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

Firebase vs RxDB

OverviewDecisionsComparisonAlternatives

Overview

Firebase
Firebase
Stacks42.5K
Followers36.0K
Votes2.0K
RxDB
RxDB
Stacks59
Followers179
Votes63
GitHub Stars22.8K
Forks1.1K

Firebase vs RxDB: What are the differences?

Introduction

Firebase and RxDB are both popular technologies used for building web and mobile applications. While Firebase is a cloud-based platform that offers various services for backend development, RxDB is a client-side database that provides seamless data synchronization between devices. Although they serve different purposes, there are several key differences between Firebase and RxDB.

  1. Scalability: Firebase is highly scalable and can handle a large number of concurrent users and data requests. It automatically scales resources based on demand, making it suitable for applications with high traffic. On the other hand, RxDB is more focused on client-side storage and synchronization, making it ideal for applications that don't require the same level of scalability as Firebase.

  2. Real-time Data Sync: Firebase provides real-time data synchronization out of the box. Any changes made to the database are instantly propagated to all connected devices, allowing for real-time collaboration and updates. RxDB also supports real-time data synchronization, but it primarily focuses on peer-to-peer data replication between the clients, providing offline capabilities and conflict resolution.

  3. Data Retrieval: Firebase offers powerful querying capabilities for retrieving data from the database. It supports complex queries, sorting, filtering, and indexing, making it easy to fetch data based on specific criteria. RxDB provides basic querying capabilities, but it doesn't offer the same level of flexibility and advanced querying options as Firebase.

  4. Authentication and Authorization: Firebase provides a comprehensive authentication and authorization system, supporting various authentication methods like email/password, social login, and custom authentication. It also offers fine-grained access control using Firebase's security rules. RxDB, on the other hand, is a client-side database and does not provide built-in authentication and authorization features. Developers need to handle authentication separately when using RxDB in their applications.

  5. Data Storage: Firebase offers cloud storage services where you can store files and static assets securely. It provides features like file metadata, access control, and integrations with other Firebase services. RxDB, being a client-side database, does not provide direct support for file storage. However, you can still use other cloud storage solutions in conjunction with RxDB to handle file storage requirements.

  6. Development Environment: Firebase provides a comprehensive development environment with a web-based console, SDKs for various platforms, and integrations with popular development tools like Firebase CLI, Firestore emulator, and Firebase hosting. RxDB, being a client-side database, is more lightweight and does not require a complex development environment. It can be easily integrated into existing projects without the need for additional setup or infrastructure.

In Summary, Firebase is a scalable cloud-based platform providing various backend services and real-time data synchronization, while RxDB is a client-side database focusing on peer-to-peer data replication and offline capabilities. Firebase offers advanced querying, authentication, and storage options, whereas RxDB is lightweight and easy to integrate.

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Advice on Firebase, RxDB

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
RxDB
RxDB

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.

💻 📱 Reactive, serverless, client-side, offline-first database in javascript. Client-Side Database for Browsers, NodeJS, electron, cordova, react-native and every other javascript-runtime.

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.
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Statistics
GitHub Stars
-
GitHub Stars
22.8K
GitHub Forks
-
GitHub Forks
1.1K
Stacks
42.5K
Stacks
59
Followers
36.0K
Followers
179
Votes
2.0K
Votes
63
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
  • 15
    Good documentation
  • 13
    Subscription to queries
  • 11
    Example projects
  • 10
    Works
  • 10
    Typescript support
Cons
  • 4
    Bulk operation for updates and other operation
Integrations
Trigger.io
Trigger.io
Famo.us
Famo.us
Backbone.js
Backbone.js
Ember.js
Ember.js
AngularJS
AngularJS
React
React
Pouchdb
Pouchdb
CouchDB
CouchDB
Cloudant
Cloudant
React
React
Angular
Angular
Ionic
Ionic
Vue.js
Vue.js

What are some alternatives to Firebase, RxDB?

MongoDB

MongoDB

MongoDB stores data in JSON-like documents that can vary in structure, offering a dynamic, flexible schema. MongoDB was also designed for high availability and scalability, with built-in replication and auto-sharding.

MySQL

MySQL

The MySQL software delivers a very fast, multi-threaded, multi-user, and robust SQL (Structured Query Language) database server. MySQL Server is intended for mission-critical, heavy-load production systems as well as for embedding into mass-deployed software.

PostgreSQL

PostgreSQL

PostgreSQL is an advanced object-relational database management system that supports an extended subset of the SQL standard, including transactions, foreign keys, subqueries, triggers, user-defined types and functions.

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.

Microsoft SQL Server

Microsoft SQL Server

Microsoft® SQL Server is a database management and analysis system for e-commerce, line-of-business, and data warehousing solutions.

SQLite

SQLite

SQLite is an embedded SQL database engine. Unlike most other SQL databases, SQLite does not have a separate server process. SQLite reads and writes directly to ordinary disk files. A complete SQL database with multiple tables, indices, triggers, and views, is contained in a single disk file.

Cassandra

Cassandra

Partitioning means that Cassandra can distribute your data across multiple machines in an application-transparent matter. Cassandra will automatically repartition as machines are added and removed from the cluster. Row store means that like relational databases, Cassandra organizes data by rows and columns. The Cassandra Query Language (CQL) is a close relative of SQL.

Memcached

Memcached

Memcached is an in-memory key-value store for small chunks of arbitrary data (strings, objects) from results of database calls, API calls, or page rendering.

MariaDB

MariaDB

Started by core members of the original MySQL team, MariaDB actively works with outside developers to deliver the most featureful, stable, and sanely licensed open SQL server in the industry. MariaDB is designed as a drop-in replacement of MySQL(R) with more features, new storage engines, fewer bugs, and better performance.

RethinkDB

RethinkDB

RethinkDB is built to store JSON documents, and scale to multiple machines with very little effort. It has a pleasant query language that supports really useful queries like table joins and group by, and is easy to setup and learn.

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