Apple's CloudKit gets server API

Apple has made CloudKit much more appealing to developers by adding a server-side API to its framework. This will allow them to add much more functionality to apps that are powered by the service and to utilize it even when users have not interacted with iOS, Mac, or web apps.

Previously, CloudKit interaction was limited to the APIs that Apple provided in apps. It was useful for developers but did not give them the opportunity to implement more advanced features. Today’s modern apps make use of servers to perform tasks and collect information when a user is not using the app. With CloudKit’s new web API, developers can add these more advanced features into their apps using Apple’s tools instead of having to rely on third party services to do so.

Developers now have the ability to create a host of new unique apps that use CloudKit as the backend. Apps that provide users with news articles or other useful information can do so in the background by adding it to the CloudKit stack from the server. User interaction is no longer needed to update the apps as developers can do so in the background which will give their users a better experience and eliminate the need for an app to rely on its users to update.

Apple’s decision to add this new server-side API should increase CloudKit adoption. Now, many developers who would have previously shied away from the framework may be more inclined to use it when creating their apps. This is especially true now that the similar cloud framework Parse has announced that it will be shutting down in 2017. This put’s CloudKit at an advantage and many former users of Parse may choose to adopt Apple’s framework as a replacement.

Developers will likely begin putting CloudKit’s new features to use which will result in more advanced iOS and Mac apps using the framework.

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