So-called backend-as-a-service platform provider Appwrite.io Ltd. said today it has closed on a $27 million Series A round of funding led by Tiger Global Management.

Existing investors from its seed funding round, including Bessemer Venture Partners, Flybridge Capital Partners, Ibex Investors and Seedcamp also participated in the round, bringing its total amount raised to date to $37 million.

Appwrite is an interesting startup that has created a number of pre-built application programming interfaces for developers. Calling itself a “backend-as-a-service platform,” it enables developers to create the backend of their applications quickly and easily, packaged as a set of container-hosted microservices.

Developers avoid the need to create their own backend APIs. Instead, those APIs are provided straight out of the box, abstracting away the boilerplate code, so developers need to focus only on the front-facing aspects of their applications.

The platform is full of features. For instance, developers can integrate multiple sign-in and user authentication methods within their apps, there’s a database for storing and querying users, plus data, storage and file management, cloud functions and other tools.

Appwrite founder and Chief Executive Eldad Fux likens Appwrite as an alternative to Google LLC’s popular Firebase application development platform. However, he says it has an advantage in that its self-hosted and open source, meaning developers aren’t locked into using Google’s infrastructure.

Tiger Global Management Partner John Curtius said the idea of backend-as-a-service is quickly catching on with developers, and that Appwrite stands out among rival platforms for its simplicity and security.

“The organic ecosystem that is growing around Appwrite is the strongest we have seen and that has everything to do with the company’s leadership team, all of whom have developer DNA,” he said.

Appwrite claims to be one of the fastest-growing open-source platforms on GitHub, with more than 150,000 developers and 550 maintainers. Recent additions to its platform include a native software development kit for Android and iOS and real-time capabilities.

Fux said he aims to keep expanding Appwrite’s ecosystem of APIs, so developers will eventually be able to build any kind of app securely and quickly.

“This latest funding round will help us do exactly that but equally important is that this round is a testament to the resilience and power of open source communities driving the next wave of developer tools,” Fux said. “Appwrite is committed to supporting its burgeoning community and the open source community overall.”

The company said it will use the funds from today’s round to expand its remote, global team across all departments, with a focus on boosting its engineering and marketing staff.

Image: Appwrite