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  1. Stackups
  2. Application & Data
  3. Platform as a Service
  4. Realtime Backend API
  5. Back4App vs Firebase

Back4App vs Firebase

OverviewDecisionsComparisonAlternatives

Overview

Firebase
Firebase
Stacks42.5K
Followers36.0K
Votes2.0K
Back4App
Back4App
Stacks31
Followers120
Votes18

Back4App vs Firebase: What are the differences?

Introduction

In this comparison, we will highlight the key differences between Back4App and Firebase, two popular backend as a service (BaaS) platforms. Both platforms offer a wide range of features and services for developing and managing mobile and web applications.

  1. Scalability and Performance: Back4App offers automatic vertical and horizontal scalability, allowing applications to handle increasing loads without manual intervention. It utilizes a global CDN (Content Delivery Network) for efficient content distribution. On the other hand, Firebase offers a scalable infrastructure powered by Google Cloud Platform, ensuring high performance and reliability for applications of any size.

  2. Real-time Database: Firebase's real-time database is a NoSQL, JSON-based database that enables real-time synchronization and data updates across multiple clients. It uses WebSockets for real-time data synchronization, providing instantaneous updates for collaborative applications, chat systems, etc. In contrast, Back4App offers a more traditional SQL-based database, which may require additional effort to implement real-time features.

  3. Serverless Functions: Firebase provides the Cloud Functions for Firebase feature, allowing developers to write serverless functions that can be triggered by various events within the platform. These functions can be used to implement customized business logic, process data, and integrate with external services. Back4App does not offer a similar serverless function feature, requiring developers to handle backend logic using alternative methods.

  4. Deployment and Hosting: Firebase provides Firebase Hosting, a fast and secure hosting service for web applications. It simplifies the deployment process by providing a single command to deploy web content to a global CDN with SSL support. Back4App does not offer a built-in hosting service, requiring developers to use external hosting providers or manually deploy their applications.

  5. GraphQL Support: Back4App offers built-in support for GraphQL, an alternative to traditional REST APIs. GraphQL allows clients to request only the data they need, reducing over-fetching and under-fetching issues commonly seen in REST APIs. Firebase does not natively support GraphQL, but developers can still implement it using additional libraries or frameworks.

  6. Pricing Structure: Back4App offers a flexible pricing structure, allowing developers to choose between a freemium plan and various paid plans based on usage and additional features. Firebase, on the other hand, has a more tiered pricing structure, with a free plan and several pricing tiers based on usage and additional features.

In Summary, Back4App and Firebase differ in their scalability and performance capabilities, database types, serverless function support, deployment and hosting options, GraphQL support, and pricing structures. These differences should be considered when choosing a backend as a service platform for developing and managing applications.

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Advice on Firebase, Back4App

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

Detailed Comparison

Firebase
Firebase
Back4App
Back4App

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.

Back4app accelerates backend development, improves development productivity, reduces time to market, and let you scale applications without managing infrastructure.

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.
Database API Serveless Functions Authentication Notifications
Statistics
Stacks
42.5K
Stacks
31
Followers
36.0K
Followers
120
Votes
2.0K
Votes
18
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
  • 3
    Graphql support
  • 2
    Fastest and most complete backend as a service
  • 2
    Open source backend as a service
  • 2
    Great documentation
  • 2
    Easily clone an app
Integrations
Trigger.io
Trigger.io
Famo.us
Famo.us
Backbone.js
Backbone.js
Ember.js
Ember.js
AngularJS
AngularJS
React
React
Objective-C
Objective-C
Swift
Swift
Xamarin
Xamarin
JavaScript
JavaScript
GraphQL
GraphQL
Android OS
Android OS

What are some alternatives to Firebase, Back4App?

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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