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  1. Stackups
  2. Application & Data
  3. Platform as a Service
  4. Realtime Backend API
  5. Firebase vs RethinkDB

Firebase vs RethinkDB

OverviewDecisionsComparisonAlternatives

Overview

Firebase
Firebase
Stacks42.5K
Followers36.0K
Votes2.0K
RethinkDB
RethinkDB
Stacks292
Followers406
Votes307
GitHub Stars27.0K
Forks1.9K

Firebase vs RethinkDB: What are the differences?

Introduction

Firebase and RethinkDB are two popular and widely used databases, but they have some key differences that set them apart. In this article, we will discuss six specific differences between Firebase and RethinkDB.

  1. Real-time data synchronization: One of the major differences between Firebase and RethinkDB is their approach to real-time data synchronization. Firebase offers built-in real-time data synchronization, allowing multiple clients to receive updates in real-time without the need for manual polling or refreshing. On the other hand, RethinkDB requires the developers to explicitly set up real-time data synchronization using change feeds.

  2. Hosting and deployment: Firebase provides a comprehensive hosting and deployment solution, allowing developers to easily deploy their web applications or static content with just a few clicks. It integrates seamlessly with other Firebase services like authentication and database. RethinkDB, on the other hand, focuses solely on the database aspect and does not offer a hosting or deployment solution. Developers need to rely on other tools or services for hosting and deploying their applications.

  3. Scalability: Firebase is highly scalable and can handle high traffic and a large number of concurrent connections easily. It is built on top of Google Cloud Platform, which provides a robust infrastructure for scalability. RethinkDB, on the other hand, has some limitations when it comes to scalability. It is designed to work best in small to medium-sized applications with a relatively low number of concurrent connections.

  4. Query language: Firebase uses a NoSQL database model and provides a simple and intuitive API for querying the data. It uses Firebase Realtime Database and Firestore, which have their own unique query syntax. RethinkDB, on the other hand, uses a query language called ReQL (RethinkDB Query Language) which is based on JavaScript. ReQL provides a more flexible and powerful way to query the data, especially for complex queries involving multiple joins and aggregations.

  5. Data modeling: Firebase has a flexible data model that allows developers to store and retrieve any type of data with ease. It is schema-less and can handle unstructured or semi-structured data effectively. RethinkDB, on the other hand, follows a more structured data model where developers need to define a schema for their data upfront. This provides a more rigid and consistent structure but may require more initial planning and design.

  6. Community and documentation: Firebase has a large and active community of developers with extensive documentation, tutorials, and resources available. The Firebase team actively maintains and updates the documentation, making it easier for developers to use and learn Firebase. RethinkDB, on the other hand, has a smaller and less active community. While there is documentation available, it may not be as extensive and up-to-date as Firebase's documentation.

In summary, Firebase and RethinkDB differ in their approach to real-time data synchronization, hosting and deployment, scalability, query language, data modeling, and community support.

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Advice on Firebase, RethinkDB

Jared
Jared

Contractor at Insight Global

Aug 9, 2019

ReviewonFirebaseFirebase

I started using Firebase over 5 years ago because of the 'real-time' nature. I originally used to use Real Time Database, but now I use Cloud Firestore. I recommend using the Google Firebase PaaS to quickly develop or prototype small to enterprise level web/mobile applications. Since Google purchased Firebase, it has exploded and it growing rapidly. I also find some level of comfort that it is Backed by Google.

272k views272k
Comments
Noam
Noam

Jul 16, 2020

Needs adviceonNode.jsNode.jsExpressJSExpressJSReactReact

We are starting to work on a web-based platform aiming to connect artists (clients) and professional freelancers (service providers). In-app, timeline-based, real-time communication between users (& storing it), file transfers, and push notifications are essential core features. We are considering using Node.js, ExpressJS, React, MongoDB stack with Socket.IO & Apollo, or maybe using Real-Time Database and functionalities of Firebase.

1.15M views1.15M
Comments

Detailed Comparison

Firebase
Firebase
RethinkDB
RethinkDB

Firebase is a cloud service designed to power real-time, collaborative applications. Simply add the Firebase library to your application to gain access to a shared data structure; any changes you make to that data are automatically synchronized with the Firebase cloud and with other clients within milliseconds.

RethinkDB is built to store JSON documents, and scale to multiple machines with very little effort. It has a pleasant query language that supports really useful queries like table joins and group by, and is easy to setup and learn.

