The cost of web hosting can be a barrier for many of us.

We can benefit from Firebase, a (Closed Source) platform developed by Google, offers a suite of tools that can help reduce these costs significantly.

Let’s explore how you can use Firebase for free hosting and why it might be the perfect solution for your web projects.

In fact, currently I am using HUGO + Firebase for this site

What is Firebase?

Firebase is a comprehensive app development platform that provides a variety of tools and services to help developers build high-quality applications quickly and efficiently.

One of its offerings includes web hosting, which is not only robust but also offers a free tier that can be ideal for small projects and startups.

Despite Firebase being a closed-source platform, it offers several advantages for testing new ideas and starting to publish content independently:

  • Freedom from Proprietary Platforms: By using Firebase, you are not tied to proprietary blogging platforms, giving you greater control over your content and its monetization.
  • Quick Setup: Firebase allows you to quickly set up a personalized website, maintaining ownership over your data.
  • Experiment Freely: The platform enables you to experiment with different content strategies without restrictions, fostering innovation.
  • Direct Audience Engagement: It’s an excellent tool for those new to the digital space who want to establish a direct relationship with their audience.

This autonomy is especially valuable for individuals and small teams stepping into the digital space with fresh, innovative ideas.

Key Features of Firebase Hosting

  • Global CDN: Firebase hosting is backed by a global content delivery network (CDN). This means your app or website loads quickly and reliably anywhere in the world.
  • Secure by Default: Every website hosted on Firebase is automatically served over a secure connection (HTTPS), ensuring your data is protected.
  • Direct Integration with Other Firebase Services: Seamlessly integrate with other Firebase services such as Firestore, Firebase Authentication, and Firebase Functions.
  • Custom Domain Support: While Firebase provides a default your-project.firebaseapp.com domain, you can easily connect your own custom domain at no extra cost.

Getting Started with Firebase Hosting

  1. Set Up Your Firebase Project here Create a Firebase project by visiting the Firebase console. This is your central hub for managing all Firebase services associated with your app.
  2. Install Firebase CLI: Install the Firebase CLI (Command Line Interface) on your computer. This tool allows you to interact with Firebase from your terminal and manage your projects.
  3. Initialize Your Project: Run firebase init in your project directory. Follow the prompts to set up Hosting and link your local project to your Firebase project.
  4. Deploy Your Website: Build your website’s static files like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Deploy your site by running firebase deploy. This command uploads your site to Firebase Hosting.
npm install -g firebase-tools

firebase login
firebase init

firebase deploy

Other firebase useful commands

firebase hosting:channel:list
#firebase hosting:channel:delete <channelId>

Tips for Staying Within Firebase Free Tier

While Firebase offers a generous free tier, it’s important to manage your resources to avoid any potential charges:

  • Optimize Your Content: Use compressed images and minify your CSS and JavaScript files to reduce the amount of data transferred.
  • Monitor Your Usage: Regularly check your Firebase usage in the Firebase console to ensure you’re not exceeding the limits of the free tier.
  • Use Firebase’s Budget Alerts: Set up budget alerts in Google Cloud Console to keep track of your spending and get notifications if you’re approaching your budget limit.

Firebase’s free tier is excellent for small projects, personal websites, and development stages.

Conclusion

Firebase Hosting is a powerful and economical solution for hosting your websites. By leveraging Firebase’s robust infrastructure and integration capabilities, you can host your website with the same technology that powers major Google services.

Whether you are a hobbyist learning to build websites or a startup looking to minimize costs, Firebase provides a reliable and secure hosting environment that scales with your needs.

Try now web development without upfront costs. Firebase offers a compelling platform that balances functionality with cost efficiency.

FAQ

What if I am getting Firebase Authentication error?

Try to log in and reuthenticate with:

firebase logout
firebase login --auth
How to notify Google about your Website
  • To ping Google’s engine to review your site’s sitemap:
curl "https://www.google.com/ping?sitemap=https://www.example.com/sitemap.xml"
  • Don’t forget about Bing Search as well:
curl "https://www.bing.com/ping?sitemap=https://www.example.com/sitemap.xml"
How to use Cloudflare CDN in front of Firebase
  • Add your domain as a site in Cloudflare (There is a free tier)
    • You need to verify the ownership
    • Add Cloudflare DNS to your domain registry and remove the existing ones
    • You will receive one email from cloudflare confirming that the process is completed
  • Add the Firebase Registries from https://console.firebase.google.com/ to https://dash.cloudflare.com/
    • Remember to set the Proxy Status for these records as DNS only on Cloudflare - This will avoid the Err_too_many_redirects!
What are the benefits of using Cloudflare as a CDN in front of Google Firebase

  • Improved Performance: Cloudflare’s global network of data centers can help improve the performance of your Firebase-hosted content by caching it closer to your users, reducing latency and improving load times.

  • Increased Security: Cloudflare provides a layer of security between your Firebase content and the public internet, helping to protect against DDoS attacks, malicious traffic, and other threats.

  • Cost Savings: Cloudflare’s CDN services are often less expensive than other CDN providers, and by caching content closer to users, you can also reduce your Firebase hosting costs.

  • Advanced Features: Cloudflare offers advanced features such as web application firewall (WAF), DDoS protection, and content optimization, which can help improve the security and performance of your Firebase content.

What are F/OSS alternatives to Firebase?

  • Self-hosting your Static WebSite
  • Supabase
  • PocketBase
Firebase Cons

One potential downside of Firebase is that it is a closed-source platform.

This means that the inner workings of the platform are not publicly available for inspection or modification.

As a result, developers have limited control over the underlying infrastructure and may face limitations or restrictions in certain customization or integration scenarios. Additionally, reliance on a closed-source platform can raise concerns about vendor lock-in and the ability to migrate to alternative solutions in the future

What it is Baas?

Firebase can be categorized as a Backend as a Service (BaaS) platform. BaaS refers to a cloud-based service that provides backend functionalities for building and running applications.

Firebase offers various backend services, including a real-time database, authentication, storage, hosting, and cloud functions, making it easier for developers to focus on frontend development while leveraging ready-to-use backend capabilities provided by Firebase.