Google Cloud Firestore

Overview

Google Cloud Firestore is a scalable NoSQL database for mobile, web, and server development from Firebase and Google Cloud Platform. It allows developers to store and sync data for client- and server-side development.

Setup

To set up Firestore:

1. Go to the Firebase Console.
2. Create a new project or select an existing project.
3. In the left sidebar, select "Firestore Database".
4. Click "Create Database".
5. Choose a starting mode (test mode or locked mode).
6. Click "Next" and follow the instructions to complete the setup.

Data Structure

Firestore is structured as a collection of documents. Each document can contain various fields and supports complex data types such as arrays, maps, and nested structures.

        // Example of a Firestore document structure
        {
            "name": "John Doe",
            "age": 30,
            "isActive": true,
            "address": {
                "city": "Los Angeles",
                "state": "CA"
            },
            "skills": ["Java", "Swift", "Python"]
        }
        

CRUD Operations

Firestore allows you to perform Create, Read, Update, and Delete (CRUD) operations. Below are examples for each operation.

Create

        // Swift code to add a document
        let db = Firestore.firestore()
        db.collection("users").document("userID").setData([
            "name": "John Doe",
            "age": 30,
            "isActive": true
        ]) { err in
            if let err = err {
                print("Error adding document: \(err)")
            } else {
                print("Document added successfully.")
            }
        }
        

Read

        // Swift code to read a document
        db.collection("users").document("userID").getDocument { (document, error) in
            if let document = document, document.exists {
                print("Document data: \(document.data())")
            } else {
                print("Document does not exist.")
            }
        }
        

Update

        // Swift code to update a document
        db.collection("users").document("userID").updateData([
            "age": 31
        ]) { err in
            if let err = err {
                print("Error updating document: \(err)")
            } else {
                print("Document updated successfully.")
            }
        }
        

Delete

        // Swift code to delete a document
        db.collection("users").document("userID").delete() { err in
            if let err = err {
                print("Error removing document: \(err)")
            } else {
                print("Document successfully removed!")
            }
        }
        

Best Practices

• Use batched writes for multiple updates to reduce network costs.
• Structure your data in a way that optimally fits your query patterns.
• Limit the number of reads/writes to avoid exceeding Firestore quotas.
• Utilize indexing to enhance query performance.
• Implement security rules to protect your data.

FAQ