Get started with Cloud Storage on Web

Cloud Storage for Firebase lets you upload and share user generated content, such as images and video, which allows you to build rich media content into your apps. Your data is stored in a Google Cloud Storage bucket — an exabyte scale object storage solution with high availability and global redundancy. Cloud Storage for Firebase lets you securely upload these files directly from mobile devices and web browsers, handling spotty networks with ease.

Before you begin

  1. If you haven't already, make sure you've completed the getting started guide for web apps. This includes:

    • Creating a Firebase project.

    • Registering your web app with the project, and connecting your app to Firebase by adding the Firebase JS SDK and your Firebase config object to your app.

  2. Make sure your Firebase project is on the pay-as-you-go Blaze pricing plan. If you're new to Firebase and Google Cloud, check if you're eligible for a $300 credit.

Create a default Cloud Storage bucket

  1. From the navigation pane of the Firebase console, select Storage.

    If your project is not yet on the pay-as-you-go Blaze pricing plan, then you'll be prompted to upgrade your project.

  2. Click Get started.

  3. Select a location for your default bucket.

  4. Configure the Firebase Security Rules for your default bucket. During development, consider setting up your rules for public access.

  5. Click Done.

You can now view the bucket in the Cloud Storage Files tab of the Firebase console. Your default bucket name format is PROJECT_ID.firebasestorage.app.

Set up public access

Cloud Storage for Firebase provides a declarative rules language that lets you define how your data should be structured, how it should be indexed, and when your data can be read from and written to. By default, read and write access to Cloud Storage is restricted so only authenticated users can read or write data. To get started without setting up Authentication, you can configure your rules for public access.

This does make Cloud Storage open to anyone, even people not using your app, so be sure to restrict your Cloud Storage again when you set up authentication.

Add the Cloud Storage JS SDK and initialize Cloud Storage

You must specify your Cloud Storage bucket name when initializing the JavaScript SDK.

You can find your Cloud Storage bucket name in the Cloud Storage Files tab of the Firebase console. Depending on when you created your default bucket, the bucket name will be in one of the following formats:

  • PROJECT_ID.firebasestorage.app (default bucket created on or after October 30, 2024)
  • PROJECT_ID.appspot.com (default bucket created before October 30, 2024)

Initialize the SDK using the following code snippet:

Web 

import { initializeApp } from "firebase/app";
import { getStorage } from "firebase/storage";

// TODO: Replace the following with your app's Firebase project configuration
// See: https://firebase.google.com/docs/web/learn-more#config-object
const firebaseConfig = {
  // ...
  storageBucket: 'BUCKET_NAME'
};

// Initialize Firebase
const app = initializeApp(firebaseConfig);


// Initialize Cloud Storage and get a reference to the service
const storage = getStorage(app);

Web 

import firebase from "firebase/app";
import "firebase/compat/storage";

// TODO: Replace the following with your app's Firebase project configuration
// See: https://firebase.google.com/docs/web/learn-more#config-object
const firebaseConfig = {
  // ...
  storageBucket: 'BUCKET_NAME'
};

// Initialize Firebase
firebase.initializeApp(firebaseConfig);


// Initialize Cloud Storage and get a reference to the service
const storage = firebase.storage();

You're ready to start using Cloud Storage!

Next step? Learn how to create a Cloud Storage reference.

Advanced setup

There are a few use cases that require additional setup:

The first use case is perfect if you have users across the world, and want to store their data near them. For example, you can create buckets in the US, Europe, and Asia to store data for users in those regions to reduce latency.

The second use case is helpful if you have data with different access patterns. For example: you can set up a multi-regional or regional bucket that stores pictures or other frequently accessed content, and a nearline or coldline bucket that stores user backups or other infrequently accessed content.

In either of these use cases, you'll want to use multiple Cloud Storage buckets.

The third use case is useful if you're building an app, like Google Drive, which lets users have multiple logged in accounts (for instance, a personal account and a work account). You can use a custom Firebase App instance to authenticate each additional account.

Use multiple Cloud Storage buckets

If you want to use a Cloud Storage bucket other than the default bucket described earlier in this guide, or use multiple Cloud Storage buckets in a single app, you can create an instance of firebase.storage that references your custom bucket:

Web

import { getApp } from "firebase/app";
import { getStorage } from "firebase/storage";

// Get a non-default Storage bucket
const firebaseApp = getApp();
const storage = getStorage(firebaseApp, "gs://my-custom-bucket");
storage_multiple_buckets.js

Web

// Get a non-default Storage bucket
var storage = firebase.app().storage("gs://my-custom-bucket");
index.js

Working with imported buckets

When importing an existing Cloud Storage bucket into Firebase, you'll have to grant Firebase the ability to access these files using the gsutil tool, included in the Google Cloud SDK:

gsutil -m acl ch -r -u service-PROJECT_NUMBER@gcp-sa-firebasestorage.iam.gserviceaccount.com gs://BUCKET_NAME

You can find your project number as described in the introduction to Firebase projects.

This does not affect newly created buckets, as those have the default access control set to allow Firebase. This is a temporary measure, and will be performed automatically in the future.

Use a custom Firebase App

If you're building a more complicated app using a custom firebase.app.App, you can create an instance of firebase.storage.Storage initialized with that app:

Web

import { getStorage } from "firebase/storage";

// Get the default bucket from a custom firebase.app.App
const storage1 = getStorage(customApp);

// Get a non-default bucket from a custom firebase.app.App
const storage2 = getStorage(customApp, "gs://my-custom-bucket");
storage_custom_app.js

Web

// Get the default bucket from a custom firebase.app.App
var storage = customApp.storage();

// Get a non-default bucket from a custom firebase.app.App
var storage = customApp.storage("gs://my-custom-bucket");
index.js

Next steps