Parse Server is an open source backend, built for Node.js and the Express web application framework, that can be deployed to any infrastructure able to run Node.js and that serves applications written against the Parse Platform.

What it is

Parse Server is the server component of the Parse Platform. It is written in JavaScript and runs inside Node.js, and it is designed around the Express web application framework: it can be added to an existing Express application, or it can run by itself as a standalone service. The project describes itself as an open source backend that can be deployed to any infrastructure that can run Node.js, and its documentation spans a wiki, a guide, an API reference, and a Cloud Code guide.

The concrete problem it solves is the absence of a backend for applications that expect one to exist. Client applications that speak to the Parse Platform need a server that exposes a REST API and a GraphQL API, stores objects in a database, keeps files in file storage or object storage, and dispatches notifications. Parse Server supplies that layer, so a team does not have to write and maintain it by hand. It replaces the alternative of building a bespoke backend service for those needs, and it does so without tying the application to one hosting provider, because the deployment target is any Node.js environment.

Key capabilities

• Runs as the npm package parse-server, either added to an existing Express application or started as a standalone server process.
• Exposes a REST API and a GraphQL API, with GraphQL Relay support for client-side data fetching.
• Supports MongoDB versions 7 and 8, and PostgreSQL versions 16, 17, and 18, as the data store.
• Runs on Node.js versions 20, 22, and 24.
• Offers a Docker Container deployment path in addition to local installation, documented in the README sections "Locally" and "Docker Container".
• Implements file storage and object storage, notifications, and a Parse Server Health endpoint with defined Status Values.
• Carries server-side logic through Cloud Code, documented separately in the Cloud Code guide.

Who uses it and how

• Teams deploying to infrastructure that can run Node.js, including container hosts, since the README documents a Docker Container path.
• Existing Express web applications that need Parse Platform endpoints added in-process instead of run as a separate service.
• Client applications that connect through an SDK, as covered by the README section "Connect an SDK".
• Projects starting from the sample application included in the README, used as a reference deployment.
• Teams that need a backend they control, since the project is a community-run Parse Platform component with an Apache-2.0 licence.

Getting started

Install the parse-server npm package and run it, or deploy the Docker Container; the README's "Getting Started", "Running Parse Server", "Locally", and "Docker Container" sections cover both paths.

How it compares

No comparable paid products and no similar tools are named in the facts for this entry, so no product-to-product contrast is possible. It stands alone in this registry.

When to use it — and when not to

A self-hoster must operate the Node.js service together with a database — MongoDB 7 or 8, or PostgreSQL 16, 17, or 18 — and must configure file or object storage and notifications to use those features. Teams that want a managed backend with no database to run, or that are not on Node.js, should not pick it. The repository carries 561 open issues, and the README excerpt is largely a badge index rather than narrative documentation, so newcomers should expect to work from the external guide and wiki.