Pros of react-native-firebase

• Cross-platform support for both iOS and Android
• Comprehensive Firebase feature coverage in a single package
• Active community and frequent updates

Cons of react-native-firebase

• Steeper learning curve for developers new to React Native
• Potential performance overhead due to JavaScript bridge

Code Comparison

quickstart-ios (Swift):

import Firebase

class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate {
  func application(_ application: UIApplication,
                   didFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions: [UIApplication.LaunchOptionsKey: Any]?) -> Bool {
    FirebaseApp.configure()
    return true
  }
}

react-native-firebase (JavaScript):

import firebase from '@react-native-firebase/app';

function App() {
  useEffect(() => {
    firebase.initializeApp();
  }, []);

  return (
    // Your app components
  );
}

Summary

quickstart-ios provides native iOS examples for Firebase integration, offering optimal performance and direct access to iOS-specific features. It's ideal for developers focusing solely on iOS.

react-native-firebase enables Firebase integration in React Native apps, supporting both iOS and Android. It offers a unified API and extensive feature coverage but may have a steeper learning curve for native iOS developers.

Choose based on your project requirements, target platforms, and team expertise.

Pros of firebase-ios-sdk

• More comprehensive and feature-rich, providing full SDK implementation
• Allows for deeper customization and integration with iOS apps
• Regularly updated with new Firebase features and improvements

Cons of firebase-ios-sdk

• Larger file size and potentially increased app bundle size
• Steeper learning curve for developers new to Firebase
• May require more setup and configuration compared to quickstart samples

Code Comparison

firebase-ios-sdk (Objective-C):

#import <FirebaseCore/FirebaseCore.h>

[FIRApp configure];
FIRFirestore *db = [FIRFirestore firestore];

quickstart-ios (Swift):

import Firebase

FirebaseApp.configure()
let db = Firestore.firestore()

Summary

firebase-ios-sdk is the full Firebase SDK for iOS, offering comprehensive features and customization options. It's ideal for developers who need deep integration and access to all Firebase capabilities. However, it comes with a larger footprint and may require more setup.

quickstart-ios provides sample code and basic implementations for various Firebase features. It's great for beginners or those looking to quickly prototype Firebase functionality in their iOS apps. While it offers easier setup and smaller file size, it may lack some advanced features and customization options available in the full SDK.

Choose firebase-ios-sdk for production apps requiring full Firebase functionality, and quickstart-ios for learning, prototyping, or simpler implementations.

Pros of quickstart-android

• More comprehensive sample apps, covering a wider range of Firebase features
• Better documentation and comments within the code samples
• More frequent updates and maintenance

Cons of quickstart-android

• Larger repository size, potentially making it harder to navigate
• Some samples may be more complex, which could be overwhelming for beginners

Code Comparison

quickstart-android (Kotlin):

private fun getInstanceId() {
    FirebaseInstanceId.getInstance().instanceId
        .addOnCompleteListener(OnCompleteListener { task ->
            if (!task.isSuccessful) {
                Log.w(TAG, "getInstanceId failed", task.exception)
                return@OnCompleteListener
            }
            val token = task.result?.token
            val msg = getString(R.string.msg_token_fmt, token)
            Log.d(TAG, msg)
            Toast.makeText(baseContext, msg, Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()
        })
}

quickstart-ios (Swift):

func messaging(_ messaging: Messaging, didReceiveRegistrationToken fcmToken: String?) {
  print("Firebase registration token: \(String(describing: fcmToken))")

  let dataDict: [String: String] = ["token": fcmToken ?? ""]
  NotificationCenter.default.post(
    name: Notification.Name("FCMToken"),
    object: nil,
    userInfo: dataDict
  )
}

Both repositories provide excellent starting points for developers looking to integrate Firebase into their mobile applications. While quickstart-android offers more comprehensive samples and documentation, quickstart-ios provides a more streamlined experience for iOS developers. The code examples demonstrate similar functionality but showcase the language-specific implementations for each platform.

Pros of Parse-SDK-iOS-OSX

• Open-source and self-hostable, providing more control over data and infrastructure
• Extensive documentation and community support
• Flexible and customizable, allowing for more tailored solutions

Cons of Parse-SDK-iOS-OSX

• Requires more setup and maintenance compared to Firebase's managed services
• May have fewer built-in features and integrations out of the box
• Potentially slower development time due to increased configuration needs

Code Comparison

Parse-SDK-iOS-OSX:

let gameScore = PFObject(className: "GameScore")
gameScore["score"] = 1337
gameScore["playerName"] = "Sean Plott"
gameScore.saveInBackground { (success, error) in
    if success {
        print("Score saved successfully")
    } else {
        print("Error saving score: \(error?.localizedDescription ?? "")")
    }
}

Firebase quickstart-ios:

let db = Firestore.firestore()
db.collection("scores").addDocument(data: [
    "score": 1337,
    "playerName": "Sean Plott"
]) { err in
    if let err = err {
        print("Error adding document: \(err)")
    } else {
        print("Document added successfully")
    }
}

Both examples demonstrate saving data to their respective backends, with Firebase offering a slightly more concise syntax. Parse provides more flexibility in object creation, while Firebase's structure is more tightly coupled to its document-based model.

Pros of PromiseKit

• Focused library for asynchronous programming with promises
• Extensive documentation and community support
• Lightweight and easy to integrate into existing projects

Cons of PromiseKit

• Limited scope compared to Firebase's comprehensive suite of tools
• Requires additional libraries for features like authentication or database management
• Steeper learning curve for developers new to promise-based programming

Code Comparison

PromiseKit:

firstly {
    fetchUser(id: 123)
}.then { user in
    updateProfile(for: user)
}.done { result in
    print("Profile updated: \(result)")
}.catch { error in
    print("Error: \(error)")
}

Firebase Quickstart:

Auth.auth().signIn(withEmail: email, password: password) { (user, error) in
    if let error = error {
        print("Error: \(error.localizedDescription)")
        return
    }
    print("User signed in successfully")
}

PromiseKit focuses on chaining asynchronous operations using promises, while Firebase Quickstart provides ready-to-use implementations for various Firebase services. PromiseKit offers more flexibility in handling complex asynchronous flows, whereas Firebase Quickstart simplifies integration with Firebase's ecosystem.