What is the difference between Azure App Services API Apps and the Custom API of App Services Mobile Apps?

Question

Azure App Services Mobile Apps can provide a Custom API hosting service which looks very similar to API Apps.

What is the real difference between the two?

Is it possible to consume Mobile Services from API Apps Node Backend ? Is there any Mobile Apps SDK available for NodeJS ?

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/documentation/articles/app-service-mobile-node-backend-how-to-use-server-sdk/

Answer 1

Azure API Apps is for hosting APIs that will be consumed from a variety of clients, and where it is acceptable to codegen a client, or make direct REST calls.

Azure Mobile Apps defines a client and server SDK with a protocol for communication that adds additional functionality for things such as offline sync. Offline sync is not possible with API apps, because there is no actual client SDK, just tools for generating one for different platforms.