use the code below.
JS
Flutter
Android
Swift
ObjectiveC
PHP
Unity
//To initialize Parse SDK in your JavaScript project, 
//add the code below in your index.html file, inside <script> tag.


Parse.initialize("APP_ID","JS_KEY"); //PASTE HERE YOUR Back4App APPLICATION ID AND YOUR JavaScript KEY
Parse.serverURL = 'https://parseapi.back4app.com/'
//To initialize Parse SDK in your JavaScript project, 
//add the code below in your index.html file, inside <script> tag.


Parse.initialize("APP_ID","JS_KEY"); //PASTE HERE YOUR Back4App APPLICATION ID AND YOUR JavaScript KEY
Parse.serverURL = 'https://parseapi.back4app.com/'
﻿
Your keys are available at your Dashboard >App Settings>Security & Keys.
Unity
You need to add your applicationId and dotNetKeyto your project. To do so, click on Back4appDemoSence, find a GameObject that calls Back4appIntialize, and paste there your keys, as shown in the image below.
﻿
Facing any trouble? Feel free to check the official Parse Documentation regarding Parse SDK for Unity.
4 - Save and Read your first Data Object
To ensure that the connection between your project and Back4App has been established correctly, let’s make a test in which we will save and read an object in Back4App.
Use the code according to the Parse SDK you are using.
JS
Flutter
Arduino
Swift
ObjectiveC
PHP
.NET
Unity
REST API
1   //Saving your First Data Object on Back4App
2   ParseObject person = new ParseObject("Person");
3   person["name"] = "John Snow";
4   person["age"] = 27;
5   await person.SaveAsync();
6
7   //Reading your First Data Object from Back4App
8   ParseQuery<ParseObject> person = ParseObject.GetQuery("Person");
9   ParseObject query = await person.GetAsync("mhPFDlCahj");
10
11  // To get the values out of the ParseObject, use the Get<T> method.
12  string name = query.Get<string>("name");
13  int age = query.Get<int>("age");

1   //Saving your First Data Object on Back4App
2   ParseObject person = new ParseObject("Person");
3   person["name"] = "John Snow";
4   person["age"] = 27;
5   await person.SaveAsync();
6
7   //Reading your First Data Object from Back4App
8   ParseQuery<ParseObject> person = ParseObject.GetQuery("Person");
9   ParseObject query = await person.GetAsync("mhPFDlCahj");
10
11  // To get the values out of the ParseObject, use the Get<T> method.
12  string name = query.Get<string>("name");
13  int age = query.Get<int>("age");
﻿
5 - Go to Dashboard and check your Data
After running the code chosen above, you can back to your Dashboard and refresh the browser to see the changes :)
﻿
What to do Next?
After a quick start, we recommend keeping exploring the Back4App main features by checking out the guides below.
           React Nactive﻿
                Flutter﻿
             Android ﻿
                   iOS﻿
           Javascript﻿
               GraphQL﻿
                 Ionic﻿
              Xamarin﻿
 
Updated 28 Mar 2024
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