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AWS Elastic Beanstalk vs Firebase: What are the differences?
Introduction
In this article, we will discuss the key differences between AWS Elastic Beanstalk and Firebase. Both of these services are popular choices for deploying and managing web applications, but they have some important distinctions. Let's explore these differences in detail.
Deployment Model: AWS Elastic Beanstalk is designed for more traditional server-based applications and provides a platform that automates the deployment and management of the underlying infrastructure. It allows developers to focus on writing code without worrying about the underlying infrastructure. On the other hand, Firebase is a serverless platform that abstracts away the infrastructure entirely. It provides a backend-as-a-service (BaaS) that allows developers to build and deploy applications without managing servers. Firebase focuses on real-time database updates and mobile app development.
Scalability and Scaling Options: Elastic Beanstalk offers several scaling options, such as manual scaling, automatic scaling based on CPU usage, and automatic scaling based on application metrics. It allows you to scale your application vertically or horizontally based on demand. Firebase, on the other hand, provides automatic scaling out-of-the-box. It automatically scales your application based on the load and ensures that your application can handle the incoming traffic without any configuration.
Database and Storage: AWS Elastic Beanstalk does not provide any specific database or storage solution. You are free to choose and configure your own database and storage services (e.g., Amazon RDS for databases and Amazon S3 for storage) based on your requirements. In contrast, Firebase provides a NoSQL database called Cloud Firestore, which is a scalable and flexible document database. It also offers Firebase Cloud Storage for storing and serving user-generated content.
Authentication and User Management: Firebase provides a built-in authentication service that allows developers to easily implement user registration, login, and authentication features in their applications. It supports various authentication providers like email/password, Google, Facebook, etc. Elastic Beanstalk, on the other hand, does not provide any built-in authentication service. You will need to implement authentication and user management by integrating with other services or implementing your own.
Integration with Other AWS Services: As part of the AWS ecosystem, Elastic Beanstalk seamlessly integrates with a wide range of AWS services. This allows you to leverage other AWS services like Amazon RDS for databases, Amazon S3 for storage, Amazon CloudWatch for monitoring, etc., to enhance the functionality of your application. Firebase, being a Google product, integrates well with other Google services like Google Analytics, Google Cloud Storage, etc., but does not have direct integrations with AWS services.
Pricing Model: AWS Elastic Beanstalk pricing is based on the underlying AWS resources used by your application, such as EC2 instances, load balancers, storage, etc. You are billed for the resources consumed at their respective rates. Firebase, on the other hand, offers a pay-as-you-go pricing model based on usage. It provides a free tier with limited usage and offers different pricing plans based on your application's needs.
In summary, AWS Elastic Beanstalk is a more traditional platform that provides infrastructure automation and flexible integration with various AWS services. Firebase, on the other hand, focuses on serverless development, real-time updates, and provides a complete backend-as-a-service for building web and mobile applications. The choice between Elastic Beanstalk and Firebase depends on the specific requirements and preferences of your project.
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.
I would recommend looking hard into Firebase
for this project, especially if you do not have dedicated full-stack or backend members on your team.
The real time database, as you mentioned, is a great option, but I would also look into Firestore
. Similar to RTDB, it adds more functions and some cool methods as well. Also, another great thing about Firebase is you have easy access to storage and dead simple auth as well.
Node.js
Express
MongoDB
Socket.IO
and Apollo
are great technologies as well, and may be the better option if you do not wish to cede as much control to third parties in your application.
Overall, I say if you wish to focus more time developing your React
application instead of other parts of your stack, Firebase
is a great way to do that.
Hello Noam 👋,
I suggest taking a look at Ably, it has all the realtime features you need and the platform is designed to guarantee critical functionality at scale.
Here is an in depth comparison between Ably and Firebase
Hey Noam,
I would recommend you to take a look into 8base. It has features you've requested, also relation database and GraphQL API which will help you to develop rapidly.
Thanks, Ilya
Pros of AWS Elastic Beanstalk
- Integrates with other aws services77
- Simple deployment65
- Fast44
- Painless28
- Free16
- Well-documented4
- Independend app container3
- Postgres hosting2
- Ability to be customized2
Pros of Firebase
- Realtime backend made easy371
- Fast and responsive270
- Easy setup242
- Real-time215
- JSON191
- Free134
- Backed by google128
- Angular adaptor83
- Reliable68
- Great customer support36
- Great documentation32
- Real-time synchronization25
- Mobile friendly21
- Rapid prototyping18
- Great security14
- Automatic scaling12
- Freakingly awesome11
- Super fast development8
- Angularfire is an amazing addition!8
- Chat8
- Built in user auth/oauth6
- Ios adaptor6
- Awesome next-gen backend6
- Firebase hosting6
- Speed of light4
- Very easy to use4
- Great3
- It's made development super fast3
- Brilliant for startups3
- The concurrent updates create a great experience2
- Push notification2
- .net2
- Cloud functions2
- Free hosting2
- Free authentication solution2
- JS Offline and Sync suport2
- Low battery consumption2
- I can quickly create static web apps with no backend2
- Great all-round functionality2
- Large1
- Easy to use1
- Free SSL1
- Faster workflow1
- Google's support1
- CDN & cache out of the box1
- Easy Reactjs integration1
- Simple and easy1
- Good Free Limits1
- Serverless1
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Cons of AWS Elastic Beanstalk
- Charges appear automatically after exceeding free quota2
- Lots of moving parts and config1
- Slow deployments0
Cons of Firebase
- Can become expensive31
- No open source, you depend on external company16
- Scalability is not infinite15
- Not Flexible Enough9
- Cant filter queries7
- Very unstable server3
- No Relational Data3
- Too many errors2
- No offline sync2