firebase

What is firebase?

The firebase npm package is a comprehensive app development platform provided by Google that offers a variety of services such as real-time databases, authentication, cloud storage, hosting, and more. It is designed to help developers build and manage apps more efficiently.

What are firebase's main functionalities?

Realtime Database

Firebase Realtime Database allows you to store and sync data between your users in real-time. This is a NoSQL database that lets you build rich, collaborative applications by allowing secure access to the database directly from client-side code.

const { initializeApp } = require('firebase/app');
const { getDatabase, ref, set } = require('firebase/database');

// Initialize Firebase
const app = initializeApp({ /* your config */ });
const database = getDatabase(app);

// Write data to your database
set(ref(database, 'users/1'), {
  username: 'example',
  email: '[e-mail]'
});

Authentication

Firebase Authentication provides backend services to help authenticate users, including simple sign-in functionality as well as third-party providers like Google, Facebook, and Twitter.

const { initializeApp } = require('firebase/app');
const { getAuth, createUserWithEmailAndPassword } = require('firebase/auth');

// Initialize Firebase
const app = initializeApp({ /* your config */ });
const auth = getAuth(app);

// Create a new user
createUserWithEmailAndPassword(auth, '[e-mail]', 'password')
  .then((userCredential) => {
    // Signed in
    const user = userCredential.user;
    // ...
  })
  .catch((error) => {
    // Error handling
    const errorCode = error.code;
    const errorMessage = error.message;
    // ...
  });

Cloud Firestore

Cloud Firestore is a flexible, scalable database for mobile, web, and server development. It keeps your data in sync across client apps through real-time listeners and offers offline support.

const { initializeApp } = require('firebase/app');
const { getFirestore, collection, addDoc } = require('firebase/firestore');

// Initialize Firebase
const app = initializeApp({ /* your config */ });
const db = getFirestore(app);

// Add a new document with a generated id
addDoc(collection(db, 'users'), {
  first: 'Ada',
  last: 'Lovelace',
  born: 1815
});

Cloud Storage

Firebase Cloud Storage is built for app developers who need to store and serve user-generated content, such as photos or videos.

const { initializeApp } = require('firebase/app');
const { getStorage, ref, uploadBytes } = require('firebase/storage');

// Initialize Firebase
const app = initializeApp({ /* your config */ });
const storage = getStorage(app);

// Create a storage reference from our storage service
const storageRef = ref(storage, 'some-child');

// Upload file
uploadBytes(storageRef, file).then((snapshot) => {
  console.log('Uploaded a blob or file!');
});

Hosting

Firebase Hosting provides fast and secure hosting for your web app, static and dynamic content, and microservices.

const { initializeApp } = require('firebase/app');
const { getAuth } = require('firebase/auth');
const { getFirestore } = require('firebase/firestore');
const { getStorage } = require('firebase/storage');

// Initialize Firebase
// TODO: Replace the following with your app's Firebase project configuration
const firebaseConfig = {
  //...
};

const app = initializeApp(firebaseConfig);

// The rest of your web app's Firebase initialization and setup goes here...
// For example, you might set up Firebase Authentication, Firestore, and Storage as shown above.

Other packages similar to firebase

parse-server

Parse Server is an open-source version of the Parse backend that can be deployed to any infrastructure that can run Node.js. It offers many of the same features as Firebase, such as a real-time database, file storage, and user authentication. However, being open-source, it provides more flexibility and control over the backend infrastructure.

aws-amplify

AWS Amplify is a development platform for building secure, scalable mobile and web applications. It provides a similar range of services as Firebase, including authentication, data storage, and hosting. Amplify is tightly integrated with AWS services, which can be a benefit if you are already using AWS in your stack.

realm

Realm is a mobile database and synchronization platform that can be used for building offline-first, reactive mobile experiences. It offers real-time synchronization and data storage capabilities similar to Firebase's Realtime Database and Firestore. Realm is known for its smooth integration with mobile development and its fast performance on mobile devices.

README

firebase-node

This is the node library for Firebase. Firebase is a real-time data synchronization service designed to power collaborative applications. You can learn more on the Firebase website at www.firebase.com.

Getting started with the Firebase node client is easy. First, install the client library:

npm install firebase

Next, you'll need to create a Firebase account to get a URL for your Firebase data.

Lastly, create your Firebase in your code and write some data:

var Firebase = require('firebase');
var dataRef = new Firebase('https://myprojectname.firebaseIO-demo.com/');
dataRef.set("hello world!");