Parse Server is an [open source version of the Parse backend](http://blog.parse.com/announcements/introducing-parse-server-and-the-database-migration-tool/) that can be deployed to any infrastructure that can run Node.js.
**Using a remote MongoDB?** Pass the `--databaseURI DATABASE_URI` parameter when starting `parse-server`. Learn more about configuring Parse Server [here](#configuration). For a full list of available options, run `parse-server --help`.
Now that you're running Parse Server, it is time to save your first object. We'll use the [REST API](https://parse.com/docs/rest/guide), but you can easily do the same using any of the [Parse SDKs](https://parseplatform.github.io/#sdks). Run the following:
Keeping tracks of individual object ids is not ideal, however. In most cases you will want to run a query over the collection, like so:
```
$ curl -X GET \
-H "X-Parse-Application-Id: APPLICATION_ID" \
http://localhost:1337/parse/classes/GameScore
```
```json
// The response will provide all the matching objects within the `results` array:
{
"results": [
{
"objectId": "2ntvSpRGIK",
"score": 1337,
"playerName": "Sean Plott",
"cheatMode": false,
"updatedAt": "2016-03-11T23:51:48.050Z",
"createdAt": "2016-03-11T23:51:48.050Z"
}
]
}
```
To learn more about using saving and querying objects on Parse Server, check out the [Parse documentation](https://parse.com/docs).
### Connect your app to Parse Server
Parse provides SDKs for all the major platforms. Refer to the Parse Server guide to [learn how to connect your app to Parse Server](https://github.com/ParsePlatform/parse-server/wiki/Parse-Server-Guide#using-parse-sdks-with-parse-server).
## Running Parse Server elsewhere
Once you have a better understanding of how the project works, please refer to the [Parse Server wiki](https://github.com/ParsePlatform/parse-server/wiki) for in-depth guides to deploy Parse Server to major infrastructure providers. Read on to learn more about additional ways of running Parse Server.
We have provided a basic [Node.js application](https://github.com/ParsePlatform/parse-server-example) that uses the Parse Server module on Express and can be easily deployed using any of the following buttons:
The full documentation for Parse Server is available in the [wiki](https://github.com/ParsePlatform/parse-server/wiki). The [Parse Server guide](https://github.com/ParsePlatform/parse-server/wiki/Parse-Server-Guide) is a good place to get started. If you're interested in developing for Parse Server, the [Development guide](https://github.com/ParsePlatform/parse-server/wiki/Development-Guide) will help you get set up.
The hosted version of Parse will be fully retired on January 28th, 2017. If you are planning to migrate an app, you need to begin work as soon as possible. There are a few areas where Parse Server does not provide compatibility with the hosted version of Parse. Learn more in the [Migration guide](https://github.com/ParsePlatform/parse-server/wiki/Migrating-an-Existing-Parse-App).
Parse Server can be configured using the following options. You may pass these as parameters when running a standalone `parse-server`, or by loading a configuration file in JSON format using `parse-server path/to/configuration.json`. If you're using Parse Server on Express, you may also pass these to the `ParseServer` object as options.
*`appId`**(required)** - The application id to host with this server instance. You can use any arbitrary string. For migrated apps, this should match your hosted Parse app.
*`masterKey`**(required)** - The master key to use for overriding ACL security. You can use any arbitrary string. Keep it secret! For migrated apps, this should match your hosted Parse app.
*`databaseURI`**(required)** - The connection string for your database, i.e. `mongodb://user:pass@host.com/dbname`.
*`cloud` - The absolute path to your cloud code `main.js` file.
The client keys used with Parse are no longer necessary with Parse Server. If you wish to still require them, perhaps to be able to refuse access to older clients, you can set the keys at initialization time. Setting any of these keys will require all requests to provide one of the configured keys.
*`fileKey` - For migrated apps, this is necessary to provide access to files already hosted on Parse.
*`filesAdapter` - The default behavior (GridStore) can be changed by creating an adapter class (see [`FilesAdapter.js`](https://github.com/ParsePlatform/parse-server/blob/master/src/Adapters/Files/FilesAdapter.js)).
*`maxUploadSize` - Max file size for uploads. Defaults to 20mb.
*`databaseAdapter` (unfinished) - The backing store can be changed by creating an adapter class (see `DatabaseAdapter.js`).
*`loggerAdapter` - The default behavior/transport (File) can be changed by creating an adapter class (see [`LoggerAdapter.js`](https://github.com/ParsePlatform/parse-server/blob/master/src/Adapters/Logger/LoggerAdapter.js)).
*`enableAnonymousUsers` - Set to false to disable anonymous users. Defaults to true.
*`allowClientClassCreation` - Set to false to disable client class creation. Defaults to true.
Parse Server allows developers to choose from several options when hosting files: the `GridStoreAdapter`, which backed by MongoDB; the `S3Adapter`, which is backed by [Amazon S3](https://aws.amazon.com/s3/); or the `GCSAdapter`, which is backed by [Google Cloud Storage](https://cloud.google.com/storage/). `GridStoreAdapter` is used by default and requires no setup, but if you're interested in using S3 or GCS, [additional configuration information is available](https://github.com/ParsePlatform/parse-server/wiki/Configuring-File-Adapters).
We really want Parse to be yours, to see it grow and thrive in the open source community. Please see the [Contributing to Parse Server guide](CONTRIBUTING.md).
