Firebase & Google Cloud
Better together
Can I use them together?
Yes! Firebase is Google's mobile development platform that empowers you to quickly build and grow your app. It's built so that you're able to easily pull in Google Cloud products as your team or infrastructure needs grow.
What do they have in common?
Firebase and Google Cloud share common infrastructure, including:
Products
Firebase and Google Cloud share three products: Cloud Firestore, Cloud Functions, and Cloud Storage. These are the same products that exist in Google Cloud, simply exposed for client-side developers via Firebase. You can access the same data from the server SDKs (Google Cloud) and the client SDKs (Firebase), so your frontend and backend teams can work in concert.
Projects
Each account can have multiple projects, which are like folders or directories. You can add both Firebase and Google Cloud products to a project.
Billing
Billing is set at the project level and both Firebase and Google Cloud products can be placed on the same bill.
Access control
You can set role-based access controls at the project level. You can then restrict and permit individuals or groups to perform actions across both platforms.
Terms of service
Several Firebase products use the Google Cloud Terms of Service. These include: Firebase Authentication, Cloud Storage for Firebase, Cloud Functions for Firebase, Cloud Firestore, and Firebase Test Lab. We're working to move more Firebase products onto the Google Cloud ToS in the future.
Accounts
Firebase & Google Cloud both use Google accounts, so if you have one, you have both.
What are the differences?
Firebase is Google's mobile development platform.
- Helps you build apps and grow your user base.
- Used by client-side app developers (both web & mobile).
- Used for building a new mobile app, augmenting an existing app with new functionality and growing an audience.
Google Cloud is a suite of cloud computing services.
- Makes Google's infrastructure (Compute, Storage, Networking, Data Analytics, and Machine Learning) publicly available as composable services.
- Used by backend & server-side developers.
- Used for building software leveraging Google's core infrastructure, data analytics, and machine learning.
Get started
Now you know how Firebase and Google Cloud relate!
You can get started by visiting either console. Happy coding!