Thread

1. alex_suzuki · 1790673037 · focus · HN ↗

   I remember first learning about Firebase when working on Android push notifications, a loooooong time ago (~2011 i think). Over time it grew into this full-featured app development platform, after an aquisition (don’t remember the name).

   These days however it feels a bit neglected, and somehow poorly bolted on to GCP. I still have a few production apps running on it and news like this reinforces my belief that it’s in decline.

   What are folks using these days that (ideally) is open source and self-hostable? I don’t want to lock in with another platform. Some of these apps use the offline sync feature of Firestore (apps used in basements and other low-connectivity areas).

   1. pranshuchittora · 1790674943 · focus · HN ↗

      Yes that's the sad part, if you want to integrate Push Notification in your app, and you want to use a 3rd party vendor like OneSignal etc, you still need a fuckin FIREBASE account & FIREBASE dependencies in your app. So every app on the Play Store comes with firebase dependency.

      1. hackernud3s · 1790677064 · focus · HN ↗

         Calling them a 3rd party push notification vendor is being generous. Google is still doing the push notification and I guess OneSignal offers a wrapper around the libs.

         1. pranshuchittora · 1790695146 · focus · HN ↗

            Yes, so basically all Android devices comes with Play Services that's why we need firebase. But in regions like China they have their own Play Services alternative and inorder to send notifications to those devices OneSignal or others provides a unified wrapper.
      2. mcsniff · 1790705228 · focus · HN ↗

         Er no?

         Be hyperbolic if you want, but there are LOTS of apps on the Play Store that do not have internet access, let alone a dependency on Firebase.

         1. Rygian · 1790717793 · focus · HN ↗

            With push notifications?

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