What you need to know to create a server for iOS application?

Question

iOS

Recently, a course on Xcode began at a university, so this task appeared: you need to write an application for iOS for the so-called "student conferences" (analogous to VK conversations) with registration through a student number.
After reading the relevant material, I came across BaaS services, a la Parse.com and so on. But there are unpleasant restrictions that did not suit us (restriction on requests per second). Yes, and the teacher noted that we are "practicing" and therefore we must write our own server.
Here is the rub, where do you even start? What to read more specifically? What can be used (technologies or maybe services)?
I would be grateful for any hints on the subject.

Answer 1

Look towards writing any web server at all. He does not care who communicates with him: browser/desktop/mobile.
Offtopic. Tell us where they teach ios and what do you do with the developer account?