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Firebase vs Microsoft Azure: What are the differences?
Firebase is known for its simplicity, real-time database, and seamless integration with mobile and web applications, while Microsoft Azure provides a robust and scalable cloud ecosystem with extensive support for various programming languages and services, making it suitable for enterprise-level solutions.
Integration with Other Services: One key difference between Firebase and Microsoft Azure is their level of integration with other services. Firebase is tightly integrated with other Google services such as Google Cloud Platform, Google Analytics, and Google AdMob, making it easier to incorporate these services into your app. Microsoft Azure, on the other hand, offers integration with various Microsoft products and services, including Azure Active Directory, Office 365, and Dynamics 365.
Pricing Model: Another important difference is the pricing model of Firebase and Microsoft Azure. Firebase provides a pay-as-you-go pricing model, where you pay for the resources your app consumes. It offers a free tier with limited usage and additional paid plans based on your app's requirements. Microsoft Azure, on the other hand, offers a more complex pricing structure with different pricing options for various services. It provides both pay-as-you-go and subscription-based models, allowing you to choose the most suitable option based on your app's needs.
Support for Different Platforms: Firebase is primarily focused on mobile and web applications. It provides a comprehensive set of tools and services specifically designed for developing apps for iOS, Android, and the web. Microsoft Azure, on the other hand, offers a wider range of services that cater to various platforms including mobile, web, desktop, and even IoT. It provides extensive support for different programming languages and frameworks, making it suitable for a diverse range of application development scenarios.
Database Options: Firebase primarily offers a NoSQL database called Cloud Firestore, which is designed for scalable, real-time applications. It provides real-time synchronization and offline support out of the box. Microsoft Azure, on the other hand, provides various database options including Azure Cosmos DB, Azure SQL Database, and Azure Database for PostgreSQL.
Serverless Computing: Firebase offers a serverless computing platform called Firebase Cloud Functions. With Cloud Functions, developers can write small pieces of code that execute in response to events, such as changes to data in the Firestore database. Microsoft Azure provides a similar serverless computing platform called Azure Functions, which allows developers to execute code in a serverless environment.
In summary, Firebase is tightly integrated with Google services, offers a simpler pricing model, and focuses on mobile and web applications. Microsoft Azure provides a wider range of services, supports various platforms, offers different database options, and provides a comprehensive serverless computing platform.
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 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
- Chat8
- Angularfire is an amazing addition!8
- Super fast development8
- Built in user auth/oauth6
- Firebase hosting6
- Ios adaptor6
- Awesome next-gen backend6
- Speed of light4
- Very easy to use4
- Great3
- It's made development super fast3
- Brilliant for startups3
- Free hosting2
- Cloud functions2
- JS Offline and Sync suport2
- Low battery consumption2
- .net2
- The concurrent updates create a great experience2
- Push notification2
- I can quickly create static web apps with no backend2
- Great all-round functionality2
- Free authentication solution2
- Easy Reactjs integration1
- Google's support1
- Free SSL1
- CDN & cache out of the box1
- Easy to use1
- Large1
- Faster workflow1
- Serverless1
- Good Free Limits1
- Simple and easy1
Pros of Microsoft Azure
- Scales well and quite easy114
- Can use .Net or open source tools96
- Startup friendly81
- Startup plans via BizSpark73
- High performance62
- Wide choice of services38
- Low cost32
- Lots of integrations32
- Reliability31
- Twillio & Github are directly accessible19
- RESTful API13
- PaaS10
- Enterprise Grade10
- Startup support10
- DocumentDB8
- In person support7
- Free for students6
- Service Bus6
- Virtual Machines6
- Redis Cache5
- It rocks5
- Storage, Backup, and Recovery4
- Infrastructure Services4
- SQL Databases4
- CDN4
- Integration3
- Scheduler3
- Preview Portal3
- HDInsight3
- Built on Node.js3
- Big Data3
- BizSpark 60k Azure Benefit3
- IaaS3
- Backup2
- Open cloud2
- Web2
- SaaS2
- Big Compute2
- Mobile2
- Media2
- Dev-Test2
- Storage2
- StorSimple2
- Machine Learning2
- Stream Analytics2
- Data Factory2
- Event Hubs2
- Virtual Network2
- ExpressRoute2
- Traffic Manager2
- Media Services2
- BizTalk Services2
- Site Recovery2
- Active Directory2
- Multi-Factor Authentication2
- Visual Studio Online2
- Application Insights2
- Automation2
- Operational Insights2
- Key Vault2
- Infrastructure near your customers2
- Easy Deployment2
- Enterprise customer preferences1
- Documentation1
- Security1
- Best cloud platfrom1
- Easy and fast to start with1
- Remote Debugging1
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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
Cons of Microsoft Azure
- Confusing UI7
- Expensive plesk on Azure2
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