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

Cloudflare Workers vs Firebase

OverviewDecisionsComparisonAlternatives

Overview

Firebase
Firebase
Stacks42.5K
Followers36.0K
Votes2.0K
Cloudflare Workers
Cloudflare Workers
Stacks171
Followers116
Votes0

Cloudflare Workers vs Firebase: What are the differences?

  1. Deployment and Hosting: When it comes to deployment and hosting, Cloudflare Workers and Firebase have some key differences. Cloudflare Workers allow developers to deploy and run their code at the edge of Cloudflare's global network, which helps in reducing latency and improving performance. On the other hand, Firebase provides a serverless infrastructure for hosting web applications, allowing developers to easily deploy their app in a managed environment.

  2. Scalability and Performance: Cloudflare Workers are designed to handle traffic spikes and provide auto-scaling capabilities, ensuring that the application can handle a high volume of requests. It leverages the global network of Cloudflare to distribute the workload and deliver responses quickly. Firebase, on the other hand, also provides scalability and performance optimizations but is primarily focused on the Firebase Realtime Database and Firestore rather than handling HTTP requests at the edge.

  3. Pricing Model: Cloudflare Workers have a pay-as-you-go pricing model, where you are billed based on the number of requests, compute time, and memory usage. It allows developers to fine-tune costs based on usage patterns. Firebase, on the other hand, follows a usage-based pricing model with different tiers for storage, database usage, and bandwidth. The pricing is based on the amount of data stored, data transferred, and the number of concurrent users.

  4. Server-side Logic: Cloudflare Workers enable developers to execute server-side logic at the edge, closer to the end-user. This allows for faster response times and reduces the load on the origin server. Firebase, on the other hand, provides a comprehensive backend-as-a-service (BaaS) solution, allowing developers to build serverless APIs, execute business logic using Firebase Functions, and integrate with Firebase services like authentication, database, and storage.

  5. Integration Capabilities: Cloudflare Workers can seamlessly integrate with other Cloudflare services, such as Workers KV (a distributed key-value store) and Workers Sites (a static site hosting service). This allows developers to build complex applications that leverage the capabilities of Cloudflare's ecosystem. Firebase, on the other hand, provides a wide range of integrations with Google Cloud Platform services, such as Cloud Functions, Cloud Storage, and Cloud Firestore.

  6. Developer Experience: Cloudflare Workers provide a low-latency development workflow with a powerful and flexible programming model using JavaScript or WebAssembly. It also offers a command-line interface (CLI) and a web-based editor for quick code testing and deployment. Firebase, on the other hand, provides a seamless development experience integrated with Firebase CLI and Firebase SDKs, allowing developers to focus on building their applications without worrying about infrastructure management.

In summary, Cloudflare Workers excel in edge computing, scalability, and integration with Cloudflare services, while Firebase offers a comprehensive backend-as-a-service solution with a focus on real-time databases and serverless functions. The choice between the two depends on the specific requirements of the project and the trade-offs between global edge computing and managed backend services.

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Advice on Firebase, Cloudflare Workers

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
Cloudflare Workers
Cloudflare Workers

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.

Build serverless applications on Cloudflare's global cloud network of 165 data centers. It provides a lightweight JavaScript execution environment that allows developers to augment existing applications or create entirely new ones without configuring or maintaining 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.
Load balance between multiple origins to improve speed or reliability; Render HTML templates while fetching dynamic content from your origin; Dynamically respond to requests without needing to connect to an origin server at all; Generate parallel requests to different services and combine the responses; Create custom security rules and filters to block unwanted visitors and bots; Perform data sanitization and validation before sending a request to your origin; Use custom logic to decide which requests are cacheable and improve cache hit rate; Deploy fast fixes to your site in seconds without having to update your origin server
Statistics
Stacks
42.5K
Stacks
171
Followers
36.0K
Followers
116
Votes
2.0K
Votes
0
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
No community feedback yet
Integrations
Trigger.io
Trigger.io
Famo.us
Famo.us
Backbone.js
Backbone.js
Ember.js
Ember.js
AngularJS
AngularJS
React
React
Lerna
Lerna
Rust
Rust
C++
C++
JavaScript
JavaScript

What are some alternatives to Firebase, Cloudflare Workers?

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.

AWS Lambda

AWS Lambda

AWS Lambda is a compute service that runs your code in response to events and automatically manages the underlying compute resources for you. You can use AWS Lambda to extend other AWS services with custom logic, or create your own back-end services that operate at AWS scale, performance, and security.

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.

Azure Functions

Azure Functions

Azure Functions is an event driven, compute-on-demand experience that extends the existing Azure application platform with capabilities to implement code triggered by events occurring in virtually any Azure or 3rd party service as well as on-premises systems.

Google Cloud Run

Google Cloud Run

A managed compute platform that enables you to run stateless containers that are invocable via HTTP requests. It's serverless by abstracting away all infrastructure management.

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.

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