Firebase - Free Backend Solution
Tags: firebase, customebackend, freebackend
Published: 2024-01-03 00:25:00


![Firebase - Free Backend Solution](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/4jqs9ovmgoedkmzl73ax.jpg)

Imagine you've created an app. On the first day, it had only one user. But overnight, its users jumped to millions. Will your app still run smoothly? No. There will be problems with your app's infrastructure. Maybe the API server and database also start causing you worries because they aren't secure and fast.

To address this problem– like a big brother–Google came up with a solution. In 2012, it launched Firebase, a NoSQL database, that helps ensure that the app runs smoothly irrespective of the app's user.

And like SupaBase, Firebase can also serve as a complete backend. Some also call it Backend-as-a-Service (BaaS). Currently, Firebase supports C#, Go, Java, Node.js, PHP, Python, and Ruby. But it's built using Java, Go, C++, JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Kotlin, Swift, and Objective C.

Let me give you its rundown.

1. **Authentication**- Firebase provides easy-to-use SDKs. Using passwords, emails, and phone numbers you can authenticate users. Firebase also provides easy and secure logins.

2. **Cloud Storage**- You can store all the data on the cloud in Firebase. Offline support for mobile and web is also provided in Firebase. This way, the app can run regardless of internet connectivity. Further, the data stored in the cloud is also flexible and structured. You can also create subcollections and hierarchically structure the data.

3. **Analytics**- Firebase provides various insights including in-app behavioral analytics, attribution analysis, etc. You can also integrate analytics with BigQuery, Crashlytics, FCM, Firebase Remote Config, and Google Tag Manager.

4. **Free and Paid Version**- Firebase provides both free and paid versions under Spark Plan and Blaze Plan, respectively. But the good thing is that its free version is sufficient for small apps because it can send and handle 10 SMS every day, and 50k active users, respectively.

5. **Headless CMS Solutions**- There isn't any admin panel in Firebase: true. But there are headless CMS solutions that include tools like PushTable, Flamelink, and Firebase CMS that can do the work just fine.

6. **Integration and Maintenance**- Firebase takes care of all implementing, scaling, and maintaining the backend.

#### Can Firebase Replace Custom Backend?
Well, Firebase has already replaced the custom backend to some point. For instance, if you want a cheap backend, Firebase is a better option. Additionally, if you are okay with few development resources then it's best to go for Firebase. But if you require more control as well as customization, a custom backend not Firebase is a viable option.

But let's face it - Firebase isn't as secure as a custom backend. It's also less scalable and flexible than a custom backend. In other words, you should only use Firebase when you want to make small apps. Bigger apps require custom backends.

#### But is Firebase easy to learn?
Well, as per developers, the documentation of Firebase is too overwhelming. **It might take months for you to understand its ins and outs**.