Introduction to Firebase with Android and Beyond...

Kasper Løvborg Jensen
Leafcastle Labs | Aarhus University
Introduction to Firebase
With Android and Beyond…

Chief Wizard, Founder
Leafcastle Labs
Associate Professor
Aarhus University School of Engineering
Lead / Lab Commander
ORBIT Lab
Organizer
Google Developer Group Aarhus
@KasperLJKasper@LeafcastleLabs.com

β

Outline
•  Introduction
– What is Firebase?
– What can I use it for?
– How do I get started?
•  Tech demos/hacks
– Android
– IoT devices
– Web
•  Discussion

Firebase
“Firebase is a fully managed platform for
building iOS, Android, and web apps that
provides automatic data synchronization,
authentication services, messaging, file
storage, analytics, and more. Starting with
Firebase is an efﬁcient way to build or
prototype mobile backend services”
https://cloud.google.com/solutions/mobile/mobile-app-backend-services#ﬁrebase

Philosophy
1.  Cross platform
2.  Developer experience
3.  Integrations
</>
++
$
Develop
Grow
Earn
https://ﬁrebase.google.com/

Cross Platform
•  Android
•  iOS
•  Web
•  Cloud
•  IoT
•  …
…

Core Features: Development
•  Real-time Database
•  Storage
•  Authentication
•  Remote Configuration
•  Cloud Messaging
•  Hosting
•  Analytics
•  Crash Reporting
•  Testing / Cloud Test Lab
https://console.ﬁrebase.google.com

Authentication

Authentication
https://ﬁrebase.google.com/docs/auth/

Authentication
•  Flexible
– Email/password
– Google, Facebook, Twitter, GitHub
– Custom
– Anonymous / temp
•  Standardized
– Oauth 2.0
– OpenID Connect

Database

Firebase Realtime Database
•  Cloud based, NoSQL
•  Offline mode
•  Synchs in realtime with clients
•  Store data/objects as JSON
•  Security Rules for security and data
validation

Storage

Firebase Storage
•  Files
– Photos, audio, video, etc.
•  Handles upload
– Security and robustness
•  Based on Google Cloud Storage
– Highly scalable
– Sharable with GCP services
•  Integrates with Firebase Authentication

Hosting

Hosting
•  Static web content
•  CLI tools for easy setup and deployment
•  Free SSL build in
•  CDN for global delivery
•  Versioning and roll-backs
•  Hosted at *.firebaseapp.com
– Can transition to custom domain

CLI for hosting

Remote Config

Remote Config
•  Instrument your app and set up server
– Key-value pairs
– Rules
•  Quick updates
•  Feature toggling
•  A/B testing

Test Lab

Test Lab
•  Cloud based test infrastructure for real
devices
•  Run test on configuration matrix and get
results: logs, video, screen dumps
•  Supports: Espresso, Robotium, …
https://ﬁrebase.google.com/docs/test-lab/

Crash Reports

Crash Reports
•  Log details on crashes on Android and iOS
Source: Google

Analytics

Analytics
•  Powerful built-in Analytics
–  Automatically captured data
–  Custom events
•  Define audience and segment analysis
•  Integrates across services
Source: Google

Cloud Messaging and Notifications

Cloud Messaging
•  Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM)
–  Formerly known as GCM
•  Send Messages
–  Notification (for user)
–  Data (for app)
https://ﬁrebase.google.com/docs/cloud-messaging/

Notifications
•  Send notifications to app users
•  Fine-grained control
•  Integrated with Analytics
Source: Google

Adds / AddMob

Pricing
https://ﬁrebase.google.com/pricing/

Firebase as a Backend

Just Firebase
https://cloud.google.com/solutions/mobile/mobile-app-backend-services

Using App Engine

Custom Server
(Formerly known as Managed VMs)

Existing Infrastructure
Synch through FB Add feature with FB

Hands-on Hacking/Demo
•  Console
–  Firebase overview
–  Database structure
•  ESP8266/Arduino
–  FirebaseArduino library
•  Web
–  Hosting
–  Firebase CLI: setup and deploy
–  FirebaseJS
•  Android
–  Android Studio Firebase tricks
–  Firebase SDK and patterns
–  Firebase UI

Too Warm? Feeling Blue?

CrimsonBreeze
TM

First: Setup Firebase

Hack#1: IoT board

Grove Sensors

Firebase on ESP8266/Arduino
•  FirebaseArduino library
•  ESP8266 Arduino core
•  “The Arduino library is under
heavy development,
experimental, unversioned
and its API is not stable”
https://github.com/googlesamples/ﬁrebase-arduino
https://github.com/esp8266/Arduino

Setup()!
Based on: https://github.com/googlesamples/ﬁrebase-arduino/tree/master/examples/
FirebaseRoom_ESP8266

Loop()!
Based on: https://github.com/googlesamples/ﬁrebase-arduino/tree/master/examples/
FirebaseRoom_ESP8266

Hack#2 Web

Web Interface
•  Plain old HTML, CSS and JavaScript
•  FirebaseJS 3.4.1
•  Hosted on Firebase

Web Interface
Authenticate Monitor and control

Init

Deploy

UI

Config & Auth

Database Synch

Hack#3 Android

Android Interface
Authenticate Monitor and control

Getting Started
•  Create project (Firebase console)
•  Add Android and configure
•  Download and add google-services.json
to your Android project

Firebase SDK
<project>/<module>/build.gradle
<project>/build.gradle

Libraries
https://ﬁrebase.google.com/docs/android/setup

FirebaseUI
•  FirebaseListAdapter
•  FirebaseRecyclerViewadapter
•  “FirebaseUI plans to add several more
features, including standard auth
controls, pagination/infinite scroll, and
navigation”
https://github.com/ﬁrebase/FirebaseUI-Android

Android Studio

Firebase Assistant

Firebase Assistant
•  Step by step guide
•  Links to Firebase console
– Auto-configure / fill
•  Configures Gradle and imports

Where to go from here?
•  https://ﬁrebase.google.com/
•  Firebase developer channel on Youtube
– Google I/O 2016 videos
– DevBytes
•  Firebase code labs
– We are doing one right now!
•  Join ORBIT Lab / attend GDG Garage

Firebase at Google I/O’16
•  Introducing Firebase
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=ySmWlU9j3j4
•  Firebase Overview
v=tb2GZ3Bh4p8
•  Firebase SDK for Android
v=AJqakuas_6g

THANK YOU!
Questions?
@kasperlj
kasper@leafcastlelabs.com

Introduction to Firebase with Android and Beyond...

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