Firebase vs. MongoDB: Which Database to Use for Your App Development

What’s the most significant error that a business person can commit in their app’s development stage?

Choosing the technology stacks for their mobile app without understanding the app’s frontend and backend development needs. The biggest concern should be given while selecting the database as all the app and user data will be stored and used from there.

Understand what every database has to offer and then decide the one that’s perfect for your app development project. Today we will be comparing Firebase Vs MongoDB databases to find a winner.

Why Is Database Awareness Necessary?

Your goal is to get millions of app users to be your customer. To realize this goal, you must have decided to develop an app for Android or iOS, or perhaps both the platforms. Let’s assume that you have built your world-class mobile app and you are getting more and more new users.

If your backend is not robust enough to take on such traffic, your app would crash and cause a service meltdown. When you develop your business app, you need to give attention to the database. If your database is not designed or set up correctly, it will become a huge problem eventually.

What Is a NoSQL Database?

It’s a non-relational database that can store and retrieve data. To simplify, imagine NoSQL database as a tree. Every new information added is a new branch in the tree with new sub-branches as data is kept on adding.

NoSQL databases are the best fit for projects handling real-time data and big data.

Top NoSQL Databases:

• MongoDB
• Firebase
• Cassandra
• Elasticsearch
• Couchbase
• Oracle NoSQL
• Neo4j
• HBase
• Memcached
• CouchDB
• Redis

Today, we will only focus on the two most powerful NoSQL databases: MongoDB and Firebase.

You can use both these databases as a service. Firebase and MongoDB both offer exceptional backend server for your data.

What Is Firebase?

Firebase is much more than just a database. It is a complete solution that is used to build web and mobile apps. Google owns this real-time Backend-as-a-Service. Google Firebase real-time database is perfect for apps that need to handle data in real-time across multiple devices.

The database service of Firebase is called Cloud Firestore. It works in nearly real-time, fetching changes from your database as they happen. Firestore is a part of the Cloud Firebase services, which means it works perfectly with all the other Firebase products.

Advantages of Firebase:

• Robust Client Libraries
• Full Support for Offline Mode
• Comprehensive Set of Security Rules
• Easy-to-use Data Browsing Tool

What Is MongoDB?

MongoDB is developed and managed by MongoDB Inc. It’s an open source NoSQL database. Unlike Firebase that offers a complete ecosystem of services, MongoDB is only a (very powerful) document database.

Scalability and flexibility are the two factors considered while developing MongoDB. It offers very powerful querying and indexing. Although it offers only a focused service in the storage of data, MongoDB is still widely adopted because of the powerful storage capabilities it offers. With MongoDB, developers get more power in developing apps. MongoDB accommodates their development needs so the app stores data efficiently.

Comparing MongoDB vs. Firebase

Top Companies that use MongoDB:

• Adobe
• SEGA
• eBay
• EA Games
• Verizon
• eHarmony

Top Companies that use Firebase:

• Venmo
• Lyft
• Duolingo
• The New York Times
• Alibaba
• Shazam

Conclusion

MongoDB and Firebase have their own benefits and drawbacks. When it comes to choosing any one of the two databases, it all comes down to personalization and what is right for your particular app development project. One thing is for sure, no matter which database you choose between MongoDB and Firebase, you will need a very skilled team of developers that can help you set up your database and build your entire app.

If you enjoyed this article and want to learn more about MongoDB, check out this collection of tutorials and articles on all things MongoDB.