Overview

Firebase

Stacks42.5K

Followers36.0K

Votes2.0K

Google Cloud Pub/Sub

Stacks550

Followers428

Votes13

Firebase vs Google Cloud Pub/Sub: What are the differences?

Introduction

Firebase and Google Cloud Pub/Sub are both products offered by Google for developers to build and manage their applications. While they serve different purposes, there are several key differences between the two.

Scalability: Firebase is a comprehensive mobile and web development platform that provides real-time database, storage, authentication, and various other services. It is designed to be scalable and can handle large amounts of traffic and data. On the other hand, Google Cloud Pub/Sub is a messaging service that allows decoupling of applications by providing reliable asychronous communication. It is also highly scalable, allowing for the processing of millions of messages per second.
Data Structure: Firebase stores data in a JSON-like format, offering a flexible and document-based database. This makes it easier to work with and allows for easy synchronization between clients and the server. In contrast, Google Cloud Pub/Sub is not a database but a message queue system. It handles messages in the form of binary data or text and does not provide storage for persistent data.
Real-time Updates: One of the main features of Firebase is its ability to synchronize data in real-time between clients and the server. This means that any changes made to the data on the server are immediately reflected on connected clients, enabling real-time collaboration and updating of user interfaces. Google Cloud Pub/Sub, on the other hand, focuses on asynchronous messaging and does not provide built-in real-time updates.
Data Querying: Firebase offers powerful querying capabilities, including sorting, filtering, and retrieving data based on various criteria. It also supports complex queries such as multi-level filtering and ordering. Google Cloud Pub/Sub, being a messaging service, does not provide querying capabilities as it is primarily used for distributing messages between publishers and subscribers.
Authentication and Authorization: Firebase offers built-in authentication and authorization features, making it easy to authenticate users and restrict access to resources based on user roles and permissions. It provides various authentication providers such as email/password, Google, Facebook, etc. Google Cloud Pub/Sub, on the other hand, does not provide authentication and authorization features out-of-the-box. Developers need to handle authentication separately if needed.
Integration with Other Services: Firebase integrates seamlessly with other Google services such as Cloud Functions, Cloud Storage, and Analytics. This allows developers to build advanced backend functionalities and leverage additional services provided by Google. Google Cloud Pub/Sub also integrates with other Google Cloud services but is more focused on messaging and event-driven architectures.

In Summary, Firebase is a comprehensive development platform that provides real-time database, storage, authentication, and various other services with powerful querying capabilities and real-time updates. On the other hand, Google Cloud Pub/Sub is a highly-scalable messaging service that allows decoupling of applications and processing of millions of messages per second, but does not offer querying capabilities or built-in authentication and authorization features.

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Advice on Firebase, Google Cloud Pub/Sub

Jared

Contractor at Insight Global

Aug 9, 2019

Reviewon

Firebase

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

Jul 16, 2020

Needs adviceon

Node.js

ExpressJS

React

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

Eric

Owner at The Richner Group

Sep 24, 2020

Needs adviceon

React

Elasticsearch

Firebase

We are starting to work on a web-based platform aiming to connect investors/wholesalers (clients) and buyers (service providers). A third service provider, lenders, will be added in the future.

The ability to create profiles of buyers w/ their buying criteria, to create saved records of properties for sale (provided by client) to be cross-referenced against the buyers' criteria is our core functionality.

In-app, timeline-based, real-time communication between users (& storing it), file transfers, and push notifications are post MVP features we would like as well.

We are considering using React, Elasticsearch / App Search w/ their Search UI, and using Real-Time Database and functionalities of Firebase.

30.1k views30.1k

Comments

Detailed Comparison

Firebase	Google Cloud Pub/Sub
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.	Cloud Pub/Sub is a fully-managed real-time messaging service that allows you to send and receive messages between independent applications. You can leverage Cloud Pub/Sub’s flexibility to decouple systems and components hosted on Google Cloud Platform or elsewhere on the Internet.
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 550
Followers 36.0K	Followers 428
Votes 2.0K	Votes 13
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 9 Easy to set-up and start with 2 Efficient and practical for complex systems 2 A great choice for microservice architecture Cons 2 Need integration with stackdriver for monitoring
Integrations
Trigger.io Famo.us Backbone.js Ember.js AngularJS React	Google Cloud Functions Cloud Functions for Firebase

What are some alternatives to Firebase, Google Cloud Pub/Sub?

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

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 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 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

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 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

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

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.