The document discusses Parse and Dodo, which are backend as a service platforms that allow building web applications without a custom backend. Parse provides a no SQL backend, dynamic API, and allows custom logic to be added. It is free for low usage but costs $200 per month for higher tiers. Dodo is a drop in replacement for Parse that allows hosting yourself and integrating with any existing technologies. The document demonstrates building a todo app with Parse and then replacing it with Dodo.