I wondered the same. Wikipedia page sums it up: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parse_%28company%29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parse_%28company%29 "...back-e

I wondered the same. Wikipedia page sums it up: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parse_%28company%29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parse_%28company%29 "...back-end tools for mobile developers that help mobile developers store data in the cloud, manage identity log-ins, handle push notifications and run custom code in the cloud." AFAICT, it was doing all the mundane work you need to get a modern mobile app up and running. So, developers could concentrate on the business logic of their application and leave the rest to Parse.