Google Firebase is one of the most popular frameworks employed by professional developers and companies to build high-quality applications. Many companies and developers rely on it because of its seamless database management, cloud storage, and testing services. According to Stackshare, around 2,602 companies use the Firebase platform in their tech stack.
Firebase offers a wide variety of tools, tech products, and services to build real-time collaborative applications. This guide shares an overview of Firebase, examines some of the largest companies that use Firebase, and provides examples of notable products that were built with Google Firebase.
What Is Firebase?
Firebase is a Google-backed app development platform launched by James Tamplin and Andrew Lee in 2011. It was acquired by Google in 2014 and expanded to offer more services such as Firebase Analytics, Firebase realtime database, Firebase Authentication, Firebase cloud messaging, Firebase cloud storage, Firebase ML, and Firebase dynamic links.
Firebase functions as a Backend-as-a-Service (BaaS) model that developers can employ to connect their applications with APIs and backend cloud storage. It is also used to develop features for applications to enhance the user experience and user engagement. Developers also employ it to increase revenues through the Admob firebase feature.
What Are the Advantages of Firebase?
- Firebase Testing Services. Firebase offers a wide spectrum of tools to monitor the performance of applications. This helps users to troubleshoot and identify issues before they occur. Notable examples are Firebase Crashlytics, Firebase Test lab, Firebase performance monitoring, and Firebase App distribution.
- Firebase Dynamic Links. Firebase Dynamic Links are smart URLs that can be used and modified according to the needs and interests of your target audience. This is useful for social media, SMS campaigns, email marketing, and affiliate marketing campaigns.
- Free multi-platform Firebase authentication. Firebase offers Google-backed authentication services for user authentication and maintaining the security of applications. It also provides simple SDKs, UI libraries, and server-side services that check the identity of users before they gain access to Firebase applications.
- Fast and secure web hosting. Another useful advantage of Firebase is Firebase hosting. It offers free CDN and SSL hosting, powered by the Google cloud platform. Firebase hosting allows you to host any type of content ranging from web applications to static content to dynamic content. It can efficiently host API, CSS, HTML, and Express.js microservices.
- Real-time Database. Firebase offers a cloud-hosted NoSQL database for storing and synchronizing data between different clients. The Firebase database enables developers to access data on any device, even without Internet connectivity, and collaborate with other developers. It also offers the Cloud Firestore which helps front end and backend developers to store and transfer data.
Top Websites and Applications Built With Firebase
Firebase offers seamless integration on Android, iOS, Unity, and the web. It also offers well-detailed documentation and numerous software development kits to ship applications easily. This is why it is utilized in many of the mobile apps we use today. Here are some of the top applications built with Firebase:
Twitch.tv
Twitch is a live-streaming service offering a wide range of entertainment content such as sports, music, and video games. It employs Firebase services alongside its existing infrastructure to provide real-time data to its clients. It also utilizes Firebase authentication to provide security features on individual user accounts.
9gag
9gag is the biggest meme community on the Internet. It ranks number one on the global entertainment and gaming charts. It is the best website to find trending memes that you can share on social media. It employs the Firebase enterprise platform to host its services.
Trustpilot
Trustpilot is a digital platform that connects customers with businesses. Users can post reviews to help customers find the best places to purchase products and services. It also offers business insights to help businesses improve their customer experience. Trustpilot utilizes the Firebase database server for its operation
Duolingo
Duolingo is a popular language-learning application that uses Firebase infrastructure to provide storage, cloud functions, and cloud messaging. Duolingo also employs Firebase API to connect the application with platform features.
Wattpad
With over eighty million monthly users, Wattpad is one of the biggest platforms for writing and reading original stories. People can share their artistic talents and connect with other writers and readers on this platform. The app employs Firebase to cater to the backend infrastructure
Largest Companies That Use Firebase: At a Glance
| Company | Revenue | Number of employees |
|---|---|---|
| Alibaba | $127.892 billion (2021) | 251,462 (2021) |
| Accenture | $50.5 billion (2021) | 674,000 |
| Lyft | $2.4 billion (2021) | 4,369 (2021) |
| The New York Times | $1.99 billion (2021) | 4700 (2020) |
| Instacart | $1.8 billion (2021) | 12432 (2021) |
| Venmo | $450 million (2020) | 712 (2021) |
| Trivago | $340 million (2021) | 1,247 (2021) |
| The Economist | $333.4 million (2021) | 4,256 (2021) |
| NPR | $275.42 million (2020) | 2,011(2020) |
| Halfbrick | $3.5 million (2021) | 60 (2021) |
Biggest Companies Using Firebase: A Closer Look
Alibaba
With over $120 billion in revenue, Alibaba Group Holding Limited is the world’s biggest and most popular online commerce company. It owns three major B2B commerce sites, Taobao, Tmall, and Alibaba.com, all of which host millions of users daily.
