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  1. Stackups
  2. Application & Data
  3. Platform as a Service
  4. Realtime Backend API
  5. AWS Amplify vs Firebase

AWS Amplify vs Firebase

OverviewDecisionsComparisonAlternatives

Overview

Firebase
Firebase
Stacks42.5K
Followers36.0K
Votes2.0K
AWS Amplify
AWS Amplify
Stacks615
Followers552
Votes15

AWS Amplify vs Firebase: What are the differences?

Introduction:

When deciding between AWS Amplify and Firebase for building web applications, it's essential to understand the key differences to make an informed decision. Both platforms offer significant features and services that cater to a wide range of needs, but they differ in their approach and capabilities.

  1. Backend Infrastructure: AWS Amplify provides a platform that allows developers to access and manage various AWS services, such as Lambda, API Gateway, and DynamoDB, for building scalable and secure backends. On the other hand, Firebase offers a fully managed backend service, including real-time database, authentication, and cloud functions, making it easier for developers to set up and maintain backend infrastructure without dealing with individual AWS services.

  2. Scalability: AWS Amplify leverages the extensive infrastructure of AWS, allowing applications to scale seamlessly based on traffic demands. Firebase, on the other hand, provides automatic scaling capabilities; however, it may not offer the same level of scalability as AWS Amplify for highly complex and demanding applications.

  3. Authentication: Firebase offers a straightforward authentication and user management system out-of-the-box, making it easy to integrate features like email/password authentication, social logins, and anonymous sign-ins. AWS Amplify also provides authentication services but may require additional configurations and setup compared to Firebase, especially for complex authentication workflows.

  4. Real-time Database: Firebase is well-known for its real-time database, which uses WebSockets to provide synchronous data updates. This feature enables developers to create real-time applications easily. On the other hand, AWS Amplify supports GraphQL APIs for real-time data updates, offering a more structured approach for building real-time applications.

  5. Serverless Functions: AWS Amplify integrates seamlessly with AWS Lambda functions, allowing developers to run serverless code in response to events. Firebase, on the other hand, allows developers to create and deploy cloud functions that seamlessly integrate with other Firebase services, providing a serverless computing environment for running backend code.

  6. Integration with Other AWS Services: AWS Amplify offers tight integration with various AWS services, providing developers with a comprehensive toolkit for building and managing web applications. Firebase, while it offers a range of services, may not have the same level of integration with other Google Cloud Platform services as AWS Amplify does with AWS services.

In Summary, understanding the key differences between AWS Amplify and Firebase is crucial for choosing the right platform based on your project requirements.

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Advice on Firebase, AWS Amplify

Jared
Jared

Contractor at Insight Global

Aug 9, 2019

ReviewonFirebaseFirebase

I started using Firebase over 5 years ago because of the 'real-time' nature. I originally used to use Real Time Database, but now I use Cloud Firestore. I recommend using the Google Firebase PaaS to quickly develop or prototype small to enterprise level web/mobile applications. Since Google purchased Firebase, it has exploded and it growing rapidly. I also find some level of comfort that it is Backed by Google.

272k views272k
Comments
Noam
Noam

Jul 16, 2020

Needs adviceonNode.jsNode.jsExpressJSExpressJSReactReact

We are starting to work on a web-based platform aiming to connect artists (clients) and professional freelancers (service providers). In-app, timeline-based, real-time communication between users (& storing it), file transfers, and push notifications are essential core features. We are considering using Node.js, ExpressJS, React, MongoDB stack with Socket.IO & Apollo, or maybe using Real-Time Database and functionalities of Firebase.

1.15M views1.15M
Comments
Noel
Noel

Founder, CEO, CTO at NoFilter

Jun 17, 2020

Decided

Firebase is the most powerful platform that I saw to support an MVP stage of a project that implies a website + mobile applications.

Be careful with what I say there: "to support an MVP". Firebase is awesome for early stages, but it has some huge technical problems.

Let's talk now about the PROS:

  • With a few clicks, you have a full platform, with an AWESOME free tier, ready to be used. Serverless support for static files (your website in JS, probably), backend support for realtime DB, or even Google Cloud Functions made simple (Firebase Functions).
  • Probably one of the most important things: You can integrate Analytics, and Push Notifications to your Android and iOS app with a few clicks.
  • NoSQL DB (this may also be consider as a CONS. Careful here.
  • With Firebase Functions, it's super simple to have global vars in memory, to speed up the backend responses
  • Awesome support with Expo (awesome technology for mobile MVPs)
  • Super simple local testing. Just run firebase init and then npm run serve and you'll have your backend running in your local env.
  • Huge Authorization+Authentication integrated flows: Login with Facebook, Gmail, and all the other options, with just a couple of minutes of configurations and barely few lines of code.

Now, some CONS:

  • In Firebase Firestore DB (the DB you'll probably use): Compound queries are not allowed. For example, you can NOT do this: .where("state", ">=", "CA").where("population", ">", 100000). You can't combine different attributes of the object in the where query. Read more about that limitation in https://firebase.google.com/docs/firestore/query-data/queries#compound_queries

  • In Firebase Functions: OR querys (like where user_status = 2 OR user_status = 3 in SQL) are not allowed. Yes... This is HUGE. Not be able to do an OR query is a huge blocker in performance. Luckily in the last months Firebase added an "IN" query, where you can do .where('country', 'in', ['USA', 'Japan']) but it's limited to only 10 values in the in array. Good enough, but still some limitations there. Check more about that limitation in https://firebase.google.com/docs/firestore/query-data/queries#in_not-in_and_array-contains-any

Feel free to ask any question, and I'll share some details here

13.1k views13.1k
Comments

Detailed Comparison

Firebase
Firebase
AWS Amplify
AWS Amplify

Firebase is a cloud service designed to power real-time, collaborative applications. Simply add the Firebase library to your application to gain access to a shared data structure; any changes you make to that data are automatically synchronized with the Firebase cloud and with other clients within milliseconds.

