Firebase Admin SDK API Essential Guide

What type of API does Firebase Admin SDK provide?

The Firebase Admin SDK does not have a specific API type like REST, GraphQL, or SOAP. Instead, it provides language-specific SDKs that allow server-side applications to interact with Firebase services programmatically.

The key points about the Firebase Admin SDK are:

• The Firebase Admin SDK is a set of server libraries that allows privileged access to Firebase services from trusted environments.
• It provides APIs to interact with Firebase Authentication, Realtime Database, Cloud Firestore, Cloud Storage, and other Firebase/Google Cloud services.
• The Admin SDK is available for multiple server-side languages including Node.js, Java, Python, Go, and C#.

The Firebase Admin SDK has the following key characteristics:

• Language-specific SDKs: The Admin SDK provides native libraries for each supported language rather than a generic REST or GraphQL API.
• Programmatic access: It allows server-side code to directly interact with Firebase services using the language's native types and constructs.
• Full admin privileges: The SDK provides elevated access to Firebase services, beyond what client SDKs allow.
• Asynchronous APIs: Many operations in the Admin SDK are asynchronous and use language-specific patterns like Promises or async/await.

Unlike REST APIs, the Admin SDK does not use HTTP methods and endpoints. It's also not a query language like GraphQL, and it's not a protocol like SOAP. The communication between the SDK and Firebase services happens over HTTPS, but the details are abstracted away.

In summary, the Firebase Admin SDK provides a native programmatic interface for server applications rather than following a specific API paradigm like REST or GraphQL. This allows for more idiomatic usage in different programming languages while providing full access to Firebase services.

Does the Firebase Admin SDK API have webhooks?

Firebase Admin SDK and Webhooks

1. The official Firebase Admin SDK does not have built-in webhook functionality.

2. Instead of webhooks, Firebase offers Cloud Functions that can respond to events in Firebase services.

Cloud Functions as an Alternative

1. Cloud Functions allow you to handle events in Firebase services like Realtime Database without updating client code.

2. Typical lifecycle of a Firebase Realtime Database function:

   • Waits for changes to a particular database location
   • Triggers when an event occurs
   • Receives a data object containing a snapshot of the data

3. Cloud Functions can be used to respond to events like user creation or deletion.

Workaround for Webhook-like Functionality

To achieve webhook-like functionality with Firebase, you would need to:

1. Set up Cloud Functions to listen for specific events (e.g., user creation, deletion).

2. Within the Cloud Function, send an HTTP request to your desired webhook endpoint.

3. Handle the webhook request on your server to perform necessary actions (e.g., updating a user database).

Key Considerations

• This approach adds an extra step compared to native webhook support.
• It requires setting up and managing Cloud Functions.
• While not as direct as webhooks, it allows you to respond to Firebase events and integrate with external systems.

In summary, while the Firebase Admin SDK does not offer native webhook support, you can use Cloud Functions as a workaround to achieve similar functionality by listening for events and sending HTTP requests to your own endpoints.

Rate Limits and other limitations

Based on the search results provided, here are the key points about API rate limits for the Firebase Admin SDK:

No Specific Rate Limits for Admin SDK

The Firebase Admin SDK does not have the same rate limits as the client SDKs. This is because the Admin SDK is intended to be used with privileged access from servers you control, so there should not be abuse concerns.

General Firebase API Limits

While not specific to the Admin SDK, some general Firebase API limits that may be relevant include:

• API calls (READ): 5000 per 100 seconds (1st gen) / 1200 per 60 seconds (2nd gen)
• API calls (WRITE): 80 per 100 seconds (1st gen) / 60 per 60 seconds (2nd gen)
• API calls (CALL): 16 per 100 seconds (1st gen only)

Authentication Specific Limits

For Firebase Authentication operations:

• Account configuration updates: 10 requests/second
• Operations per service account: 500 requests/second
• Operations per project: 1000 requests/second, 10 million requests/day

Key Considerations

• The Admin SDK is designed for privileged server-side access and does not have the same throttling as client SDKs.
• If you encounter what seems like a limit with the Admin SDK, you should contact Firebase support directly.
• General Firebase API limits may still apply, but are much higher than client-side limits.
• Authentication operations have some specific limits, but are also higher for server-side usage.

Best Practices

• Monitor your usage to ensure you stay within general Firebase limits.
• Use efficient batching for bulk operations when possible.
• Implement exponential backoff if you do hit rate limits.
• Contact Firebase support if you need higher limits for specific use cases.

