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Google Cloud PostgreSQL VS Firebase

Compare Google Cloud PostgreSQL VS Firebase and see what are their differences

Google Cloud PostgreSQL logo Google Cloud PostgreSQL

Fully-managed database service

Firebase logo Firebase

Firebase is a cloud service designed to power real-time, collaborative applications for mobile and web.
  • Google Cloud PostgreSQL Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-29
  • Firebase Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-20

Google Cloud PostgreSQL features and specs

  • Scalability
    Google Cloud PostgreSQL offers easy scalability for growing databases, allowing you to adjust resources like CPU and RAM without significant downtime.
  • Managed Service
    As a fully managed service, it reduces the overhead of database maintenance tasks such as backups, patching, and updates, allowing developers to focus on application development.
  • High Availability
    It provides high availability configurations with automated failover to ensure that your database is reliable and your application remains uninterrupted.
  • Security
    Offers strong security measures, including encryption at rest and in transit, and integration with Google Cloud's Identity and Access Management (IAM).
  • Integration
    Seamlessly integrates with other Google Cloud services, making it easier to build comprehensive cloud solutions.

Possible disadvantages of Google Cloud PostgreSQL

  • Cost
    The cost can become high compared to other options, especially if your database requirements grow significantly, leading to increased resource allocation.
  • Limited Customization
    Being a managed service, there may be limited ability to customize certain configurations compared to self-hosted PostgreSQL solutions.
  • Vendor Lock-in
    Using Google Cloud services can lead to dependency on their ecosystem, making it challenging to migrate to another platform or cloud provider in the future.
  • Latency
    While Google Cloud provides robust infrastructure, network latency can still be an issue, especially if the service is being accessed from geographically distant regions.
  • Complexity
    Navigating and configuring the myriad of available options in Google Cloud can be complex and requires a certain level of expertise, which might be burdensome for newcomers.

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.

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).

Google Cloud PostgreSQL videos

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Firebase videos

Is Firebase a Good Long Term Solution?

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Google Cloud PostgreSQL and Firebase)
Developer Tools
4 4%
96% 96
Databases
100 100%
0% 0
App Development
0 0%
100% 100
Productivity
100 100%
0% 0

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Reviews

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

Google Cloud PostgreSQL Reviews

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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.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Firebase seems to be a lot more popular than Google Cloud PostgreSQL. While we know about 273 links to Firebase, we've tracked only 7 mentions of Google Cloud PostgreSQL. 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.

Google Cloud PostgreSQL mentions (7)

  • Kubernetes and Container Portability: Navigating Multi-Cloud Flexibility
    Google Cloud SQL for MySQL (for managed MySQL) or Google Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL (for managed PostgreSQL). - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • Top 8 Managed Postgres Providers
    This is Google's managed service for databases that makes it easier to set up, maintain, and manage PostgreSQL databases on Google Cloud. - Source: dev.to / 10 months ago
  • Questions about 'databaseing' on the Cloud
    For a small database you don't need Snowflake. You need Postgres or MySQL. Power BI for visualizing data seems fine. For entering data you can use Airforms. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Distributed Managed PostgreSQL Database Alternatives in the Cloud
    PostgreSQL is an open-source relational database, used by many companies, and is very common among cloud applications, where companies prefer an open-source solution, supported by a strong community, as an alternative to commercial database engines. The simplest way to run the PostgreSQL engine in the cloud is to choose one of the managed database services, such as Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL or Google Cloud SQL... - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • Get data from Cloud SQL with Python
    For the database, I used Cloud SQL, which is a managed database service from Google Cloud Platform (GCP). This GCP product provides a cloud-based alternative to MySQL, PostgreSQL and SQL Server databases. The great advantage of Cloud SQL is that it is a managed service, that is, you do not have to worry about some tasks related to the infrastructure where the database will run, tasks such as backups, maintenance... - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
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Firebase mentions (273)

  • AI Threat to Tech, Marketing and Creative Jobs
    Firebase + ChatGPT can build a working auth system in minutes. - Source: dev.to / 2 days ago
  • 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 / 19 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 / 23 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 / about 1 month 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 2 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Google Cloud PostgreSQL and Firebase, you can also consider the following products

Supabase - An open source Firebase alternative

SQL playground - Create a private PostgreSQL database with a predefined structure & test data in the shortest time.

Android Studio - Android development environment based on IntelliJ IDEA

Crunchy Bridge - Crunchy Bridge is a fully managed database as a service.

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

pREST - A fully RESTful API from any existing PostgreSQL database written in Go