I tried 5 Firebase alternatives

Summary

In this video, the creator explores alternatives to Firebase for building backends, highlighting the ease of use but potential drawbacks of relying on Google's platform. They test five different services: AWS Amplify, MongoDB Realm, Superbase, Nhost, and Appwrite, comparing their features, pricing, and ease of use. The video offers insights into each platform's strengths, such as Amplify's extensive features and Superbase's open-source PostgreSQL database, and discusses the trade-offs involved in choosing a backend-as-a-service provider.

Takeaways

• 😀 The speaker prefers using Firebase due to its ease of use and real-time capabilities, despite the potential for vendor lock-in.
• 🔥 Firebase offers a generous free tier and is known for its user authentication, database, and server-side functions.
• 💾 Firebase's infrastructure is hosted by Google Cloud Platform, and it provides SDKs for various front-end applications.
• 💰 Firebase's pricing can be expensive at scale, but it's affordable for small projects with little growth.
• 🔗 AWS Amplify is a Firebase alternative with a rich feature set, including analytics, predictions, and notifications.
• 🛠️ Amplify uses DynamoDB as its primary database and provides a GraphQL API, which can be a pain point for some developers.
• 🔑 AWS Cognito handles user authentication in Amplify, offering more mature access control compared to Firebase.
• 📊 Superbass stands out with its use of the open-source Postgres database, reducing vendor lock-in concerns.
• 📈 In-Host is an open-source Firebase alternative built on Hasura, offering a GraphQL API and browser-based database management.
• 🌐 Apprite is another open-source backend option with a NoSQL document database based on MariaDB, offering easy one-liners for common tasks.
• 🌐 MongoDB Realm is a mobile-focused platform that syncs data from MongoDB Atlas, offering real-time data synchronization and GraphQL support.

Q & A

What is the primary reason the speaker prefers using Firebase over building their own backend?

The speaker prefers using Firebase because it is easier and they consider it less time-consuming than building a backend that could be vulnerable to hacking.

What are the three most critical features for app developers that Firebase provides?

The three most critical features for app developers that Firebase provides are user authentication, database, and server-side functions.

How does the pricing model of Firebase work, particularly for its database and Cloud functions?

Firebase has a generous free tier, and authentication is always free except for phone and multi-factor authentication. The Firestore database and Cloud functions scale up based on usage, which can be expensive at scale depending on the application.

What is the main drawback of using Firebase mentioned in the script?

The main drawback of using Firebase is the vendor lock-in, especially with Firestore being a proprietary database, making it difficult to migrate data to a different database if needed.

How does AWS Amplify differentiate from Firebase in terms of database and user authentication?

AWS Amplify uses DynamoDB as its primary database and AWS Cognito for user authentication, which the speaker finds to be more mature than Firebase's offerings.

What is the unique selling point of Superbase mentioned in the script?

Superbase's unique selling point is its use of the open-source Postgres database, which provides flexibility and industry-standard data modeling without vendor lock-in.

How does Nhost differentiate itself from other Firebase alternatives in terms of database technology?

Nhost differentiates itself by using a PostgreSQL database and providing a GraphQL API, allowing users to interact with their data through a more flexible query language.

What is the primary database technology used by Appwrite, and how does it handle NoSQL functionalities?

Appwrite uses a NoSQL document database similar to MongoDB or Firestore, which is based on MariaDB, a relational database. It provides a NoSQL API to work with a traditional SQL database.

What is the main advantage of using MongoDB Realm for developers already using MongoDB?

The main advantage of MongoDB Realm for developers already using MongoDB is the ability to sync data from MongoDB Atlas to any web or mobile platform, making it a no-brainer for those already utilizing MongoDB.

What is the speaker's general advice on choosing a backend-as-a-service platform?

The speaker advises that nothing is perfect, and it all comes down to trade-offs. The most important thing is to get the app shipped, and to choose the platform that best fits the project's needs without getting locked into a particular technology.