API tool provider Apigee has acquired Usergrid, a cloud-based service that provides common APIs for managing data and users to simplify the building of mobile apps.

By having access to the APIs, developers can avoid spending valuable time building user and data services from scratch. Apigee CEO Chet Kapoor said the instant back-end provided by Usergrid can reduce the cost of developing applications by up to 80 percent.

The Usergrid technology is currently in beta but will soon be offered as part of Apigee’s enterprise API platform and free API developer tools. Usergrid will also continue as a platform-as-a-service and as a free open source software stack that developers can host in their own cloud environments.

"At Apigee, we're focused on accelerating growth and innovation in the burgeoning 'app economy' with a full range of solutions not only for managing and using APIs, but also with best-in-class APIs such as Usergrid,” Kapoor added.

Usergrid founder and CEO Ed Anuff joins the Apigee management team to continue leading the development of Usergrid software. No financial value was given for the deal.