Chapter 6. API Data Access

So far in this book, we have worked with static data that is hard-coded directly into the TripLog app itself. However, in the real world, it is rare that an app depends purely on local static data—most mobile apps get their data from a remote data source, typically an API. In some cases, an app may talk to a third party API, for example, that of a social network. Alternatively, developers sometimes create their own API to make data available for their apps. In this chapter, we will create a simple API in the cloud that we can connect to and retrieve data from in the TripLog app.

Here is a quick look at what we will cover in this chapter:

• Creating a live, cloud based backend service and API using Microsoft's Azure App Services platform to store and retrieve TripLog data
• Creating a data access service that handles communication with the API for the TripLog mobile app
• Setting up data caching so the TripLog can work offline