# mLab shutdown

## Meeting Notes:
- Caren to update [‘configuring a parse server’ guide](https://guides.codepath.org/android/Configuring-a-Parse-Server#setting-a-new-parse-server%5D)
- Caren to update hints for Labs 5 and 6
- Rahul to update videos after guides have been updated

Soonish Future:
- See if we need to update [Lab 5](https://courses.codepath.com/courses/android_university/unit/5#!exercises) in any way

Firebase?
- Tim doesn't like it
- [Discussion on Github on Firebase vs Parse](https://github.com/codepath/university_courses_content/issues/239)
- But Tim does think students will like it more because it's backed by Google. However, students won't get jobs more easily because they know Firebase (it's not really an industry standard for backend solutions)
- If we go with Firebase, perhaps we should add an additional stretch story where students can set up their own server
- Rahul:
- Firebase seems better for the long term
- It has Android Studio integration
- It has a ton of different plugins associated with it
- Nathan:
- Maybe we can revisit Firebase when we do a bigger overhaul of the curriculum in 2021?

## Summary

mLab's Heroku add on is getting removed in November (https://docs.mlab.com/shutdown-of-heroku-add-on/). We use mLab for the assignments in Weeks 5 and 6 so this is problematic.

Quick summary:
Before November 10 - You can still create a new Parse app with mLab + Heroku

After November 10 - You can’t create a new Parse app with mLab + Heroku. If you have an existing app using mLab, your app’s database is destroyed.

All students will have finished assignments 5 + 6 by November 10, but almost everybody will still be in the ‘group project’ phase. This means that students won’t be able to spin up their Parse app the same way for their group project by repeating what they did for the assignments.

### Possible paths forward for Fall courses:

1. Surgically change the Parstagram app so that Parstagram and all Parse guides use [back4app](https://www.back4app.com/) so it’s consistent throughout the course. This would require:
* updating the [‘parse server setup’ video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rN97f917hLs&list=PLrT2tZ9JRrf74emXdHwSG6Q46-DEvuNA6&index=4&t=0s) as part of the assignment 5 walkthrough
* updating the [first half of this assignment walkthrough video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bu0xvzKKZI&list=PLrT2tZ9JRrf74emXdHwSG6Q46-DEvuNA6&index=6&t=0s) which highlights how to get the config variables from heroku
* updating this [‘configuring a parse server’ guide](https://guides.codepath.org/android/Configuring-a-Parse-Server#setting-a-new-parse-server%5D) to include this new option of deploying
3. Keep Parstagram as is for now and instead record a brand new video for students to follow to setup their group projects using back4app
The upside of this option is it doesn’t require changing Parstagram in the very short term (though it’s going to need to have video and guides switched right after that for the next run). Major downside is that it makes it confusing for Parstagram to be done differently from the group project setup creating confusing and inconsistency.

### Longer Term
- Do we want to migrate to using Firebase for assignments 5 + 6 instead?
- [Initial discussion of Firebase vs Parse from Android curriculum crew in early June](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jy1qgv6BcCwa_t-FjfiHqb9F1w8S_UAEqbBu03KBUwo/edit?ts=5ebb3922#heading=h.pua77a84v57p)
- [Discussion on Github on Firebase vs Parse](https://github.com/codepath/university_courses_content/issues/239)