In summary, while there are some general Firebase API limits, the Admin SDK itself does not have strict rate limiting. It's designed for server-side use with higher throughput capabilities compared to client SDKs.

Latest API Version

Based on the search results provided, here are the key points about the most recent version of the Firebase Admin SDK API:

Most Recent Version

The most recent version of the Firebase Admin Node.js SDK is 12.3.0, released on July 25, 2023.

Key Points

• The Firebase Admin Node.js SDK is currently at version 12.3.0.

• Version 12.0.0 was a major release that included several breaking changes:

  • Upgraded the @google-cloud/firestore package to v7
  • Upgraded the @google-cloud/storage package to v7
  • Upgraded TypeScript to v5.1.6

• Node.js support:

  • The SDK currently supports Node.js 14 and higher.
  • However, support for Node.js 14 and 16 is deprecated.
  • It's strongly recommended to use Node.js 18 or higher.
  • Support for Node.js 14 and 16 will be dropped in the next major version.

• The SDK should only be used in server-side/back-end environments controlled by the app developer.

Installation

To install the latest version, you can use npm:

npm install --save firebase-admin

Usage

You can use the SDK in your application by requiring it:

const { initializeApp } = require("firebase-admin/app");
initializeApp();

Or using ES2015 import syntax:

import { initializeApp } from "firebase-admin/app";
initializeApp();

Best Practices

• Use Node.js 18 or higher for the best support and performance.
• Keep your SDK version up to date to benefit from the latest features and security updates.
• Only use the Admin SDK in server-side environments, not in client-side code.

How to get a Firebase Admin SDK developer account and API Keys?

To get a developer account for Firebase Admin SDK and create an API integration, you need to follow these steps:

1. Set up a Firebase project

1. If you don't already have a Firebase project, create one in the Firebase console.
2. In the Firebase console, click "Add project".
3. Enter a project name and optionally edit the project ID.

2. Set up a Firebase Admin SDK service account

1. Once your project is created, go to the Firebase console and open "Settings > Service Accounts".
2. Click "Generate New Private Key", then confirm by clicking "Generate Key".
3. This will download a JSON file containing your service account credentials. Keep this file secure, as it grants access to your Firebase project.

3. Install the Firebase Admin SDK

Depending on your programming language, install the Firebase Admin SDK:

• For Node.js: npm install firebase-admin
• For Python: pip install firebase-admin
• For Go: go get firebase.google.com/go/v4@latest

4. Initialize the SDK in your application

Use the service account credentials to initialize the Firebase Admin SDK in your application. Here's an example in Node.js:

const admin = require('firebase-admin');
const serviceAccount = require('path/to/serviceAccountKey.json');

admin.initializeApp({
  credential: admin.credential.cert(serviceAccount)
});

Key points to consider:

• Keep your service account key file secure and never share it publicly.
• Set the GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS environment variable to the path of your service account key file for added security.
• The Admin SDK provides elevated privileges, so use it carefully and only in trusted environments.

By following these steps, you'll have set up a developer account for the Firebase Admin SDK and created an API integration. You can now use the Admin SDK to manage users, access Firestore, send FCM messages, and perform other administrative tasks in your Firebase project.

What can you do with the Firebase Admin SDK API?

Based on the search results, here are the key data models you can interact with using the Firebase Admin SDK API:

Authentication

• Custom Token Minting
• ID Token Verification
• User Management
• Control Access With Custom Claims
• Refresh Token Revocation
• Import Users
• Session Cookie Management
• Generating Email Action Links
• Managing SAML/OIDC provider configurations
• Multi-tenancy support

Realtime Database

• Read and write data with full admin privileges
• Create, update, delete database entries
• Query data

Cloud Firestore

• Create, read, update, delete documents
• Run queries
• Listen for real-time updates

Cloud Storage

• Upload, download, and manage files
• Set security rules

Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM)

• Send messages
• Manage topic subscriptions
• FCM Multicast messaging

Remote Config

• Fetch and update remote config values

Project Management

• Manage Firebase project settings and configurations

Security Rules

• Deploy and manage security rules for Realtime Database, Cloud Firestore, and Cloud Storage

ML Model Management

• Deploy and manage machine learning models

App Check

• Verify integrity of requests to your Firebase project

Firebase Extensions

• Manage and configure Firebase Extensions

Key points:

• The Admin SDK provides privileged access to Firebase services from trusted environments like servers.
• Not all features are available in every language SDK - refer to the feature matrix for specifics.
• The Admin SDK allows you to perform administrative tasks that aren't possible from client SDKs.
• It enables building custom admin consoles and automation workflows around Firebase services.