Why do I love FireBase ?
Start for free, then pay as you go. Deliver web content fast: With Firebase Hosting, you can deploy a single-page web app, a mobile app landing page, or a progressive web app without all the hassle. SSD-backed hosting, around the globe: No matter where a user is, content is delivered fast. Files deployed to Firebase Hosting are cached on SSDs at CDN edge servers around the world. Free SSL certificates for custom domains:
Firebase Hosting automatically provisions and configures an SSL certificate for each site deployed (Connect a custom domain with painless verification). Deploy with one command: Deploying your app from a local directory to the web only takes one command. See deployment history and roll back to a previous version from the Firebase console.
A bit of History and Services of FireBase
Firebase evolved from Envolve, a prior startup founded by James Tamplin and Andrew Lee in 2011. Envolve provided developers an API that enables the integration of online chat functionality into their websites. After releasing the chat service, Tamplin and Lee found that it was being used to pass application data that wasn't chat messages. Developers were using Envolve to sync application data such as game state in real time across their users. Tamplin and Lee decided to separate the chat system and the real-time architecture that powered it. They founded Firebase as a separate company in April 2012.
Firebase was acquired by Google.In October 2015, Google acquired Divshot to merge it with the Firebase team. Since the acquisition, Firebase has grown inside Google and expanded their services to become a unified platform for mobile developers.
Firebase Analytics
Firebase Analytics is a free app measurement solution that provides insight into app usage and user engagement.
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Firebase Cloud Messaging
Formerly known as Google Cloud Messaging (GCM), Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) is a cross-platform solution for messages and notifications for Android, iOS, and web applications, which currently can be used at no cost.
Firebase Auth
Firebase Auth is a service that can authenticate users using only client-side code. It supports social login providers Facebook, GitHub, Twitter and Google. Additionally, it includes a user management system whereby developers can enable user authentication with email and password login stored with Firebase.
Realtime Database
Firebase provides a realtime database and backend as a service. The service provides application developers an API that allows application data to be synchronized across clients and stored on Firebase's cloud. The company provides client libraries that enable integration with Android, iOS, JavaScript, Java, Objective-C, swift and Node.js applications. The database is also accessible through a REST API and bindings for several JavaScript frameworks such as AngularJS, React, Ember.js and Backbone.js. The REST API uses the Server-Sent Events protocol, which is an API for creating HTTP connections for receiving push notifications from a server. Developers using the realtime database can secure their data by using the company's server-side-enforced security rules.
Firebase Storage
Firebase Storage provides secure file uploads and downloads for Firebase apps, regardless of network quality. The developer can use it to store images, audio, video, or other user-generated content. Firebase Storage is backed by Google Cloud Storage.
Firebase Hosting
Firebase Hosting is a static and dynamic web hosting service that launched on May 13, 2014. It supports hosting static files such as CSS, HTML, JavaScript and other files, as well as dynamic Node.js support through Cloud Functions. The service delivers files over a content delivery network (CDN) through HTTP Secure (HTTPS) and Secure Sockets Layer encryption (SSL). Firebase partners with Fastly, a CDN, to provide the CDN backing Firebase Hosting. The company states that Firebase Hosting grew out of customer requests; developers were using Firebase for its real-time database but needed a place to host their content.
Firebase Test Lab for Android
Firebase Test Lab for Android provides cloud-based infrastructure for testing Android apps. With one operation, developers can initiate testing of their apps across a wide variety of devices and device configurations. Test results—including logs, videos, and screenshots—are made available in the project in the Firebase console. Even if a developer hasn't written any test code for their app, Test Lab can exercise the app automatically, looking for crashes.
