22nd of 4 in Backends and databases
parse-server
Node.js backend with REST and GraphQL APIs on MongoDB or PostgreSQL
Documentation ↗
(opens in a new tab)Website ↗
(opens in a new tab)Repository on GitHub ↗
(opens in a new tab)
- Stars
- 21.4k
- License
- Apache-2.0
- Last commit
- Oct 2026
- Last release
- Oct 2026
- Language
- JavaScript
21,275 on 24 Mar 202621,399 on 13 Oct 2026
From GitHub's daily star counts.
Checked on GitHub.
Overview
Parse Server is a self-hosted backend that runs on Node.js, either standalone via the parse-server CLI or mounted on an Express app. It exposes REST and GraphQL APIs backed by MongoDB or PostgreSQL (with PostGIS), and adds Cloud Code, Live Query, push notifications, file adapters and per-key access scopes. Official Parse SDKs cover the major client platforms.
Who it is for: Developers self-hosting a REST/GraphQL backend for mobile and web apps
Strengths
- Runs standalone or embedded in an existing Express app
- Supports both MongoDB (7, 8) and PostgreSQL (16-18) with PostGIS
- Includes Cloud Code, Live Query, GraphQL, push and pluggable file storage adapters
- Fine-grained access scopes: master, read-only master, session and maintenance keys
Weaknesses
- No built-in admin UI in this repo; a separate dashboard project is needed
- Requires you to provision and operate your own MongoDB or PostgreSQL
- Docker image must be built from the repo; README shows no prebuilt image or compose file
- Node.js version support is tied to specific majors and shifts with each release
What it needs
- no GPU
- Docker
- Needs Node.js 20, 22 or 24, MongoDB 7/8 or PostgreSQL 16-18 with PostGIS
- port 1337
Head to head
Also in Backends and databases
See all 4| Rank | Project | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | supabasePostgres backend with auth, storage, realtime and edge functions | 73 out of 100 |
| 3 | graphql-engineGraphQL API layer over Postgres, MongoDB, ClickHouse and SQL Server | 65 out of 100 |
| #4 | apijsonJava ORM that exposes CRUD APIs over JSON requests without per-endpoint code | 46 out of 100 |