What is Apple CloudKit used for?

Apple CloudKit is an iCloud-backed database and storage service that lets iOS and macOS developers sync app data across a user's devices and the web. It is a good fit for syncing user data between iPhone and Mac, and backend-free iOS apps with shared public data.

Is Apple CloudKit open source?

No. Apple CloudKit is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Apple CloudKit include Supabase, Appwrite and Parse Server.

What are some alternatives to Apple CloudKit?

Apple CloudKit competes with Firebase, Back4App and Backendless. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Apple CloudKit alternatives.

Apple CloudKit: features, pricing and alternatives

About Apple CloudKit

CloudKit is Apple's framework for storing app data in iCloud. It gives developers a managed database and asset storage that stay in sync across a user's Apple devices and can also be reached from the web, so an app does not need its own backend server to keep data up to date.

Data can be organized into private databases tied to each user's iCloud account and public databases shared by all users of an app, and users sign in through their Apple account. It integrates tightly with Apple's platform SDKs, which makes it a natural choice for apps built exclusively for Apple platforms. It is a proprietary Apple service, tied to the Apple Developer ecosystem, and is not available for self-hosting.

Key features

iCloud-backed database for app data
Sync across iOS, macOS and the web
Private and public database scopes
Asset storage for files and media
Authentication through the user's Apple account

Good fit for

→Syncing user data between iPhone and Mac
→Backend-free iOS apps with shared public data

Tags: apple; icloud; ios; macos; sync; backend-as-a-service; mobile-database

Apple CloudKit: questions and answers

What is Apple CloudKit used for?: Apple CloudKit is an iCloud-backed database and storage service that lets iOS and macOS developers sync app data across a user's devices and the web. It is a good fit for syncing user data between iPhone and Mac, and backend-free iOS apps with shared public data.
Is Apple CloudKit open source?: No. Apple CloudKit is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Apple CloudKit include Supabase, Appwrite and Parse Server.
What are some alternatives to Apple CloudKit?: Apple CloudKit competes with Firebase, Back4App and Backendless. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Apple CloudKit alternatives.