Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Firebase VS Dgraph

Compare Firebase VS Dgraph and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Firebase logo Firebase

Firebase is a cloud service designed to power real-time, collaborative applications for mobile and web.

Dgraph logo Dgraph

A fast, distributed graph database with ACID transactions.
  • Firebase Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-20
  • Dgraph Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-02

Firebase features and specs

  • Real-time Database
    Firebase offers a real-time NoSQL database that allows for real-time data synchronization across multiple devices. This is useful for applications that require immediate updates, like chat apps or live dashboards.
  • Easy Integration
    Firebase provides easy SDK integrations for Android, iOS, and web platforms. This helps in quick setup and reduces the time needed to get your application running.
  • Scalability
    Firebase services are built on Google's infrastructure, offering robust scalability to handle growing user bases and their corresponding data.
  • Authentication Services
    Firebase includes built-in authentication services, supporting email/password, Google, Facebook, Twitter, and more. This simplifies the process of user management.
  • Backend-as-a-Service
    Firebase provides a suite of tools, such as Firestore, Cloud Functions, and Storage, that allow you to build a comprehensive backend without managing server infrastructure.
  • Free Tier Availability
    Firebase offers a range of free tier options that allow developers to get started without incurring costs, making it appealing for startups and small projects.
  • Cross-Device Sync
    Firebase enables cross-device sync of application data in real-time, which is beneficial for applications where seamless data flow between devices is crucial.
  • Analytics Integration
    Firebase includes Firebase Analytics, a free app measurement solution that provides insights on app usage and user engagement.

Possible disadvantages of Firebase

  • Vendor Lock-In
    Firebase is a proprietary service provided by Google. Depending heavily on it can lead to vendor lock-in, making it difficult to switch to other platforms in the future.
  • Pricing for Large Scale Apps
    While Firebase offers a free tier, the pricing can become expensive for large-scale applications with heavy data and usage requirements, potentially leading to higher costs.
  • Limited Querying Capabilities
    Firebase's real-time database and Firestore come with certain querying limitations compared to SQL databases. Complex queries and joins might be difficult to implement efficiently.
  • Security Rules Complexity
    Configuring security rules for Firebase can be complex and error-prone, which can lead to security vulnerabilities if not handled correctly.
  • Data Migration Challenges
    Migrating data in and out of Firebase can be challenging, especially if you're moving to or from a different database system.
  • Limited Customization
    Because Firebase is a managed service, there is limited ability to customize the backend to meet specific requirements or use cases, unlike self-hosted solutions.
  • Latency Issues
    While Firebase aims to be globally distributed, users may experience latency issues depending on their geographic location in relation to Firebase servers.
  • Feature Parity
    Certain advanced features available in Firebase might not have parity across all platforms (iOS, Android, Web), making consistent cross-platform development more challenging.

Dgraph features and specs

  • High Performance
    Dgraph is optimized for high-throughput and low-latency scenarios, making it suitable for real-time applications with large datasets.
  • Horizontal Scalability
    Dgraph offers seamless horizontal scalability, allowing the system to expand across multiple nodes to handle increased workloads.
  • GraphQL Compatibility
    Dgraph provides native support for GraphQL, allowing developers to use a widely accepted query language with their graph database.
  • Distributed Architecture
    Being a distributed graph database, Dgraph ensures data replication and high availability across different geographical locations.
  • Strong Consistency
    Dgraph offers strong consistency guarantees, ensuring that all nodes see the same data at the same time, which is crucial for many applications.

Possible disadvantages of Dgraph

  • Complex Setup
    Setting up and managing Dgraph can be complex, especially for users not familiar with distributed systems.
  • Resource Intensive
    Running Dgraph in a production environment can be resource-intensive, requiring significant computational resources and memory.
  • Learning Curve
    For developers new to graph databases, there may be a steep learning curve compared to more traditional relational databases.
  • Limited Tooling Ecosystem
    Compared to some older graph databases, Dgraph's ecosystem, in terms of third-party tools and integrations, is not as mature.
  • Community Support
    As a relatively newer entrant in the database market, Dgraph may have less community-driven support compared to more established databases.

Analysis of Firebase

Overall verdict

  • Firebase is generally considered a good option for developers who need a reliable and feature-rich backend solution without the hassle of server management. It is especially praised for its real-time database capabilities and ease of use.

Why this product is good

  • Firebase is a comprehensive suite of products that helps developers build, improve, and grow mobile and web applications. It offers a variety of tools and features such as real-time databases, authentication, cloud storage, analytics, and hosting. It is fully managed by Google, which means developers can focus on developing their apps without worrying about backend infrastructure. Furthermore, Firebase integrates easily with other Google services and provides robust user and device analytics.

Recommended for

  • Mobile app developers looking for a scalable backend solution.
  • Startups and small teams who want to minimize infrastructure overhead.
  • Developers who need real-time data synchronization.
  • Projects that would benefit from seamless integration with other Google services such as Google Cloud and Google Analytics.
  • Teams looking to quickly prototype and launch MVPs (Minimum Viable Products).

Firebase videos

Is Firebase a Good Long Term Solution?

