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

Firebase vs Google Cloud Run

OverviewDecisionsComparisonAlternatives

Overview

Firebase
Firebase
Stacks42.5K
Followers36.0K
Votes2.0K
Google Cloud Run
Google Cloud Run
Stacks292
Followers243
Votes62

Firebase vs Google Cloud Run: What are the differences?

Introduction

Firebase and Google Cloud Run are two popular services provided by Google that offer different functionalities for application development and deployment. While Firebase is a comprehensive mobile and web development platform, Google Cloud Run is a serverless execution environment to run stateless containers. In this article, we will explore the key differences between Firebase and Google Cloud Run.

  1. Scalability and Deployment Flexibility: Firebase provides a fully managed serverless environment, allowing developers to focus on building their applications without worrying about infrastructure management. It offers automatic scaling and deployment with minimal effort required from the developers' side. On the other hand, Google Cloud Run allows developers to run stateless containers and provides the flexibility to bring their own container images. This allows for more granular control and customization in the deployment process.

  2. Supported Programming Languages: Firebase primarily supports JavaScript and Node.js, making it an ideal choice for web and mobile application development using these languages. In contrast, Google Cloud Run supports a wide range of programming languages, including but not limited to Java, Python, Go, and Ruby. This broader language support makes Google Cloud Run more versatile for developers with different language preferences.

  3. Integration with Other Google Cloud Services: Firebase is tightly integrated with other Google Cloud services like Cloud Firestore, Cloud Functions, and Cloud Storage. This integration enables seamless data storage, real-time data synchronization, and serverless function execution within the Firebase environment. On the other hand, while Google Cloud Run also utilizes other Google Cloud services when required, it offers more flexibility in terms of integrating with various services and APIs available on the Google Cloud Platform.

  4. Pricing Model: Firebase offers a flexible pricing model based on usage, including a free tier for basic usage. It charges based on factors like storage, bandwidth, and the number of function invocations. Google Cloud Run, on the other hand, follows a pay-as-you-go pricing model based on the usage of compute resources, including CPU and memory. This model allows for more precise cost estimation and control based on the specific needs of the application.

  5. User Authentication and Authorization: Firebase offers built-in user authentication and authorization features, making it easier for developers to handle user management and security aspects of their applications. It provides authentication methods like email/password, social logins, and OAuth integrations. Google Cloud Run, on the other hand, does not provide a built-in user authentication mechanism. Developers need to handle user authentication and authorization separately, potentially utilizing other Google Cloud services or third-party solutions.

  6. Real-time Database and Caching: Firebase includes a real-time database feature, also known as Firebase Realtime Database, that allows applications to synchronize and store data in real-time. This feature is particularly useful for building collaborative and real-time applications like chat systems or live dashboards. Google Cloud Run, on the other hand, does not provide a built-in real-time database feature. Developers can still utilize other Google Cloud services or external databases for similar functionality, but it requires additional setup and integration.

In Summary, Firebase is a comprehensive mobile and web development platform that offers a fully managed serverless environment with tight integration with other Google Cloud services, while Google Cloud Run allows developers to run stateless containers with more flexibility in terms of programming languages, integrations, and deployment options.

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Advice on Firebase, Google Cloud Run

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
Clifford
Clifford

Software Engineer at Bidvest Advisory Services

Mar 28, 2020

Decided

Run cloud service containers instead of cloud-native services

  • Running containers means that your microservices are not "cooked" into a cloud provider's architecture.
  • Moving from one cloud to the next means that you simply spin up new instances of your containers in the new cloud using that cloud's container service.
  • Start redirecting your traffic to the new resources.
  • Turn off the containers in the cloud you migrated from.
71.4k views71.4k
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
Google Cloud Run
Google Cloud Run

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 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.

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.
Simple developer experience; Fast autoscaling; Managed; Any language, any library, any binary; Leverage container workflows and standards; Redundancy; Integrated logging and monitoring; Built on Knative; Custom domains
Statistics
Stacks
42.5K
Stacks
292
Followers
36.0K
Followers
243
Votes
2.0K
Votes
62
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
  • 11
    HTTPS endpoints
  • 10
    Pay per use
  • 10
    Fully managed
  • 7
    Concurrency: multiple requests sent to each container
  • 7
    Deploy containers
Integrations
Trigger.io
Trigger.io
Famo.us
Famo.us
Backbone.js
Backbone.js
Ember.js
Ember.js
AngularJS
AngularJS
React
React
Google Kubernetes Engine
Google Kubernetes Engine
Google Cloud Build
Google Cloud Build
Docker
Docker
Knative
Knative

What are some alternatives to Firebase, Google Cloud Run?

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.

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.

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