How is a mobile app backend different from web application backend? [closed]

Question

I'm a backend web developer. Never dealt with mobile in any way. I'm being offered a job to build a backend for a mobile app, and thinking how should I prepare.

Could you outline principle similarities and differences between web app and mobile app backends?

Answer 1

The real business logic and data structure is the same. The difference is how the functionality is exposed remotely.

A web site exposes this functionality over an HTTP protocol, this is simplest interface as pre defined UI (HTML pages) are just being distributed.

For a custom mobile application (not a browser) only the data is communicated, and native UI of device is used for presentation and interaction with that data. The data communication protocol/Interface is achieved by a web service.

• Business model -> server side controller (HTTP, HTTPS + AJAX, RPC etc) -> Web Browser (Web apps)

• Business model -> web service API (SOAP, REST etc) -> Remote application (Desktop, Mobile apps)