Firebase is Google's app platform for push notifications, real-time data, sign-in and analytics. It also covers file storage and crash reporting, all as ready-made services, so you do not have to run a server for each one.

For a business owner, Firebase shortens the path to launch. Features that would otherwise take weeks to build, such as notifying every customer with a pending order, become services we configure and connect to your app.

What we build with it

  • Push notifications for order updates, reminders and offers in Flutter apps
  • Phone number and email sign-in for customer apps
  • Live order status, chat and delivery tracking using real-time data
  • Analytics that show which screens customers use and where they drop off
  • Crash reporting so problems in released apps are found and fixed quickly
  • Backends for early versions of a product, when a founder wants to test an idea before investing in custom servers

Why we choose it

  • Fits Flutter well. Google maintains Flutter and Firebase side by side, so the integration is straightforward and well documented.
  • Less infrastructure to manage. There are no servers to patch for sign-in, notifications or analytics.
  • Real-time by design. Data changes appear on every connected device almost immediately, which suits chat and tracking.
  • Free to start. The free tier covers development and many early-stage apps; you pay as usage grows.

When something else fits better

Firebase's database is not a good home for complex business data with many relationships, such as accounting, inventory or payroll. Reporting across that kind of data is awkward, and costs can rise with heavy reads. For those systems we use a relational database behind a NodeJS or .NET API, and keep Firebase for what it does best: notifications, sign-in and analytics.

How we work with it

  • We write security rules alongside the app code and test them, since they are what protects your data.
  • Separate Firebase projects for development and production keep test data away from real customers.
  • We model data around how the app reads it, to keep read counts, and bills, under control.
  • Crash reporting and analytics events are set up from the first release, not added after problems appear.
  • At handover the Firebase projects sit in your Google account, with notes on each service in use.