Episode 072 - Set Fire to Your Web Development Workflow with Firebase

https://firebase.google.com/
"The tools and infrastructure you need to build better apps and grow successful businesses".

Firebase was acquired by Google at the end of 2014, a scary thought, a potentially amazing service, will it go the way of sparrow? Looks like thats a big NO after the huge announcements of the new firebase from Google.

Overview
Move Fast
Firebase is a mobile platform that helps you quickly develop high-quality apps, grow your user base, and earn more money. Firebase is made up of complementary features that you can mix-and-match to fit your needs.

Forget about infrastructure
Implementing Firebase is quick and easy. With intuitive APIs packaged into a single SDK, you can focus on solving your customers' problems and not waste time building complex infrastructure.

Make smart, data-driven decisions
Firebase Analytics is the free and unlimited analytics solution built directly into Firebase. Gain insight into your users from ad click to app usage. Firebase Analytics works with other Firebase features, so you can take action on everything from click-through rates to app crashes.

Work across platforms (iOS, Android, Web (javascript))
Deliver cross-platform apps with APIs packaged into single SDKs for iOS, Android, JavaScript and C++. Expand to a different platform without modifying your infrastructure.

Free to start, scale with ease
Most Firebase features are free forever, for any scale. Our four paid features have a generous free tier and two paid plans once you begin to grow.

When your app is a breakout hit, you don't have to worry about scaling your server code or provisioning extra capacity — Firebase handles that for you.

Support
We offer free email support to every developer, and the Firebase team and Google Developer Experts are active in online communities like Stack Overflow and GitHub. We're here to help.

Features

• Analytics (At the heart of Firebase is Firebase Analytics, a free and unlimited analytics solution. See user behavior and measure attribution from a single dashboard.)

• Cloud Messaging (Deliver and receive messages across platforms reliably)
  Formerly known as Google Cloud Messaging (GCM), Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) is a cross-platform — Android, iOS, and Web — solution that lets you reliably deliver and receive messages and notifications at no cost.

• Authentication (Reduce friction with robust authentication)
  Implement a complete authentication system that supports email & password, Facebook, Twitter, GitHub and Google Sign-In. Already have an account system? Easily integrate it with our custom auth service to give your users secure access to many of Firebase's other features.

• Realtime Database (Store and sync app data in realtime)
  A cloud-hosted NoSQL database. Data is stored as JSON, synced across connected devices in milliseconds, and available when your app goes offline.

• Storage (Store files with ease)
  Store and retrieve user-generated content like images, audio and video directly from the Firebase client SDK.

• Hosting (Deliver web content faster)
  Production-grade hosting for developers. Deploy Web and mobile Web apps to a global content-delivery network (CDN) with a single command.

• Remote Config (Customize your app on the fly)
  Update your app without deploying a new version. Quickly deliver the right experience to the right users.

• Test Lab (Test in the lab, not on your users)

• Crash Reporting (Keep your app stable)
  Receive actionable information on stability issues after you publish your app.

• Notifications (Engage with users at the right moment)
  Easily manage notification campaigns. Schedule and send messages to engage the right users at the most relevant time.

• App Indexing (Drive organic search traffic to your app)
  Help users discover and re-engage with your app by surfacing relevant in-app content in Google Search results.

• Dynamic Links (Send users to the right place inside your app)
  Dynamic Links are smart URLs that dynamically change behavior to provide the best experience across different platforms. Dynamic Links can survive the app install process and take users to relevant content whether they're a brand-new user or a longtime customer.

• Invites (Empower your users to share your app)
  Out-of-the-box solution for app referrals and sharing. Let your existing users easily share your app, or their favorite in-app content, via email or SMS. Use in conjunction with promotions to increase acquisition and retention.

• AdWords (Acquire users with the reach of Google)
  Automatically link AdWords to a user segment you define in Firebase Analytics. Improve ad targeting and optimize your campaign performance.

• AdMob (Monetize through engaging ads)
  Monetize your app while giving your users a great experience.

Pricing

• Spark - Free plan
• Flame - $25 per month
• Blaze - Pay as you go
• There is a calculator