WHAT IS FIREBASE?
Part II: Firebase Build Products.
Last month we published the first in our series of “What is Firebase” to help anyone not familiar with Firebase to get up to speed. In case you missed it, you can read it here.
Very quickly:
Firebase is an app development platform that provides the necessary tools to help you build and run successful Mobile or Web Apps. It’s owned and backed by Google and is already in use by millions of businesses and their engineering & development teams around the world — from startups to global enterprises.
Firebase is pretty amazing and it’s why we purpose-built our Headless, Adaptive Firebase CMS, Flamelink.
This month, we’ll be talking about Firebase’s Build products. These products offer Dev teams a fully managed backend infrastructure that easily solves common app development challenges and allows them to spin up their backend to accelerate app development and scale to support millions of users.
Firebase ‘Build’ products include:
- Cloud Firestore
- Realtime Database
- Remote Config
- Firebase Extensions
- App Check
- Cloud Functions
- Authentication
- Cloud Messaging
- Hosting
- Cloud Storage
- Firebase Machine Learning
Let’s get into each ‘Build’ product:
Cloud Firestore:
Cloud Firestore is a NoSQL document database that provides developers a secure, flexible, and serverless way to store, sync, and query data for global mobile and web apps. It uses collections and documents to structure data, powerful queries to retrieve it, and Google’s storage infrastructure to scale with businesses. It also automatically synchronizes data across devices even when offline.
Watch the Cloud Firestore Explainer:
Or check out the official Cloud Firestore documentation.
Realtime Database:
Firebase Realtime Database provides an efficient and secure way to store and sync data in realtime, with mobile and web SDKs, local cache, Firebase Authentication, and a declarative security model to protect data based on user identity.
Watch the Realtime Database Explainer:
Or read the official Realtime Database documentation.
Remote Config:
Remote Config provides you with the ability to customize your app’s behavior and design for different users, experiment with new features, and test ideas without having to release a new version or set up complex infrastructure. Feature flags and A/B Testing allow you to quickly launch new features and experiments, while only releasing the most engaging and high-quality features.
Watch the Remote Config Explainer:
View the official Remote Config docs.
Firebase Extensions:
Firebase Extensions allow you to quickly deploy extended functionality to your app without having to do any research, coding, or debugging. They are easy to configure and deploy in the Firebase console or CLI, saving you time, money, and effort.
Recently Firebase launched their Extensions Marketplace to make it easier for Dev and Engineering teams to find the Firebase extensions that’ll help them build an app quickly and easily.
Watch the Firebase Extensions Explainer:
View the official Firebase Extensions docs.
App Check:
App Check is a security layer that helps protect your services from abuse, such as billing fraud, phishing, app impersonation, and data poisoning. It is certified under major compliance and security standards and works with Firebase and Google Cloud products, as well as custom API endpoints. App Check is easy to set up with its convenient UI and SDKs for web, iOS, and Android.
Watch the App Check Explainer:
Read the official App Check docs here.
Cloud Functions:
Firebase’s Cloud Functions is a serverless computing platform that lets you run code in response to events triggered by Firebase features and HTTPS requests. You can use Cloud Functions to build mobile and web applications, as well as back-end services for IoT devices. Cloud Functions are written in JavaScript and run on Google Cloud, which provides a secure and scalable infrastructure for your applications.
With Cloud Functions, you can easily perform tasks such as resizing images, sending emails, and synchronizing data across multiple devices without the need to manage servers or infrastructure. Cloud Functions are a convenient way to add extra functionality to your Firebase applications without the complexity of maintaining a separate server.
Watch the Cloud Functions Explainer:
Or check out the official Cloud Functions docs.
Authentication:
Firebase Authentication helps you quickly ship features while improving the sign-in and onboarding experience for your users with one-click sign-in on any platform including email and password accounts, phone auth, and Google, Twitter, Facebook, and GitHub login, and more.
Watch the Firebase Authentication Explainer:
Or check out the official Firebase Authentication documentation.
Cloud Messaging:
Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) offers a dependable and energy-saving connection between your servers and devices, enabling the transmission of notifications and messages to Android, iOS, and the web without any cost.
You can send out messages to customized segments or craft your own through advanced message targeting, and you can customize when messages are sent and what data they include.
Additionally, no coding is necessary to send notifications, and you can use A/B testing to guarantee peak performance.
Watch the Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) Explainer:
Or check out the official Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) documentation.
Hosting:
Firebase Hosting is a complete foundation for your web app.
Build and deploy your websites and apps without managing any infrastructure. Preview, and deploy your site in three easy steps, and roll back to a previous version if you need to with one single command.
Check out the official Firebase Hosting documentation.
Cloud Storage:
Store and serve user-generated content, such as images and videos, using Google Cloud Storage. Our infrastructure is designed to scale up, so you don’t have to worry if your app becomes popular.
The Firebase SDK for Cloud Storage is built to handle robust transfers of data and is tailored for use with mobile devices. Additionally, it syncs with Firebase Authentication, granting secure access to files and properties based on user authentication.
Watch the Cloud Storage Explainer:
Or check out the official Cloud Storage documentation.
Firebase Machine Learning:
Firebase ML is a machine learning platform that allows developers to easily incorporate machine learning functionality into their mobile and web applications. With Firebase ML, developers can use pre-trained models or build their own custom models using TensorFlow Lite, and deploy them directly to their Firebase project.
Firebase ML is a powerful and convenient tool for adding machine learning capabilities to applications and is suitable for a wide range of use cases and industries.
Watch the Firebase Machine Learning Explainer:
Or check out the official Firebase Machine Learning documentation.
GET STARTED WITH FIREBASE:
Firebase is a great tool for any developer, big or small. It provides a great platform for quickly building and deploying applications and services quickly and securely. With its scalability, reliability, and easy integration with other tools and services, Firebase is the perfect tool to help you build your next project.
Head to the Firebase Console to Get Started
Flamelink CMS is an excellent choice for anyone who needs a powerful and easy-to-use content management system for their project. With its intuitive user interface, comprehensive admin features, and robust content creation tools, Flamelink CMS is an excellent choice for any project.