A JavaScript library for frontend and mobile developers building cloud-enabled applications. The library is a declarative interface across different categories of operations in order to make common tasks easier to add into your application. The default implementation works with Amazon Web Services (AWS) resources but is designed to be open and pluggable for usage with other cloud services that wish to provide an implementation or custom backends.

Add the Firebase library to your app and get access to a shared data structure. Any changes made to that data are automatically synchronized with the Firebase cloud and with other clients within milliseconds.;Firebase apps can be written entirely with client-side code, update in real-time out-of-the-box, interoperate well with existing services, scale automatically, and provide strong data security.;Data Accessibility- Data is stored as JSON in Firebase. Every piece of data has its own URL which can be used in Firebase's client libraries and as a REST endpoint. These URLs can also be entered into a browser to view the data and watch it update in real-time.;Real-time Synchronization- Firebase takes a new approach to the way data is moved around an app. Rather than using a traditional request & response model, it works by synchronizing data between devices. Whenever your data changes, all clients are immediately notified within milliseconds. The synchronized data is also persisted, allowing new clients to be immediately updated.;First-class Data Security- Traditional applications intermix security code with application code, whereas Firebase treats security as a first-class feature. You define your security policies in one place using a flexible rules language, and Firebase ensures that they are consistently enforced across all parts of your application. Having all your security logic in one place allows for easy auditing and helps you avoid security mistakes. The safety and security of your data is our top priority.;Automatic Scaling- The Firebase API is built from the ground up for performance and scale. Whenever your data changes, Firebase calculates the minimum set of updates required to keep all your clients in sync. In addition, all Firebase API functions are designed to scale linearly with the size of the data being synchronized. More importantly, Firebase handles all of the scaling and operations for you. Your app will scale from its first user to its first million without any code changes.;Servers are Optional- Firebase can provide all of the data storage, control, and transmission needs of most apps. In many cases, Firebase can completely replace your server and server-side code. This means you no longer need to build complicated backend software and can instead focus on your application logic and your customers.
-
Statistics
Stacks
42.5K
Stacks
615
Followers
36.0K
Followers
552
Votes
2.0K
Votes
15
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 371
    Realtime backend made easy
  • 270
    Fast and responsive
  • 242
    Easy setup
  • 215
    Real-time
  • 191
    JSON
Cons
  • 31
    Can become expensive
  • 16
    No open source, you depend on external company
  • 15
    Scalability is not infinite
  • 9
    Not Flexible Enough
  • 7
    Cant filter queries
Pros
  • 5
    GraphQL
  • 3
    Better with Relations and Security
  • 2
    Cheaper
  • 2
    Flexible Auth options
  • 1
    Config free environment variables
Cons
  • 2
    Free tier is limited
  • 1
    Steep Learning Curve
Integrations
Trigger.io
Trigger.io
Famo.us
Famo.us
Backbone.js
Backbone.js
Ember.js
Ember.js
AngularJS
AngularJS
React
React
JavaScript
JavaScript
React Native
React Native
React
React
Amazon S3
Amazon S3
Amazon API Gateway
Amazon API Gateway
Amazon Cognito
Amazon Cognito

What are some alternatives to Firebase, AWS Amplify?

Socket.IO

Socket.IO

It enables real-time bidirectional event-based communication. It works on every platform, browser or device, focusing equally on reliability and speed.

PubNub

PubNub

PubNub makes it easy for you to add real-time capabilities to your apps, without worrying about the infrastructure. Build apps that allow your users to engage in real-time across mobile, browser, desktop and server.

Pusher

Pusher

Pusher is the category leader in delightful APIs for app developers building communication and collaboration features.

SignalR

SignalR

SignalR allows bi-directional communication between server and client. Servers can now push content to connected clients instantly as it becomes available. SignalR supports Web Sockets, and falls back to other compatible techniques for older browsers. SignalR includes APIs for connection management (for instance, connect and disconnect events), grouping connections, and authorization.

Ably

Ably

Ably offers WebSockets, stream resume, history, presence, and managed third-party integrations to make it simple to build, extend, and deliver digital realtime experiences at scale.

Syncano

Syncano

Syncano is a backend platform to build powerful real-time apps more efficiently. Integrate with any API, minimize boilerplate code and control your data - all from one place.

NATS

NATS

Unlike traditional enterprise messaging systems, NATS has an always-on dial tone that does whatever it takes to remain available. This forms a great base for building modern, reliable, and scalable cloud and distributed systems.

SocketCluster

SocketCluster

SocketCluster is a fast, highly scalable HTTP + realtime server engine which lets you build multi-process realtime servers that make use of all CPU cores on a machine/instance. It removes the limitations of having to run your Node.js server as a single thread and makes your backend resilient by automatically recovering from worker crashes and aggregating errors into a central log.

deepstream.io

deepstream.io

Scalable Server for Realtime Web Apps with JSON structures that can be read, manipulated and listened to, messages that can be sent to one or more subscribers, and request response workflows, between two clients or servers.

8base

8base

A cloud service designed to power enterprise-grade web and mobile applications that require support for large numbers of users, complex data and transactional requirements, comprehensive role-based security and a modern look-and-feel.

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