What is Google Cloud Firestore used for?

Google Cloud Firestore is a serverless document database with real-time sync, used as a managed backend for web, mobile and server applications. It is a good fit for backends for mobile and web apps, live collaborative or chat features, and serverless applications on Google Cloud.

Is Google Cloud Firestore free?

Yes. Google Cloud Firestore has a free plan.

Is Google Cloud Firestore open source?

No. Google Cloud Firestore is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Google Cloud Firestore include MongoDB, Apache CouchDB and RavenDB.

What are some alternatives to Google Cloud Firestore?

Google Cloud Firestore competes with MongoDB Atlas, Amazon DynamoDB and Azure Cosmos DB. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Google Cloud Firestore alternatives.

Google Cloud Firestore: features, pricing and alternatives

About Google Cloud Firestore

Google Cloud Firestore is a serverless NoSQL document database from Google. Data is stored as documents grouped into collections, and Google runs the infrastructure, scaling and replication, so developers do not manage database servers. It is used as a backend for web, mobile and server applications.

Firestore supports real-time synchronization, so connected clients can listen for changes and see updates without polling, and its mobile and web SDKs can keep data available offline. Google's current product page also highlights an enterprise-grade edition with MongoDB compatibility, aimed at teams that want to use MongoDB tooling and drivers.

Firestore is a hosted, proprietary Google Cloud service and cannot be self-hosted. It is also part of the Firebase platform, which makes it a common choice for teams that use Google's backend-as-a-service tooling for authentication, hosting and server functions.

Key features

Serverless NoSQL document database
Real-time listeners for live data sync
Offline support in mobile and web SDKs
Automatic scaling and replication
MongoDB compatibility option
Client SDKs for web and mobile

Good fit for

→Backends for mobile and web apps
→Live collaborative or chat features
→Serverless applications on Google Cloud

Tags: nosql; document-database; firebase; google-cloud; serverless; real-time; baas

Google Cloud Firestore: questions and answers

What is Google Cloud Firestore used for?: Google Cloud Firestore is a serverless document database with real-time sync, used as a managed backend for web, mobile and server applications. It is a good fit for backends for mobile and web apps, live collaborative or chat features, and serverless applications on Google Cloud.
Is Google Cloud Firestore free?: Yes. Google Cloud Firestore has a free plan.
Is Google Cloud Firestore open source?: No. Google Cloud Firestore is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Google Cloud Firestore include MongoDB, Apache CouchDB and RavenDB.
What are some alternatives to Google Cloud Firestore?: Google Cloud Firestore competes with MongoDB Atlas, Amazon DynamoDB and Azure Cosmos DB. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Google Cloud Firestore alternatives.