What is Google Firestore?

A powerful database is quite important for any business that intends to host high-performance applications for mobile and web platforms. Easy access to well-organized information, effortless data management, and robust automation features make databases invaluable for most companies.

Google Firestore is one of the standout cloud database services preferred by a large number of businesses today. It facilitates advanced data management and real-time functionality for comprehensive application development. Read on to gain a detailed insight into Google Firestore features and advantages.

What is Google Firestore?

Google Firestore, also known as Cloud Firestore is a part of the Google Firebase application development platform. It is fundamentally a cloud-hosted NoSQL database for storing and syncing data. Firestore can be directly accessed by mobile and web applications through native SDKs.

It enables users to avail options of Unity, Java, C++, Go, and Node.js SDKs, and offers support for REST and RPC APIs. The Firestore database enables automatic scaling, enhanced performance, ease-of-use, and also provides a high level of reliability.

Firestore helps to sync data across multiple client applications with the use of real-time listeners. It uses the Cloud Identity, and Access Management features from Google for the process of authentication. Firestore performs data storage in the form of documents, with the documents being stored in collections.

Documents support a wide variety of data types, such as nested objects, numbers, and strings. Firestore enjoys integration with Google Cloud Platform and Google Firebase. Businesses prefer Firestore for the level of security and reliability it offers.

Firestore Key Features

Automatic scaling

Firestore has been designed to scale automatically depending on user demand. It retains the same level of performance irrespective of database size. Firestore database size does not impact query time.   

Serverless development

Client-side SDKs of Firestone handle networking and authentication while reducing the requirement for coding. Its backend security rules enable swift access to data and help you apply sophisticated validation logic on data. 

Offline usage

Cloud Firestore from Google facilitates convenient offline usage through a robust database on users’ devices. Offline data access ensures that applications run seamlessly even if the user gets disconnected from the Internet. Offline functionality can be availed by users across web, iOS, and Android platforms.  

Datastore mode

Cloud Firestore offers Datastore API support. Developers do not need to make any changes to current Datastore applications. This feature helps users get the uniform performance and benchmark stability while maintaining cost-efficiency. 

Robust query engine

Google Firestore has a sturdy and high-performance query engine. This critical feature helps developers execute complex queries against NoSQL data. It helps to do so without causing any compromises in performance. Users get greater flexibility when it comes to data structuring. 

Robust security

Firestore from Google offers powerful security features for its users. It provides a convenient disaster recovery for protecting data at all times. Firestore also has features for both web and mobile platforms, including non-cascading rules and automatic data validation. 

Multi-region replication

Firestore offers multi-region replication for data security. This feature breeds stability and helps to ensure availability in case of disasters. Automatic multi-regional replication of Firestore helps to cut down any latency. 

ACID transaction

ACID (atomicity, consistency, isolation, and durability) transaction is an essential feature of Cloud Firestore from Google. This feature helps to support transactions. In the case of operational failures in a transaction, the transaction will fail entirely.

Created for cloud-native applications

Firestore is developed for cloud-native applications. Web and mobile applications are among the workloads that cooperate with communications, retail catalogs, social user profiles, leaderboards, etc. 

Firestore Advantages 

• Optimal data handling – Cloud Firestore offers support for indexed queries, enabling users to combine sort and filter functionalities with the help of single queries. The advantages of ACID transactions are available across documents and collections.

• Offline support – Firestore provides offline support for the Android, web, and iOS platforms. It translates to your applications being updated almost in real-time when any changes are made to the backend data. 

• Integrates with Firebase / Google Cloud – Firestore is a combined project of Firebase and the Google Cloud Platform. It offers users the benefits of both the services. Developers can enjoy the real-time database features of Firebase with Google Cloud’s scalability. 

• Both serverless and cloud – Cloud Firestore is serverless for facilitating a positive experience for developers, along with removing the need for server setup and data access management. Integration with Firebase and Google Cloud Platform facilitates better iterations, prototyping, offline support, and advanced synchronization. 

• Optimal scalability – Cloud Firestore provides a great deal of scalability as it harnesses the robust Google Cloud Platform. Users can opt for horizontal scaling based on a load of an application. The service makes it easier for users to handle high volumes of complex data, which is stored across documents and sub-collections.  

• Pay as you go pricing – Google Cloud Firestore is considered to be a cost-effective option for developers. The more you scale, the more you pay. The lower is your usage, lower are your costs.

Firestore Pricing

Firestore pricing starts at a free of cost plan, which offers limited functionality and features. Users who exceed the storage limits have to pay for their database operations, network bandwidth, and stored data.

The main variables that determine Firestore pricing are:

• Database Location
• Data Stored
• Bandwith
• Reads, Writes, and Deletes

Pricing Example

For the sake of this example, let’s consider the following assumptions:

• US Multi-Region
• 11GB Data Stored for a one month period
• Transfer out 110GB (excluding China/Australia)
• 150,000 document reads
• 120,000 document writes
• 120,000 document deletes

Now, let’s do the math. Pricing information gathered from Firestore Pricing Page.

Data storage charged as follows:

• $0.00 for the first GB
• $0.18 for the additional GB
• So, total is $0.18 x (11-1) = $1.8 for 11GB storage during one month

Transfer out charged as follows:

• $0.00 for the first 10 GB
• $0.12 for the additional GB
• So, total is $0.12 x (110-10) = $12 for 110GB transfer out

Document operations charged as follows:

So, for this example, total pricing is detailed below:

Conclusion 

Google Cloud Firestore is a powerful database platform for users who require optimal scalability, ease-of-use, and advanced functionality. Key features include offline sync, multi-region deployment, automatic scaling. The pricing works in a “pay as you go” model and based on the application size and usage.

General FAQ