Firebase vs Okta

Businesses that want to keep their networks secure and personalize the experience implement user authentication protocols for signing into their website or app.

Knowing the user’s identity allows the app to save the data securely in the cloud and provide the same personalized experience across platforms. It increases operational efficiency, addresses compliance requirements, and improves the trust between a business and a user by reducing the risk of breaches.

When it comes to user authentication, Firebase and Okta are two of the most prominently featured names, each offering some unique features to their customers.

Read on to find more about how these two fare against each other so that you can make an informed decision when selecting one for your business.

Key Takeaways

• Firebase is Google’s comprehensive backend service

• Okta is na identity and access management company

• Both platforms are free to start using

• Okta focus on enterprise customers

• Firebase does not provide enterprise plans

Firebase

Google-backed Firebase is one of the most popular backend-as-a-service (BaaS) offerings on the market. It offers several backend services that enable developers to create and publish mobile and web applications.

In addition, it also has several tools to track user engagement events and sends you regular crash reports, which can be used to improve the user experience of your application.

Firebase Auth provides the backend services and SDKs required in addition to pre-built UI libraries to authenticate users on your application. It supports password and mobile number based authentication in addition to other secure platforms such as Google, GitHub, Facebook, and Twitter. 

Firebase core features 

• Cross-platform support

Firebase packages multiple APIs offering various features into single SDKs, for mobile OS languages including C++ and JavaScript. Therefore, deploying the source code to several mobile OSes is easier and does not require making a ton of changes to the infrastructure.

• Backend service integrations

Being a comprehensive app development solution, Firebase integrates seamlessly with other backend services offered by the platform. For instance, the app storage and hosting solution integrates with Auth to offer a multi-sign-in feature for the users, making the app more efficient and allows developers to handle data more precisely.

• Analytics

As it is powered by Google, Firebase also offers several tools and options to track user behavior powered by Google Analytics. You can set the tools to track a particular pre-defined event or define one yourself to track a parameter that matters uniquely to your organization.

Firebase advantages

• Multiple implementation paths

Firebase comes with a drop-in authentication solution for handling UI flows for sign-in attempts. Users can log onto your app using their emails and passwords, phone numbers, federated identity providers, custom, and anonymous authorization.

• Reliable security

Firebase Authentication has been developed by the team behind Google Sign-in, Chrome Password Manager, and Smart Lock. Therefore, the same expertise of handling one of the largest account databases goes into making the Firebase database extremely secure.

• Fast implementation

Setting up a custom authentication platform can take months at a time, requiring an engineering team for complex code implementations and to ensure that the system remains functional in the future.

Firebase allows you to set up the entire authentication system in just a few lines of code and even handles complex actions with ease.

Please read article The Advantages of Firebase to know more about this subject.

What is Okta? 

Okta is an enterprise-grade authentication management service built mainly for the cloud but supports any on-premise applications. It runs on a reliable and extensively safe audited platform that integrates deeply with any on-premises applications, directories, and user authentication systems.

The pre-integrated application called Okta Integration Network (OIN) provides users with diverse integration options, thereby enabling SSO login for every app your user needs throughout the day.

Okta core features

• Secure authentication

Protect your customer data by setting up a strong user authentication system with strict authentication policies. You can also set up email credential links, factor sequencing, or WebAuthn for added security. 

• Efficient user management

Add user signups to your mobile and web applications and perform customer identity management at scale using bundled APIs or from Okta’s native admin console with a user-friendly user interface.

• Adaptive multi-factor sign-in

Increase the security of your applications with contextual step-up authentication using a broad set of second factors, like OTPs, email credentials, calls, biometric log-ins, etc.

• B2B integration

Seamlessly connect your customer, vendor, and partners that have their own identity system or directory with Okta’s partner portal integration solution. You also get out-of-the-box SaaS integrations using the most popular protocols like the SAML and OpenID Connect, in addition to the legacy support for turnkey LDAP and Active Directory integration.

• Access gateways

Centralize access controls for your on-premises and cloud applications by extending cloud SSO and adaptive multi-factor sign-in to all your apps. Enhance the security across all your external identity accounts and prevent the risk of external attacks.

Okta advantages

• Simplified SSO from active directory

Single Sign-On eliminates the need of creating and remembering unique IDs and passwords for individual on-premise and cloud applications.

Organizations that have invested in a directory service can utilize Okta to deploy SSO from Active Directory for individual service configuration and integration in virtually no time. Since it is a vendor-neutral cloud-based identity, it does not make trade-offs between usability and functionality.

• Automated user lifecycle management

When users join and leave your organization, it becomes difficult for the IT team to manage to grant and revoke access to the applications they need.

Okta makes user lifecycle management easier by creating new accounts for cloud apps and deploy them with the correct access level. All information is synced in real-time with the directory service, therefore automating the identity changes.

• Adaptive security

Organizational security needs to adapt to changing circumstances in order to secure user identities and assets without overburdening the system.

Okta provides adaptive multi-factor authentication with dynamic policy changes and step-up authentication that responds and adapts to the user behavior or other defined events.

Firebase vs Okta Comparison

Conclusion

Both Okta and Firebase come with their own unique features, making it difficult to choose one at an instance. As developers, you will need to put extra effort to evaluate your requirements and then select one that best matches the unique needs of your organization.

Firebase is Google’s compressive BaaS platform. It is free to start, pricing works under a Pay as you go model, and it is an excellent choice for startups and individual developers.

Okta is an identity and access management company. It is free to start, pricing starts at $1,500/year,