Role of Google Firebase in Mobile Ecosystem

Ever since Firebase was acquired by Google, it has been gaining a steady popularity. Several developers have been considering Firebase for the many advantages it offers. Firebase has revolutionized Android app development in a lot of ways. Initially, people just looked at Firebase as a database. But now it has evolved. Google has recently been focusing a lot on Firebase. Here we will see a brief about what Firebase is and how it has helped the app developers. Tapping the full potential of Firebase can help in the app development for both iOS and Android.

James Taplin and Andrew Lee founded Evolve in 2011 which later evolved to Firebase. Once Google acquired Firebase, a newer version was launched in 2016. One aspect that makes this database stand out from the others is that it is a scalable real-time backend solution which can assist developers to build apps of competitive quality and features.

Understanding some of the features of Firebase:

Firebase Analytics:

If you like Google Analytics, you would definitely like Firebase Analytics for all your app analytics needs. Here are some features of Firebase Analytics:

       • You would be able to get an actual understanding of what the users do with the app. This user-centric data can be a rich source of information by giving you an insight into the in-app activity.

       • This also helps understanding how effective your advertising campaigns are. This is done by giving you information about the source from which your customers land on your app. This helps understand the platform that brings you the maximum number of users.

The best part is that all these analytics data can be viewed on a single Dashboard.

Firebase Cloud Messaging(FCM):

Talk about push messaging, from cloud to gadget, Google Cloud Messaging is the first thing that pops up. Now taking it to the next level, FCM comes integrated with Google Cloud Messaging thus delivering a reliable messaging solution for Android, iOS and web messaging. Talking about push notifications, developers no more have to device a separate strategy for Android and iOS. you can skip having to integrate with APNS for iOS and FCM for Android. Instead, FCM alone can deliver push notifications for Android as well as iOS devices. The scalability of FCM, and the battery efficiency it offers are other features that make it even more attractive.

Firebase Remote Config:

One of the other cloud-based solution service offered by Firebase is Firebase Remote Config. Like the name indicates, this feature allows the developer to make minor changes to the appearance of the app remotely. This can be done even without the user having to download any updates for the app. This can be achieved by integrating variables that can be instantly updated remotely. This allows user-specific configuration options.

Firebase Storage:

When we offer a high-quality app, one of the most common factors to consider is about the media storage. Firebase Storage offers secure upload and download options for developers. Again with the integration of Google Cloud Storage, this offers a great scalability to store and access files from the cloud. Users’ files can be handled securely with Firebase Storage SDKs. One of the impressive aspects of Firebase Storage is the way it performs even on a poor network. File uploads can be resumed once the network strength is better again thus helping in the upload of larger files.

Crash reporting and testing:

With Firebase Crash Reporting system, you would be notified with sufficient information about when and where the app crashes. This comes in handy for diagnosing and resolving the issues that cause the app to crash. This is available for both Android and iOS apps. Then with Firebase Test Lab, you would be able to test your app so as to find the issues in the app even before the users encounter them. In addition to the usual testing tools, the test lab assists in monitoring the real time operation as with the real devices. This gives a more genuine report of the actual app performance. To make crash reporting even better, Firebase now has the power of Fabric as well. Integration of Fabric to Firebase can up the crash reporting system’s accuracy.

Other features of Firebase:

To send user group specific notifications, promotional messages, and the likes, Firebase Notification can be integrated with FCM. For including dynamic links to work seamlessly on various browsers and devices, there is Firebase Dynamic Links. This also delivers stronger URLs which direct the user to the accurate location on the app when opened.

Offering a plethora of other features, Firebase is doing much more than being just a real-time database. This is why app developers are totally impressed with Firebase. Now that Google has also acquired Twitter’s Fabric the integration of these services can greatly revolutionize the app development process.