Firebase

09 November 2024 11:49 AM

Basic Firebase Questions

1. What is Firebase?
○ Firebase is a platform developed by Google that provides a suite of cloud-based tools
and services for building, testing, and deploying mobile and web applications. It includes
features like a real-time database, cloud storage, authentication, and hosting.
2. What are some key services offered by Firebase?
○ Firebase offers services such as Realtime Database, Firestore, Authentication, Cloud
Functions, Cloud Messaging, Storage, Analytics, Hosting, and Firebase ML (Machine
Learning).
3. What is Firebase Realtime Database?
○ The Realtime Database is a NoSQL cloud database that stores data as JSON. It allows for
real-time data syncing between connected clients, making it useful for applications
needing live updates, such as chat apps.
4. What is Firestore, and how is it different from Realtime Database?
○ Firestore is a more flexible, scalable NoSQL database that stores data in documents and
collections. It supports richer queries and indexing, and unlike Realtime Database, it
allows for more complex data structures and server-side transactions.
5. What are Firebase Authentication features?
○ Firebase Authentication provides tools to authenticate users using email/password,
phone numbers, and third-party providers like Google, Facebook, and Twitter.
6. How does Firebase Hosting work?
○ Firebase Hosting provides a fast, secure hosting solution for web applications, allowing
developers to deploy static files (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) and serve them over a secure
connection with a custom domain.
7. What is Firebase Analytics?
○ Firebase Analytics is a free app measurement solution that provides insights on user
engagement and behaviors within your app. It helps developers make informed
decisions to improve user experience.
8. What is Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM)?
○ FCM is a cross-platform messaging service that enables developers to send notifications
and messages to users' devices.
9. How does Firebase differ from traditional backend services?
○ Unlike traditional backend services, Firebase offers Backend-as-a-Service (BaaS) with
real-time capabilities, hosted infrastructure, and simplified data management, requiring
little server-side setup.
Intermediate Firebase Questions
10. How do Firebase Security Rules work in Realtime Database and Firestore?
○ Security Rules in Firebase allow you to control access to data in Realtime Database and
Firestore by setting conditions on read and write operations based on user
authentication and other factors.
11. What are collections and documents in Firestore?
○ In Firestore, collections are containers that hold multiple documents, and documents
are individual records within a collection. Each document can contain data in key-value
pairs and nested structures.
12. Explain Firebase Authentication using OAuth providers.
○ Firebase Authentication supports OAuth providers like Google, Facebook, and Twitter,
allowing users to sign in using their existing accounts. This process involves Firebase
handling the OAuth flow securely.
13. How do Firebase Cloud Functions work?
○ Firebase Cloud Functions allow developers to write server-side code that executes in
response to specific events, like a database change or an HTTP request, enabling
backend logic without managing a server.

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 backend logic without managing a server.
14. What are Firebase App Check and its purpose?
○ Firebase App Check helps protect Firebase resources by ensuring that only requests
from authenticated, trusted app instances can access Firebase services, reducing abuse.
15. How do Firestore queries work, and what are composite indexes?
○ Firestore supports querying documents based on specific fields and filters. Composite
indexes allow more complex queries across multiple fields, enabling efficient retrieval of
data that meets specific conditions.
16. What is Firebase Storage, and what can it be used for?
○ Firebase Storage is a service for storing and serving large media files such as images,
videos, and audio. It integrates with Firebase Authentication for security and Firebase
SDKs for easy access.
17. How does Firebase Crashlytics help in app development?
○ Firebase Crashlytics is a real-time crash reporting tool that provides insights into app
crashes, helping developers identify and resolve issues to improve app stability.
18. Explain Firebase's offline capabilities in Realtime Database and Firestore.
○ Both Realtime Database and Firestore have offline capabilities, caching data locally so
apps can access and update data without a network connection. Changes sync when the
device reconnects.
19. How can Firebase Hosting be integrated with a custom domain?
○ Firebase Hosting allows you to connect a custom domain by verifying domain ownership
and configuring DNS settings, enabling your app to be served from your chosen domain.
20. What are the differences between Firestore and Realtime Database in terms of scalability?
○ Firestore is designed for larger, more complex applications with scalable data and query
capabilities, while Realtime Database is simpler but less scalable for highly complex data
structures.
Advanced Firebase Questions
21. Explain Firestore's data model and best practices for structuring data.
○ Firestore’s data model uses collections and documents, and best practices involve
creating a scalable structure, minimizing nesting, and using sub-collections to avoid read
costs on large documents.
22. What is Firebase Dynamic Links, and when is it used?
○ Firebase Dynamic Links are smart URLs that direct users to specific content within an
app, and can survive the installation process. They are often used for promotions, user
referrals, or content sharing.
23. How can Firebase Remote Config be utilized in an app?
○ Remote Config lets you update app behavior and appearance without requiring users to
download updates. It is useful for A/B testing, feature flags, and personalization.
24. What is Firebase Machine Learning, and what are its capabilities?
○ Firebase ML is a suite of tools for adding machine learning features to an app, offering
pre-trained models and the ability to deploy custom models for tasks like image
recognition and language translation.
25. How do Firestore transactions work?
○ Firestore transactions allow you to read and write multiple documents atomically. If the
transaction fails due to a conflict, it retries, ensuring consistent data even with
concurrent updates.
26. What is the Firestore Data Bundles feature?
○ Data Bundles in Firestore allow you to package and preload data for offline access or
rapid data retrieval, especially useful for large collections that need to be available at
startup.
27. How can Firebase help with app performance monitoring?
○ Firebase Performance Monitoring collects data on app performance metrics such as
startup time, network latency, and slow renders, helping developers optimize their app’s
responsiveness and speed.
28. Explain Firebase Test Lab and its purpose.
○ Firebase Test Lab provides cloud-based infrastructure for testing Android and iOS apps
across various devices and configurations, helping developers detect issues before

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 across various devices and configurations, helping developers detect issues before
release.
29. What are Firebase extensions, and how are they used?
○ Firebase Extensions are pre-packaged solutions that perform common tasks like data
backup, image resizing, and email notifications, reducing development time for
repetitive functions.
30. How do you handle database triggers in Firebase Cloud Functions?
○ Database triggers in Cloud Functions allow you to execute code in response to changes
in Realtime Database or Firestore. You can trigger functions on create, update, delete, or
write operations.
31. What is Firebase Emulator Suite, and how is it useful for development?
○ Firebase Emulator Suite allows developers to simulate Firebase services locally,
providing a testing environment for functions, Firestore, and other Firebase tools
without affecting production data.
32. Explain Firestore's batch writes and how they differ from transactions.
○ Batch writes in Firestore let you perform multiple write operations as a single atomic
operation without read operations, while transactions allow both reads and writes but
retry upon failure.
33. How can you secure Firestore with Firebase App Check and custom claims?
○ Firebase App Check secures Firestore access from trusted devices, and custom claims
allow fine-grained access control by adding roles to users, which can be checked in
security rules.
34. What is Firebase A/B Testing, and how does it work?
○ Firebase A/B Testing allows you to test different app experiences and measure their
impact on user engagement, integrating with Remote Config, Analytics, and Cloud
Messaging to adjust and analyze variations.
35. How can Firebase help with real-time updates in collaborative applications?
○ Firebase’s Realtime Database and Firestore support real-time syncing across clients,
enabling collaborative apps to reflect updates instantly for all users without refreshing.

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