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APP 400 · Mobile apps

App Backend Development Manchester

The backend is the server side of your app: the accounts, database, APIs and admin tools your users never see but rely on every time they tap. Our Manchester team builds and runs backends for new apps, and for existing apps that have outgrown their first setup.

  • Since 2003trading in Manchester
  • 20,000+UK businesses helped
  • Collect M8Unit 3, 116 Bury New Road
  • A personchecks every file
Get a free quote Call 0161 315 1151 WhatsApp us
APP 400

Platforms and build

Every job is a fixed quote, agreed in writing before any work starts. No obligation.

All 45 app servicesOr tell us what you need and we will quote it.Discuss an app

What sits behind a mobile app, and why it decides how well the app runs

A phone app alone stores data on one device. Once people sign in, share, pay or switch phones, you need a server. It handles authentication, keeps records in a database, exposes them through a REST or GraphQL API, and stores uploaded files.

It also sends push notifications, through Apple Push Notification service (APNs) on iPhone and Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) on Android. A badly built backend means duplicate or missing alerts.

Backend problems surface later as slow screens, data leaking between accounts or admins who cannot fix a record. Planning the API alongside the app design avoids most of them.

Who needs backend work

Most of the Manchester businesses we build backends for fall into one of these groups.

  • Founders at MVP stage that need accounts and data done properly once.
  • Businesses whose app must talk to a website, stock system or CRM.
  • Booking and membership apps that need staff-facing admin screens.
  • App owners whose backend is slow, insecure or left behind by a departed developer.
  • Organisations that need to know where personal data is stored for UK GDPR reasons.

Our backend build process

1

Map the data

We list every record type, who can read or change it, and how long it is kept.

2

Choose the platform

We recommend a managed backend or custom code based on your features, data location needs and who will maintain it.

3

Design the API

Endpoints, permissions and error responses are written down before the app team starts calling them.

4

Build and secure

We build authentication, row-level permissions, rate limiting, file storage and push delivery, then test each with real accounts.

5

Admin and handover

Your team gets an admin panel, documentation and monitoring.

What you get

  • A documented data model and permission rules.
  • A REST or GraphQL API the app and any future website can share.
  • Sign-in by email, Apple, Google or single sign-on as needed.
  • Push notifications through APNs and FCM.
  • Secure file storage for uploads.
  • An admin panel for staff, with role-based access.
  • In-app account deletion that removes the user’s data.

Managed backend or custom server?

Managed platforms such as Supabase and Firebase give you authentication, a database, storage and functions without running servers yourself. They are quicker to build on and patched by the provider. Supabase uses Postgres, which suits structured business data.

A custom server earns its place with complex business rules, heavy integrations or a required hosting provider. It takes longer and needs ongoing security patching, which our app maintenance service covers.

Two rules apply either way. Apple and Google both require apps that let users create accounts to offer account deletion in the app. Under UK GDPR you need to know where personal data is held, so we choose and document hosting regions in line with published guidance; take legal advice for your situation.

Frequently asked questions

Is Firebase or Supabase good enough for a business app?

For many apps, yes. Both handle sign-in, data, storage and server functions. We check your data rules, reporting needs and hosting region first, and if something in the plan would fight the platform, such as complex integrations, we say so before building.

Can one backend serve both the app and our website?

Yes, and it usually should. With one API, a customer who updates their details on the website sees the change in the app straight away. We design endpoints that a web front end, an iPhone app and an Android app can all call.

How do you stop people abusing the API?

Every request is checked against the signed-in user’s permissions, so nobody can read another account’s records by changing an ID. We add rate limiting to sign-in and other sensitive endpoints, validate all input on the server, and keep secret keys out of the app itself.

Can you take over a backend another developer built?

Yes. We review the code, hosting, access keys and database permissions, then give you a written list of risks in priority order. Anything that could expose user data comes first, then stability and speed.

What happens to a user’s data when they delete their account?

Deletion removes the account and its personal data, including uploaded files, rather than hiding the profile. Where you must keep certain records, such as invoices, we separate them so they hold only what is needed. Your privacy policy should match what the app actually does.

Related services

Describe what your app needs to store and who should see it, and we will suggest a backend setup with a fixed quote: request a backend quote, phone 0161 315 1151 or WhatsApp 07737 902425.

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