Cloud Firestore vs Firebase: The Names You Know, The Differences You Don’t !

Well…While a day in and day out, we read in newspapers and over the internet and media channels about the progress that science and technology has made and the kind of comfort and convenience it has added to our life, there is certainly one more thing which is not being talked about and i.e. the chaos and confusion. Undoubtedly, scientific and technological advancements have made our life simple and sorted but it has also left us confused wondering upon the options that we have.

Similarly, when it comes to Cloud Hosting and Database Hosting the developers have way too many options such as Cloud Firestore, Cloud Firebase, Google Cloud, AWS, etc. which often confuses them and leaves them bewildered.

In this blog, we are going to talk about Cloud Firestore vs Cloud Firebase and will also provide you with enough points which will help you analyze the difference between the two thereby helping you understand which one is a better alternative for you and why.

Key highlights of the blog are:-

• Cloud Firestore and Cloud Firebase: What Are They?
• Cloud Firestore vs Firebase: The Differences
• Your Takeaway

Cloud Firestore and Cloud Firebase: What Are They?

Cloud Firestore and Cloud Firebase, are both commonly used NoSQL databases that are popular and are preferably used for their speed and efficiency. While both of them have a lot of features in common such as ease of setting up; the Firebase console for admin users are different from one another. 

Cloud Firestore

Cloud Firestore is a new database of Firebase which is used to build mobile apps. In comparison to Cloud Firebase or any real-time database, it has better scalability and faster queries with richer features.

Cloud Firebase

Cloud Firebase is an old, original, and tested database which is already available in the market. It is already well-known in the market as it gives a low-latency solution for mobile apps and can sync your data instantly.

Cloud Firestore vs Firebase: The Differences

While both of them are popular NoSQL databases and have a lot of features in common, they are quite different from one another. Take a look at the comparison table below to understand the differences between the two, which will also help you analyze which one should you choose for your project and why.

 

Basis	Cloud Firestore	Cloud Firebase
Data Model / Data Structure	It stores data as a collection of documents. As a result, it is easier to organize even complex hierarchical data at scale using sub-collections within documents.	It stores data in the form of one large JSON tree. Thus, it is difficult to organize complex hierarchical data at scale using this structure.
Data Flattening	It requires less data flattening as compared to Cloud Firebase.	It requires more data flattening as compared to Cloud Firestore.
Querying In The Database	It supports indexed queries which facilitates compound sorting and filtering. Also, the queries are not deep and you can easily query for sub- collections within a document. Also, the performance of the query is proportional to result set and not data set.	It does not support indexed queries. Thus, you cannot use both filter and sort in a single query. Also, the queries are deep and return the entire sub tree as a result.
Writing Transactions/ Data	It offers atomic write and transaction operations which means either all or nothing gets executed. Also, operations can be batched an completed atomically. Transactions can read and write from any part of the database and thus it will keep repeating automatically until it is completed.	It offers basic write operations and transactions where data can be written only as individual operations. Also, transactions are atomic only on a specific subtree. Thus, it is not automatic.
Pricing Patterns	In addition to network bandwidth and the amount of storage used, it also charges for the operations performed in the database which includes read, write and delete as well. However, in spite of this fact the overall rate is still lower as compared to Cloud Firebase.	While it charges only for the network bandwidth and the amount of storage used, the rates are much higher as compared to Cloud Firestore.
Security Considerations	In this, Authorization and Validation are combined. Write and Read rules for the mobile SDKs are secured by Firestore Security rules. However, the entire query can fail if the results contain the data user don’t have access to.	In this, Authorization and Validation are separate. Write and Read rules for the mobile SDKs are secured by Firebase Real-time Database Rules. You can easily validate the data separately, with Valid Rules.
Reliability and Performance	It is a multi-region solution, thus it scales automatically. It can share your data across multiple data centers in separate regions and thus makes sure that the scalability is global and provides us stronger reliability.	It is a single region solution, where the databases are limited to zonal availability within a particular region. It offers extremely low latency and thus is appropriate for apps which require frequent syncing.
Scalability- Concurrent Connections	In this, the scaling process is automatic. Firebase does it on their own. Cloud Firestore can scale over 1 million connections simultaneously and gives you 10K writes per second. However, it also gives you a limit on the writes per index or document.	In this, the scaling process is not automatic. You have to scale on your own. It scales around 200K connections simultaneously and gives you 1K writes per second. Also, there is no limit on writes per index or document.
Real-Time and Offline Support	It supports real-time SDKs and offline support (i.e. local storage) for mobile (Android & IOS) devices as well as web clients.	It supports real-time SDKs and offline support (i.e. local storage) only for mobile ( Android & IOS) devices.
Import and Export of Data	In Cloud Firestore, the import and export of data across the databases are not that easy. Thus, it is a major challenge for the users.	In Cloud Firebase, importing or exporting of data across different databases is much simpler as it uses a single JSON file.

 

Your Takeaway

Wrapping it up, all I would say is both Cloud Firestore and Cloud Firebase are popular database options and have their own pros and cons, so when making a choice of database you should analyze both of them keeping in mind the requirements of your project. While choosing between Cloud Firestore and Cloud Firebase can be a tough decision, your calling is one that meets your project requirements, needs, and budget considerations.“ Keep it simple, do your research and concentrate on what cannot lie, the Facts.”