Add the Firebase library to your app and get access to a shared data structure. Any changes made to that data are automatically synchronized with the Firebase cloud and with other clients within milliseconds.;Firebase apps can be written entirely with client-side code, update in real-time out-of-the-box, interoperate well with existing services, scale automatically, and provide strong data security.;Data Accessibility- Data is stored as JSON in Firebase. Every piece of data has its own URL which can be used in Firebase's client libraries and as a REST endpoint. These URLs can also be entered into a browser to view the data and watch it update in real-time.;Real-time Synchronization- Firebase takes a new approach to the way data is moved around an app. Rather than using a traditional request & response model, it works by synchronizing data between devices. Whenever your data changes, all clients are immediately notified within milliseconds. The synchronized data is also persisted, allowing new clients to be immediately updated.;First-class Data Security- Traditional applications intermix security code with application code, whereas Firebase treats security as a first-class feature. You define your security policies in one place using a flexible rules language, and Firebase ensures that they are consistently enforced across all parts of your application. Having all your security logic in one place allows for easy auditing and helps you avoid security mistakes. The safety and security of your data is our top priority.;Automatic Scaling- The Firebase API is built from the ground up for performance and scale. Whenever your data changes, Firebase calculates the minimum set of updates required to keep all your clients in sync. In addition, all Firebase API functions are designed to scale linearly with the size of the data being synchronized. More importantly, Firebase handles all of the scaling and operations for you. Your app will scale from its first user to its first million without any code changes.;Servers are Optional- Firebase can provide all of the data storage, control, and transmission needs of most apps. In many cases, Firebase can completely replace your server and server-side code. This means you no longer need to build complicated backend software and can instead focus on your application logic and your customers.
JSON data model and immediate consistency.;Distributed joins, subqueries, aggregation, atomic updates.;Secondary, compound, and arbitrarily computed indexes.;Hadoop-style map/reduce.;Friendly web and command-line administration tools.;Takes care of machine failures and network interrupts.;Multi-datacenter replication and failover.;Sharding and replication to multiple nodes.;Queries are automatically parallelized and distributed.;Lock-free operation via MVCC concurrency.
Statistics
GitHub Stars
-
GitHub Stars
27.0K
GitHub Forks
-
GitHub Forks
1.9K
Stacks
42.5K
Stacks
292
Followers
36.0K
Followers
406
Votes
2.0K
Votes
307
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 371
    Realtime backend made easy
  • 270
    Fast and responsive
  • 242
    Easy setup
  • 215
    Real-time
  • 191
    JSON
Cons
  • 31
    Can become expensive
  • 16
    No open source, you depend on external company
  • 15
    Scalability is not infinite
  • 9
    Not Flexible Enough
  • 7
    Cant filter queries
Pros
  • 48
    Powerful query language
  • 46
    Excellent dashboard
  • 42
    JSON
  • 41
    Distributed database
  • 38
    Open source
Integrations
Trigger.io
Trigger.io
Famo.us
Famo.us
Backbone.js
Backbone.js
Ember.js
Ember.js
AngularJS
AngularJS
React
React
Amazon EC2
Amazon EC2

What are some alternatives to Firebase, RethinkDB?

MongoDB

MongoDB

MongoDB stores data in JSON-like documents that can vary in structure, offering a dynamic, flexible schema. MongoDB was also designed for high availability and scalability, with built-in replication and auto-sharding.

MySQL

MySQL

The MySQL software delivers a very fast, multi-threaded, multi-user, and robust SQL (Structured Query Language) database server. MySQL Server is intended for mission-critical, heavy-load production systems as well as for embedding into mass-deployed software.

PostgreSQL

PostgreSQL

PostgreSQL is an advanced object-relational database management system that supports an extended subset of the SQL standard, including transactions, foreign keys, subqueries, triggers, user-defined types and functions.

Socket.IO

Socket.IO

It enables real-time bidirectional event-based communication. It works on every platform, browser or device, focusing equally on reliability and speed.

Microsoft SQL Server

Microsoft SQL Server

Microsoft® SQL Server is a database management and analysis system for e-commerce, line-of-business, and data warehousing solutions.

SQLite

SQLite

SQLite is an embedded SQL database engine. Unlike most other SQL databases, SQLite does not have a separate server process. SQLite reads and writes directly to ordinary disk files. A complete SQL database with multiple tables, indices, triggers, and views, is contained in a single disk file.

Cassandra

Cassandra

Partitioning means that Cassandra can distribute your data across multiple machines in an application-transparent matter. Cassandra will automatically repartition as machines are added and removed from the cluster. Row store means that like relational databases, Cassandra organizes data by rows and columns. The Cassandra Query Language (CQL) is a close relative of SQL.

Memcached

Memcached

Memcached is an in-memory key-value store for small chunks of arbitrary data (strings, objects) from results of database calls, API calls, or page rendering.

MariaDB

MariaDB

Started by core members of the original MySQL team, MariaDB actively works with outside developers to deliver the most featureful, stable, and sanely licensed open SQL server in the industry. MariaDB is designed as a drop-in replacement of MySQL(R) with more features, new storage engines, fewer bugs, and better performance.

PubNub

PubNub

PubNub makes it easy for you to add real-time capabilities to your apps, without worrying about the infrastructure. Build apps that allow your users to engage in real-time across mobile, browser, desktop and server.

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