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Firebase vs Parse: What are the differences?
Firebase: The Realtime App Platform. 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; Parse: The complete mobile app platform. With Parse, you can add a scalable and powerful backend in minutes and launch a full-featured app in record time without ever worrying about server management. We offer push notifications, social integration, data storage, and the ability to add rich custom logic to your app’s backend with Cloud Code.
Firebase can be classified as a tool in the "Realtime Backend / API" category, while Parse is grouped under "Mobile Backend".
Some of the features offered by Firebase are:
- 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.
On the other hand, Parse provides the following key features:
- Store basic data types, locations, photos
- Update over the air
- Data browser lets you manage, search, and update content without writing a single line of code
"Realtime backend made easy", "Fast and responsive" and "Easy setup" are the key factors why developers consider Firebase; whereas "Easy setup", "Free hosting" and "Well-documented" are the primary reasons why Parse is favored.
Instacart, 9GAG, and Twitch are some of the popular companies that use Firebase, whereas Parse is used by 500px, Movielala, and Weebly. Firebase has a broader approval, being mentioned in 859 company stacks & 992 developers stacks; compared to Parse, which is listed in 92 company stacks and 44 developer stacks.
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.
FirebaseI 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.
AblyHello 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
Pros of Firebase
- Realtime backend made easy367
- Fast and responsive268
- Easy setup240
- Real-time212
- JSON188
- Free132
- Backed by google126
- Angular adaptor82
- Reliable67
- Great customer support35
- Great documentation30
- Real-time synchronization25
- Mobile friendly21
- Rapid prototyping18
- Great security14
- Automatic scaling12
- Freakingly awesome11
- Chat8
- Angularfire is an amazing addition!8
- Super fast development8
- Firebase hosting6
- Awesome next-gen backend6
- Ios adaptor6
- Built in user auth/oauth6
- Speed of light4
- Very easy to use4
- Great3
- Brilliant for startups3
- It's made development super fast3
- Push notification2
- Free hosting2
- Free authentication solution2
- Cloud functions2
- JS Offline and Sync suport2
- Low battery consumption2
- The concurrent updates create a great experience2
- I can quickly create static web apps with no backend2
- Great all-round functionality2
- Easy to use1
- Easy Reactjs integration1
- Free SSL1
- Faster workflow1
- Google's support1
- Simple and easy1
- CDN & cache out of the box1
- Large1
- .net1
- Serverless1
- Good Free Limits1
Pros of Parse
- Easy setup118
- Free hosting77
- Well-documented62
- Cheap51
- Use push notifications in 3 lines of code47
- Fast41
- Cloud code39
- Good for prototypes32
- Cloud modules31
- Backed by facebook27
- Cross Platform7
- Parse Push7
- Multiplatform6
- Parse Core6
- Parse Analytics6
- Quick chat and profile capabilities5
- Cloud Based5
- Free Tier5
- Nice security concept4
- Local Datastore3
- Backbone Models3
- Free3
- Geopoints3
- Backend as a service3
- Easy to use2
- About to Die2
- Anonymous Users2
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Cons of Firebase
- Can become expensive31
- No open source, you depend on external company15
- Scalability is not infinite15
- Not Flexible Enough9
- Cant filter queries6
- No Relational Data3
- Very unstable server3
- Too many errors2
- No offline sync2
Cons of Parse
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