Need advice about which tool to choose?Ask the StackShare community!
Firebase vs XMPP: What are the differences?
Firebase and XMPP are two different real-time communication technologies commonly used in web applications. Firebase is a platform provided by Google that offers various services for app development, including real-time databases and cloud messaging. On the other hand, XMPP (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol) is an open-source communication protocol.
Data Storage: Firebase provides a real-time database that synchronizes data in real-time across all connected clients, while XMPP does not offer a built-in database feature and primarily focuses on message delivery.
Scalability: Firebase scales automatically to handle a large number of concurrent connections and data storage requirements, making it suitable for rapidly growing applications. In contrast, XMPP may require additional configuration and infrastructure to handle scalability needs effectively.
Programming Language support: Firebase supports multiple programming languages like JavaScript, Java, and Python for building applications, whereas XMPP typically relies on the XMPP protocol, limiting its support to languages with XMPP libraries.
Community and Support: Firebase has a robust community and support system provided by Google, offering extensive documentation and resources for developers. XMPP, being an open-source protocol, relies on community-driven support, which may not always be as extensive or readily accessible.
Real-time Communication: While both Firebase and XMPP support real-time communication, Firebase's real-time database and messaging services are tightly integrated into the platform, providing a seamless experience for developers, whereas XMPP's focus on message exchange may require additional components for real-time features.
Customizability: Firebase offers a set of predefined services and functionalities, making it easy to get started quickly, while XMPP provides more flexibility and customization options since it is a protocol that can be implemented in various ways to suit specific project requirements.
In Summary, Firebase and XMPP differ in data storage capabilities, scalability, programming language support, community support, real-time communication integration, and customizability.
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 prototyping19
- Great security14
- Automatic scaling12
- Freakingly awesome11
- Super fast development8
- Angularfire is an amazing addition!8
- Chat8
- Firebase hosting6
- Built in user auth/oauth6
- Awesome next-gen backend6
- Ios adaptor6
- 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 XMPP
Sign up to add or upvote prosMake informed product decisions
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 XMPP
Sign up to add or upvote consMake informed product decisions
What is Firebase?
What is XMPP?
Need advice about which tool to choose?Ask the StackShare community!
What companies use XMPP?
Sign up to get full access to all the companiesMake informed product decisions
What tools integrate with XMPP?
Sign up to get full access to all the tool integrationsMake informed product decisions
Blog Posts
+5