Cloud Functions for Firebaseplat_iosplat_androidplat_webplat_cppplat_unity


Already using Cloud Functions on Google Cloud Platform? Learn more about how Firebase fits into the picture.

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Key capabilities

Integrates the Firebase platform The functions you write can respond to events generated by these other Firebase and Google Cloud features:

Integrate across Firebase features using the Admin SDK together with Cloud Functions, and integrate with third-party services by writing your own webhooks. Cloud Functions minimizes boilerplate code, making it easier to use Firebase and Google Cloud inside your function.
Zero maintenance Deploy your JavaScript or TypeScript code to our servers with one command from the command line. After that, Firebase automatically scales up computing resources to match the usage patterns of your users. You never worry about credentials, server configuration, provisioning new servers, or decommissioning old ones.
Keeps your logic private and secure In many cases, developers prefer to control application logic on the server to avoid tampering on the client side. Also, sometimes it's not desirable to allow that code to be reverse engineered. Cloud Functions is fully insulated from the client, so you can be sure it is private and always does exactly what you want.

How does it work?

After you write and deploy a function, Google's servers begin to manage the function immediately. You can fire the function directly with an HTTP request, or, in the case of background functions, Google's servers will listen for events and run the function when it is triggered.

As the load increases or decreases, Google responds by rapidly scaling the number of virtual server instances needed to run your function. Each function runs in isolation, in its own environment with its own configuration.

Lifecycle of a background function

  1. The developer writes code for a new function, selecting an event provider (such as Realtime Database), and defining the conditions under which the function should execute.
  2. The developer deploys the function, and Firebase connects it to the selected event provider.
  3. When the event provider generates an event that matches the function's conditions, the code is invoked.
  4. If the function is busy handling many events, Google creates more instances to handle work faster. If the function is idle, instances are cleaned up.
  5. When the developer updates the function by deploying updated code, all instances for the old version are cleaned up and replaced by new instances.
  6. When a developer deletes the function, all instances are cleaned up, and the connection between the function and the event provider is removed.

In addition to listening for events with a background function, you can call functions directly with an HTTP request or a call from the client.

Implementation path

Set up Cloud Functions Install the Firebase CLI and initialize Cloud Functions in your Firebase project.
Write functions Write JavaScript code (or TypeScript code to transpile at deployment) to handle events from Firebase services, Google Cloud services, or other event providers.
Test functions Use the local emulator to test your functions.
Deploy and monitor Deploy your functions using the Firebase CLI. You can use the Firebase console to view and search through your logs.

Next steps