---
title: "Google Firebase: Pros and Cons"
permalink: "/google-firebase-pros-and-cons/"
description: "Let's look into what Google Firebase really is and the pros and cons of using it for your app development in 2019."
keywords: ""
image: "hello-world"
image-attrib: ""
---

In my [last post](google-firebase-overview), I went through some of my considerations for choosing the backend tech for my projects.

I then gave an overview of Google Firebase by listing the features it has has to offer for my considerations.

In this post, let's have a dive into what Firebase really is and the pros and cons of using it for your app development in 2019.<!--more-->

## What Firebase Really Is

Google Firebase, first and foremost, is a comprehensive development platform. You can think of it as a suite of services for all your backend needs.

It offers [all the basic features we want our backend to have](google-firebase-overview) and more.

You can use it as a backend for developing mobile apps (iOS and Android), web apps (JQuery, Angular, React, Vue, etc.), and even games (C++ and Unity)!

In its [home page](https://firebase.google.com/), the *long* list of features are categorized into ones you can use to build better apps, improve app quality, and grow your business:

![Google Firebase Features](/assets/images/screenshots/firebase_features.png)

## Why You Will Want To Use Google Firebase

This basically means it supports the three pillars of modern app development:

**1. Development** - authentication, cloud messaging, hosting, remote configuration, testing lab, crash reporting, realtime database, storage

**2. Analytics** - unlimited reporting (with up to 500 event types), audience segmentation, seemless integrations

**3. Users Engagement** - AdWords, app indexing, dynamic links, push notifications

And since it is a Google product, you can expect it to integrate well with other Google products such as Google Ads, Google Marketing, and the Play Store. It can also integrate with other third-party platforms such as Slack and Jira.

> "Firebase gives you the tools to develop high-quality apps, grow your user base, and earn more money. We cover the essentials so you can monetize your business and focus on your users."
>
> -[Firebase Team](https://firebase.google.com/docs)

It also comes with SDKs, tools, helpers, and an active community to support your backend development.

So... pretty good huh?

But no matter how good a platform Google Firebase is, it is far from being perfect.

That brings us to...

## Why You Will NOT Want To Use Google Firebase

1. Limited SDKs
2. Limited Queries (just main opeartions)
3. NoSQL Database
4. Your data is held by Google
5. You will have to use JavaScript
6. Firebase Console is still in development


As I said earlier, Google Firebase is a comprehensive platform. In my future posts I will talk about how to use some of its features and the SDKs that support app development.






