mobilefirst

MobileFirst, commonly referred to as MobileFirst Platform, is an enterprise mobile application development and management platform developed by IBM. It provides a set of tools and services intended to streamline the creation, deployment, and governance of mobile apps across multiple platforms while integrating with existing backend systems.

The product originated as Worklight, an application server and developer toolkit created by a company named Worklight. IBM acquired Worklight in 2012 and subsequently renamed and expanded the offering under the MobileFirst branding. Over time, the platform was positioned to support native, hybrid, and web apps, with an emphasis on enterprise features such as security, backend integration, and lifecycle management.

Core components of MobileFirst include a development environment, the MobileFirst Server runtime, and a collection of backend services. The development layer, historically delivered as MobileFirst Studio, integrates with common IDEs and supports building applications for iOS, Android, and other platforms using native, Cordova-based, or web technologies. The server runtime exposes services for security and authentication, push notifications, data access and synchronization, analytics, and the ability to connect to enterprise backends through adapters. Applications can be deployed on-premises or in the cloud, and IBM Cloud (Bluemix) has provided a managed deployment option in various versions of the platform.

MobileFirst targets large organizations that require centralized governance, secure access to data, and reliable app lifecycle management. It is designed to help developers accelerate delivery of enterprise-grade mobile apps while maintaining control over security, compliance, and integration with back-end systems. The platform has evolved with cloud-native deployment and integration with other IBM services, though individual features and naming have changed across releases.