Firebase Unveiled : Exploring Its Key Components In A Nutshell

Since Google acquired Firebase in 2014, the landscape of mobile and web application development has undergone a significant transformation. By providing some ready-made functionalities and tools, Firebase makes development much simpler and faster, which I experienced by using some of the Firebase libraries when developing Android applications. In this brief blog post, we will explore some of Firebase's key components and uncover how to utilize them to take your application to the next level.

Firebase Authentication 

In today's world of web and mobile applications, seamless user authentication is of great importance, and that is exactly what Firebase Authentication provides. It supports logging in with your already existing Facebook, Google, and/or Twitter accounts, but also phone number verification and the good old email/password authentication. Firebase's secure authentication methods allow for preserving user privacy. 
I have used Facebook and Google login in some of my applications, and it turned out to be a much easier way for users to register for my applications, compared to filling out a signup form first.                                                                                                                                                                                     

Firebase Cloud Storage 

Safe storing of digital content, like images or videos, is of essential importance, especially for social media platforms, and this is provided by Firebase Cloud Storage seamlessly and straightforwardly. In combination with the security of Firebase Authentication, you are empowered with total control of who can access your content.  

Firebase Performance Monitoring 

Mobile applications run on devices with varying specifications, making performance monitoring essential for mobile developers. Firebase Performance Monitoring offers insights into startup times, foreground and background activities, and screen rendering data. 
One of its most critical features is network traffic monitoring, which allows for discovering bottlenecks. And when they are fixed, your application should run smoothly with barely any delays. 
I have used it in some of my applications, and it proved to be a much better way to monitor performance, compared to some other monitoring tools.
 

Firebase Cloud Messaging 

Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) helps you reliably connect to your users, by allowing you to send notifications to iOS, Android, and web applications. You can send messages to users depending on the way they interact with the application, and this contributes to enhancing the overall user experience. 
We currently use notifications in our Smart Home app for sending alerts to users when sensors detect smoke, gas, water leakage, or any kind of motion. We concluded that this is a great way of informing our users about any abnormalities detected by the sensors.
 

Firebase Realtime Database 

A cloud-hosted NoSQL database that stores data as JSON. What makes it particularly valuable is that all clients share the same database instance, and any changes made are instantly communicated to every one of them. That's why live chats and platforms for editing shared documents love Realtime Database.
 

Firebase Cloud Firestore 

As an alternative to Realtime Database, Firestore provides a range of querying and scalability features. On top of keeping the data in sync across all client applications, it also provides offline support, so you can easily build applications that don't just show a blank screen when there is no internet connection. 
For my university graduation project, I utilized Firestore, and it proved to be an incredibly convenient solution for storing data generated by the mobile application as a mobile developer.

Firebase Cloud Functions 

Cloud functions allow you to implement backend logic without the need for real servers. These are JavaScript and TypeScript functions that are triggered in response to Firebase events. 
For example, in my university graduation project, I wrote a JavaScript code that was triggered whenever a new entry in the Firestore database appeared. This trigger sent all users a notification that there is new data available. 
I also had a function that was triggered when new users registered through Firebase Authentication. This trigger allowed me to send a verification mail to the new users.
 

Firebase Hosting 

Firebase Hosting serves as a secure and versatile solution for hosting your web application, microservices, as well as dynamic and static content. It optimizes your app's content for high availability by distributing it across multiple data centers, thanks to its integration with a Content Delivery Network (CDN). 
When paired with Cloud Functions, it enables you to effortlessly direct HTTPS requests to trigger specific functions, enhancing the dynamic capabilities of your application.
 

Conclusion 

In summary, Firebase, with its comprehensive suite of components, offers an all-in-one solution for crafting robust, dependable, and secure systems. It's a particularly valuable resource for frontend developers who may not possess extensive backend expertise but aspire to independently construct comprehensive systems.