Accenture
Accenture is a multi-faceted professional service company with expertise across more than forty industries. It offers strategy and consulting, technology, and operations services to help businesses find innovative solutions to complex issues.
Lyft
Lyft offers an alternative to conventional taxi services. Passengers can request a ride on their smartphone through the official Lyft website or the mobile application. Lyft employs the cloud functions for Firebase to host its services.
The New York Times
The New York Times Company is an American media organization that distributes and collects news via newspapers, digital products, and mobile applications. They offer news on a wide range of topics ranging from business, politics, tech, science, and sports.
Instacart
Instacart is a grocery delivery and pick-up service based in the United States and Canada. They make it easier for customers to shop at local grocery stores by acting as a designated personal shopper for customers. Customers simply place an order on the Instacart mobile application or website, which is powered by the Firebase backend service.
Venmo
Venmo is a peer-to-peer service used to easily transfer money between businesses and individuals. Venmo boasts millions of users and has become one of the most-used payment platforms globally. The developers at Venmo employ Firebase’s third-party payment processing API to process payments on the application.
Trivago
Trivago is a search-based platform used to find hotels and travel packages. It allows users to find the best hotels, depending on their search criteria, by comparing prices and accommodations in over 190 countries and 300 booking sites across the world. Trivago employs advanced filtering, indexing techniques, and backend Firebase analytics services.
The Economist
The Economist is one of the world’s biggest news and business publications. They report on a wide variety of topics such as current affairs, business, technology, science, media, and culture. The website also hosts high-quality editorial content containing blogs, debates, and discussions. The development team uses Firebase services for their backend infrastructure.
NPR
NPR, short for National Public Radio, is a non-profit media organization. NPR is based in the United States but it is broadcast globally. It offers over 1000 stations, live events, and podcasts. NPR has about 53 million weekly listeners across all of its platforms.
Halfbrick
Halfbrick are the creators of the top-selling games Fruit Ninja and Jetpack Joyride. They create games on different operating systems such as Android, iOS, and Windows. They use the Firebase framework in their tech stack to offer an interactive user experience on their applications.
Firebase Alternative Comparisons
Firebase has consistently proven to be one of the best backend development tools. Its broad array of services makes it a valuable asset for development teams. However, it is not always the best choice. If you are using complex mobile products, working on larger projects, or want a backend service with a lower price-point, there are suitable alternatives to Firebase.
Back4app
Back4app offers an open-source backend platform for developing your mobile products. It offers services such as scalable real-time database, file storage, cloud code functions, and GraphQL and REST APIs. Back4app is cheaper than Firebase and has an easier learning curve, but Firebase has a broader range of features.
AWS Amplify
Amazon Web Services Amplify, or AWS Amplify, is a cloud-based development service used to develop and create scalable mobile applications. It offers a broad library containing valuable UI components and toolsets. It is more suitable than Firebase when it comes to large-scale projects due to its stability and it also offers a scaling price plan.
Heroku
Heroku is another close competition to Firebase. It is a cloud-based platform for efficient deployment and scaling of applications. It offers useful features such as smart containers, continuous integration, and scalable hosting. Heroku is a better choice than Firebase if you are building everything from scratch because it allows you to develop a custom backend.
What’s the Best Way to Learn Firebase?
Coding bootcamps are the best way to learn Firebase. Coding bootcamps offer short and intensive programs to equip students with job-ready skills to begin their tech careers. You can also find online courses, online tutorials, and video lectures on numerous elearning sites.
Top Firebase Bootcamps
Should You Learn Firebase?
Yes, you should learn Firebase if you are an aspiring developer. Firebase offers an easy route to develop and build a scalable web application. With Firebase, you do not need to invest time and energy to develop the backend of your application. You can simply use the Firebase framework and customize it according to your needs.
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Companies That Use Firebase FAQ
There are many popular companies that use Firebase. Some notable examples are Alibaba, Lyft, Trivago, Venmo, and NPR.
Firebase employs a NoSQL database service for storing and syncing data in realtime with more flexibility than using a SQL service. By using a NoSQL service, Firebase ensures it says easy to use, functional, and high performing.
No, Firebase is not good for big projects. Firebase can effectively cater to smaller projects and start-ups that require a reliable database, usage tracking, and user authentication. For big projects, developers will encounter problems such as data migration, security rules, and limited querying.
Firebase supports multiple programming languages such as C++, Java, Swift, JavaScript, and Objective-C.
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