Firebase, built-in 2011 and acquired by Google in 2014, came as one of the most promising web and mobile app development platforms. Since Google acquired it, Firebase continued to rise in prominence and popularity and has been used across many development projects.
After integrating with several other Google services in the course of time, Firebase became a scalable and versatile package for the modern app developers. One of the critical attributes that gave Firebase a lot of positive mileage are the two cloud-based and customer-centric database solutions are offering support for realtime data syncing. These two database solutions are respectively, Realtime Database and Cloud Firestore.
Realtime Database: It is the original database that Firebase started with. This database solution is conceived as a highly efficient and low-latency solution requiring real-time syncing of different states for clients.
Cloud Firestore: This is the new and much-improved flagship database of the Firebase framework that over and above the advantages of the Realtime Database offers a more intuitive data model. It is also a more feature-rich, fast responding and scalable database solution compared to the Realtime Database.
Let us now have a detailed comparison of these two database solutions for Firebase mobile app development.
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Data Model
Though both Realtime Database and Cloud Firestore share the same characteristic of using NoSQL Databases, they boast of an array of differences in terms of a data model.
Realtime Database
• It stores the data as one large JSON data tree.
• It allows an easy way to store simple data.
• To store complex data with several hierarchical levels, a large scale organization becomes a problem.
Firestore Database
• Firestore database stores and organizes data in collections.
• Like Realtime, this database is also vast for storing simple data.
• Unlike Realtime, it can organize complex and multi-hierarchical data at scale.
• There is far less need for denormalization and flattening of data.
Realtime and Offline Support
As far as support is considered, both database offers mobile-optimized and realtime SDKs. Moreover, both the databases support storing data locally for apps that can work offline. As for platforms for support, they have some differences.
Realtime Database
This database provides offline support for only mobile platforms, iOS and Android.
Cloud Firestore
Firestore provides offline support for web, iOS and Android.
Querying
Both the databases allow you to retrieve, sort, and filter data through queries.
Realtime Database
• This database allows in-depth queries but offers limited sorting and filtering functions.
• You are allowed to either sort or filter on a property, not both on a property when making a single query.
• Every query is taken as deep query by default, and they always consider the entire sub-tree of data for consideration.
Cloud Firestore
• This database handles indexed queries with compound sorting and filtering function.
• You use both filtering and sorting on a property with a single query.
• You are also allowed to write shallow queries for subcollections. Without querying entire collection, you can make a query within a subcollection.
• All queries are by default indexed, and so, every query is proportional to the result size.
Writes and Transactions
This is another major area of differences between these databases.
Realtime Database
● Realtime Database only allows basic write and transaction operations.
Firestore
● Cloud Firestore allows atomic write and transaction operations.
Scalability
In terms of scalability also, there are significant differences between these two databases.
Realtime Database
• Realtime Database needs sharding for scaling beyond 100,000 concurrent connections. To achieve 1,000 writes/second with a single database, it needs to distribute the data across several databases.
Firestore
• Firestore database can scale up automatically, and you don’t need sharding or distribution of the data across multiple database instances.
Multi-Region Support
When it comes to getting support from regional servers, there are big differences between the two.
Realtime Database
• Realtime Database as of now only offers to host support in North America.
Firestore
• Firestore offers multi-region support, along with better consistency across all regions.
Security
When it comes to security, the later has the edge over the former. Let’s see the differences.
Realtime Database
• It comes with only one security protocol referred to as Firebase Database Rules.
• For data validation, it has the Validate rule.
Firestore Database
• It offers a more well-equipped security solution. For Mobile and Web SDKs, the database uses Cloud Firestore Security Rules and for the Server SDKs it takes help from the Identity and Access Management (IAM) protocol of the Google Cloud Platform.
• The data validation is taken care of automatically.
Pricing
Both databases are available for free on the Firebase’s Spark. On Firebase Flame they come with $25/month and on Blaze with a “Pay as you use” pricing plan.
Realtime Database
• It charges just for the bandwidth and storage, and the rate is a little higher.
Firestore Database
• It actually charges for all database operations including reading, write, delete apart from charging a lower rate for the bandwidth and storage as well.
• It also allows you to fix spending limits for every day with the Google App Engine projects and this will help you to keep control of your cost.
Conclusion: Which Database Suits You Best?
Now, we really need to face the concluding question head on. Well, though Firestore has the edge over the Realtime on many parameters, not all users may need the Firestore. Let’s see when you need which database for your Firebase development.
When to use Realtime Database?
• If you are dealing with simple data devoid of complexities and hierarchies.
• If your requirement of scalability is well under 100,000 concurrent connections or 1000 writes/second in a single database.
• If you are looking for a database that costs you for overall bandwidth and storage instead of charging for each individual operation.
When to use the Firestore database?
• If you are dealing with complex or hierarchical data.
• If data in your project requires high scalability of more than 100,000 concurrent connections.
• If you need to control your cost more specifically.
In the end, your choice of database largely depends on your project requirements and how well versed your team is with each of these solutions.
