What is Google Firebase and Firebase Console

You have heard a lot about Google Firebase and how people from the web and mobile development backgrounds are using it, but what is a Google Firebase? For example, let’s say that today you were to start crafting a full-stack web application from the beginning and something you wanted people to use it. 

This would involve bringing together pretty vast knowledge of several different technologies, including Client-side and Server-side. In addition, you would need some must-do functionalities for a web application like user authentication, live chat, and a real-time database to save the data.

You also need to create and manage a large server, file storage system, web hosting, and on and on and on. So many components and technologies are required to develop a real-time web application. But what if I told you that there is one single service that can solve all of these problems. To bundle all of our problems and try to resolve them in one go, we need a FIREBASE!!

Google Firebase

Firebase is a backend as a service(BaaS) platform acquired by Google for creating mobile and web applications. The Firebase is the flagship offering for app development from Google.

Firebase allows us to quickly build performant, reliable web applications without worrying about too many technical details. It provides all the services we need to develop fast, secure, and extensive web applications with minimal cost.

Google Firebase services

Firebase provides several high profile services like,

1. User authentication.
2. Real-time database service, such as Firestore.
3. Serverless functions are called cloud functions.
4. File Storage is also called cloud storage.
5. Web hosting or website hosting.
6. Analytics
7. Messaging
8. Crash reporting

If you have previously worked with AWS, you must be familiar with the abovementioned services.

For example, if you are working with storage services, AWS provides an Amazon S3 storage solution, the same as cloud storage for Firebase.

AWS provides AWS Lambda for serverless functions, and Firebase provides cloud functions. Check out AWS Lambda vs. Cloud Functions comparison for more information.

Advantages of using Firebase

1. Firebase is wholly developed on Google infrastructure and scales automatically for even the most extensive apps.
2. Firebase products work great independently but share data and insights, working even better together.
3. It is a comprehensive app development platform that can work with almost any third-party software.
4. Firebase can help you tackle commanding challenges, whether an app developer, product manager, programming manager, or product manager. Firebase tools can work together extensively so that mobile teams can improve app performance while gaining valuable user insights. For example, all the iOS and Android apps use crashlytics to monitor their performance.

Firebase Console

To access the Firebase console, you must have a Google account. If you have already signed in to a Google account, you might see the following screen if this is your first time.

 

From here, you can create a brand new firebase project.

If you scroll down your screen, you will see that they also provide a demo project. Click on the project, and you will see the following screen.

 

On the lefthand sidebar, you can see the four menu items.

1. Develop
2. Quality
3. Analytics
4. Grow

Now, if you click on the Develop menu item, you can see that it contains many sub-items.

1. Authentication
2. Cloud Firestore
3. Realtime Database
4. Storage
5. Hosting
6. Functions
7. Machine Learning

These are top-notch services provided by Firebase that can help you build any web application fast and securely.

If you click on the Quality menu item, you will see the following sub-items.

1. Crashlytics
2. Performance
3. Test-Lab
4. App Distribution

If you are working with application development, then Crashlytics, Performance, and app distribution will be insightful for developers.

Conclusion

If you are a firebase app developer, you need to extend your backend infrastructure. There is no better option than using Firebase services if you are a Google Cloud developer and want to develop a mobile (or web) application on top of your existing infrastructure in GCP.

That is it for Google Firebase and Firebase console introduction.

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