More videos:

Dgraph videos

Intro to Slash GraphQL from Dgraph

More videos:

  • Review - Getting started with Dgraph #5: Tweet graph, string indices, and keyword-based searching
  • Review - Graph Database: Intro to Dgraph's Query Language (2017)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Firebase and Dgraph)
Developer Tools
98 98%
2% 2
Graph Databases
0 0%
100% 100
App Development
100 100%
0% 0
Databases
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Firebase and Dgraph

Firebase Reviews

10 Top Firebase Alternatives to Ignite Your Development in 2024
It proudly calls itself the “open-source Firebase alternative,” and for good reason. Supabase gives you the power of a PostgreSQL database, authentication, instant APIs, real-time subscriptions, and more – all without the vendor lock-in of Firebase.
Source: genezio.com
Top 7 Firebase Alternatives for App Development in 2024
Data Export:Backup Your Data: Begin by creating backups of all your data stored in Firebase. This ensures you have a safe copy in case anything goes wrong during the migration.Export Data: Use Firebase's data export tools to download your datasets. This can often be done through the Firebase console or via Firebase CLI commands.
Source: signoz.io
Best Serverless Backend Tools of 2023: Pros & Cons, Features & Code Examples
That’s a wrap: 6 best serverless backend for your next project! If you like Firebase, check out Rowy, our Firebase content management system.
Source: www.rowy.io
What is AWS Amplify? - AWS Amplify Alternatives
The Google Firebase feature set includes a wide variety of components, some of which are file storage, application programming interfaces (APIs), cloud hosting, intelligent analytics, and real-time databases.
Source: mindmajix.com
2023 Firebase Alternatives: Top 10 Open-Source & Free
Although Firebase has some limitations, many online web and mobile applications are still running on Firebase. Likewise, BuiltWith confirms that 396,531 live websites on the internet utilize Firebase. Correspondingly, 2953 companies and 32113 developers claim to use Firebase for different tech stacks on StackShare.

Dgraph Reviews

We have no reviews of Dgraph yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Firebase seems to be a lot more popular than Dgraph. While we know about 272 links to Firebase, we've tracked only 21 mentions of Dgraph. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Firebase mentions (272)

  • Fast, Simple and Open Firebase Alternative: TrailBase
    There is little mention of realtime on the Firebase landing page https://firebase.google.com We likely agree that firebase is superb. But your criticism of using ‘alternative’ is unjust both in terms of the breadth of firebase, and why a competitor might target someone about to choose Firebase. - Source: Hacker News / 4 days ago
  • An upgraded dev experience in Google AI Studio
    Presumably Google AI Studio[1] and Google Firebase Studio[2] are made by different teams with very similar pitches, and Google is perfectly happy to have both of them exist, until it isn't: - AI Studio: "the fastest place to start building with the Gemini API" - Firebase Studio: "Prototype, build, deploy, and run full-stack, AI apps quickly" [1] https://aistudio.google.com/apps [2] https://firebase.google.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 8 days ago
  • Firebase Cloud Functions: Your Gateway to Serverless Backend Development
    Firebase provides a suite of tools and services designed to streamline the development process, abstracting away complex infrastructure management. Cloud Functions, a key component of the Firebase ecosystem, empowers developers to write and deploy backend code without the burden of provisioning or managing servers. This allows them to focus solely on writing the application logic, freeing up time and resources for... - Source: dev.to / 29 days ago
  • Build a Simple Grocery Tracker App using Vue JS and Supabase
    Supabase is an open-source Firebase alternative that provides a full backend out of the box — including a PostgreSQL database, authentication, file storage, and auto-generated APIs. It’s developer-friendly, easy to set up, and integrates smoothly with frontend frameworks like Vue. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Build a Job Application and Interview App with Next.js, Stream & Firebase
    In this tutorial, you will learn how to build a job application and interviewing platform using Next.js, Stream, and Firebase. This app will allow recruiters to post job openings, review applications, and schedule interviews. Job seekers can also apply for jobs and communicate with recruiters. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
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Dgraph mentions (21)

  • List of 45 databases in the world
    Dgraph — Distributed, fast graph database. - Source: dev.to / 11 months ago
  • How to choose the right type of database
    Dgraph: A distributed and scalable graph database known for high performance. It's a good fit for large-scale graph processing, offering a GraphQL-like query language and gRPC API support. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Getting Started with Serverless Edge - Exploring the Options
    DGraph – A distributed GraphQL database with a graph backend. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Fluree DB - A datomic like database that I just discovered
    How does it compare to, say grakn (renamed https://vaticle.com/, I think?), or draph (https://dgraph.io/), or Ontotext's GraphDB (https://www.ontotext.com/products/graphdb/), or Datomic? Source: over 2 years ago
  • GKE with Consul Service Mesh
    Consul Connect service mesh has a higher memory footprint, so on a small cluster with e5-medium nodes (2 vCPUs, 4 GB memory), you will only be able to support a maximum of 6 side-car proxies. In order to get an application like Dgraph working, which will have 6 nodes (3 Dgraph Alpha pods and 3 Dgraph Zero pods) for high availability along with at least one client, a larger footprint with more robust Kubernetes... - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Firebase and Dgraph, you can also consider the following products

Supabase - An open source Firebase alternative

neo4j - Meet Neo4j: The graph database platform powering today's mission-critical enterprise applications, including artificial intelligence, fraud detection and recommendations.

Android Studio - Android development environment based on IntelliJ IDEA

Hasura - Hasura is an open platform to build scalable app backends, offering a built-in database, search, user-management and more.

Socket.io - Realtime application framework (Node.JS server)

NetworkX - NetworkX is a Python language software package for the creation, manipulation, and study of the...