I want to build mobile apps for both iPhone and Android devices that need to connect to the same server to get user data and account details. I’m wondering what’s the best way to set up a backend that both platforms can talk to securely. Can I use REST APIs with SSL encryption for this? Are there other approaches that would let me create one single backend interface that works well with both iOS and Android apps? I need something reliable and secure since it will handle sensitive user information. What do most developers recommend for this kind of cross-platform backend setup?
REST APIs with SSL/TLS are still the go-to for mobile backends that need to work across platforms. I’ve built this setup for several production apps hitting both iOS and Android - works great because any HTTP client can talk to your endpoints no matter what mobile framework you’re using. When you’re dealing with sensitive stuff, throw in JWT tokens for stateless auth and make sure you’ve got certificate pinning set up on the client side. I’d recommend Node.js with Express or Python with FastAPI as your foundation. If you want extra security layers, AWS API Gateway or Google Cloud Endpoints handle rate limiting, request validation, and SSL certs automatically. Scales well and you keep full control over your data handling, which you’ll need for user accounts and privacy compliance.
what’s your data like tho? simple user profiles or more complex relationships? and do you prefer managed services or self-hosted? that choice usually drives which cross-platform backend approach works best.
firebase is def a solid choice! it handles auth and db stuff without much hassle. I’ve used it for some apps, and syncing between ios and android is smooth. makes everything easier for sure.