Backendless Pro, the standalone version of Backendless, is now officially released and is available for download. The new release includes the latest version of the Backendless Platform. Version 4, which was originally launched only for the Backendless Cloud product is a major improvement over the previous version.
The version 4 release includes:
- Completely redesigned Backendless Console;
- Support for both Java and JavaScript business logic;
- Codeless Programming;
- Significantly improved data querying capabilities;
- Redesigned code generators;
The new Backendless Pro includes a free trial mode. See the Backendless Pro product page for details.
Backendless Pro is the limitless version of the Backendless Platform. You can install it on your development computer, your own data center or run in the cloud. Wherever you decide to run the product, all the functional limits which you’d find in our Cloud version are removed, thus Backendless Pro provides the limitless capabilities.
To simplify the process of deployment Backendless Pro in the Amazon Web Services environment, the product is now available in the AWS Marketplace. Amazon offers a 14 days trial during which the fees for the software are waived. There are many advantages for launching Backendless Pro in AWS. The most significant is the ability to leverage the AWS services to achieve maximum scalability of your backend. See the video below for an overview of the deployment scenario:
About a year ago we made a decision to drop the barrier of entry for Backendless Standalone. At the time when we released the free version of Standalone Backendless, we made a bet that users will go for the “enterprise standard” of server redundancy by introducing a second (non-free) instance and thus removing a single point of failure, increasing scalability and fault tolerance. Unfortunately, the amount of the revenue derived from that model is not sufficient to cover our expenses. We are staying focused though and are dedicated to providing value for Backendless users and customers. In order to maintain the focus and build a better, stronger, more reliable and scalable product, we made a decision to stop the distribution of Standalone Backendless and replace it with a new product called Backendless Pro.
So what will happen next?
- Starting today we stopped distribution of Standalone Backendless and it is replaced by a new product called Backendless Pro.
- You can install Backendless Pro on your Linux, Mac OS or Windows machine.
- You can launch a pre-packaged virtual machine or you can start a cloud instance, right from the browser.
- The product does not have any limits which one would experience in the Cloud version of Backendless.
- Backendless Pro must be licensed; it means a license key must be purchased for it to run.
- If you’re not ready to purchase, you can request a trial license.
- Without a license key, the product will run for two hours after a restart and will operate in a single-threaded mode.
- We offer special discounts for pre-revenue, non-funded startups with less than 3 people in the team.
- Support is included with every license of Backendless Pro, including trial licenses.
- If you currently use Standalone Backendless, it will continue to run and we will be happy to assist you with an upgrade to Backendless Pro.
- If you downloaded and installed the product prior to today and planned to purchase a support plan for your deployment, please contact our sales at sales@backendless.com and we will be happy to work with you. However, without a support plan, we will not be able to provide support for it.
- Backendless Pro is more scalable out of the box.
- Backendless Pro now comes with the formal product documentation.
- The product is more production ready for users who care about building stable, reliable and scalable apps.
- Customers have more options on how to pay for the product; on-boarding is now even smoother.
- Customers deploying Backendless Pro in the AWS environment have an easy way to launch and pay using a familiar workflow (pay-per-use model).
Stephen King wrote in 11/22/63, “Life turns on a dime. Sometimes towards us, but more often it spins away, flirting and flashing as it goes: so long, honey, it was good while it lasted, wasn’t it?”. I envision that some users of Standalone Backendless will feel that way. If it is going to be of any consolation – it was not our intent to take something away from you. After all, you are welcome to continue using it, albeit I strongly encourage considering Backendless Pro.
