From Firestore to SQL: Unlocking Firebase data connect

In today's app development world, Firebase is a top choice for Flutter developers seeking to build complete applications without the hassle of configuring a backend from scratch. While Firestore, Firebase’s NoSQL database, offers many advantages, its limitations can become apparent when your app’s data requirements grow more complex. This is where SQL solutions come into play, offering powerful tools to manage structured data and complex queries. Firebase Data Connect is one such SQL-based solution, integrating PostgreSQL’s strengths into the Firebase ecosystem.

Firestore vs. SQL Solutions

Firestore shines in scenarios that require real-time data synchronization and a flexible, unstructured data model. However, it struggles in situations that demand complex data relationships, advanced querying, or strict data integrity, where SQL solutions excel:

1. Complex Data Structures and Relationships: In Firestore, representing complex data structures—like those involving multiple related entities such as users, orders, and products—requires nested collections and complex client-side logic. This approach can quickly become unwieldy and error-prone.
2. Advanced Queries and Joins: Firestore’s NoSQL model doesn’t support SQL-style joins, making it difficult to combine data from multiple collections. SQL databases, like PostgreSQL, handle these tasks with ease, allowing you to perform joins, aggregations, and more with simple, powerful queries.
3. Data Integrity and Validation: Firestore’s schema-less nature can lead to data integrity issues, especially in strongly typed languages like Dart used in Flutter. In contrast, SQL databases enforce data integrity through schemas, foreign keys, and constraints, ensuring that your data remains consistent and reliable.
4. Performance and Scalability: While Firestore is scalable for certain types of applications, SQL databases can be more efficient for handling large, complex queries, particularly in applications with well-defined, relational data structures.

If you want a more detailed example, you can check out this talk I presented at the Google I/O Extended event with the Flutter Uruguay community

Exploring SQL Solutions: Firebase Data Connect

Firebase Data Connect is an emerging solution that brings the power of SQL, specifically PostgreSQL, into the Firebase ecosystem. It addresses many of Firestore's limitations by offering:

1. Simplified Data Modeling and Querying: With Firebase Data Connect, you can define your data model declaratively and automatically generate a GraphQL API, allowing for complex, efficient queries that would be challenging with Firestore.
2. Integrated Security: Firebase Data Connect allows for advanced security configurations, letting you define authorization policies at the query level. This adds an extra layer of security directly within the data layer, reducing the need for additional backend logic.
3. Seamless Firebase Integration: As part of the Firebase suite, Data Connect integrates smoothly with other Firebase services, making it easier to manage your application’s entire backend from a single platform.

Alternative SQL Solutions

While Firebase Data Connect is promising, it’s still in preview and likely to undergo frequent changes. For production apps, consider exploring other mature SQL-based solutions like Hasura or Supabase. These platforms offer the benefits of SQL databases—especially PostgreSQL—along with powerful tools like GraphQL APIs, real-time data capabilities, and integrated security, all within stable, production-ready environments.

Conclusion

Firebase Data Connect is an exciting new addition to the Firebase ecosystem, bridging the gap between Firestore’s flexibility and the power of SQL databases. However, since it’s still in preview and likely to evolve rapidly, it may not be ready for production use. Developers looking to harness the power of SQL in their apps today might find Hasura, Supabase, or similar platforms to be more stable alternatives. These solutions provide the robust data handling, advanced querying capabilities, and seamless integration needed to build and scale sophisticated applications.