Serverless architecture has become a buzzword in the last few years. But once you set out to implement it for your project - what platform do you choose? At first glance, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) services seem nearly the same.

Our Ronas IT team had the same question when we decided to start providing our clients with this alternative to a regular backend. We’ve used and compared Firebase services (Cloud Firestore, Cloud Functions) and AWS services (AWS DynamoDB, AWS Lambda, AWS Amplify). And we’ve answered the question for ourselves - Firebase.

Wonder why? Keep reading.

1. Firebase has a straightforward services structure. AWS services are very divided among themselves and this is why it takes a lot of time to figure out how to connect them and make it work as it should.
2. Firebase has clear and easy to use documentation. When it comes to AWS services, sometimes it can be tricky to find something in their documentation. It is scattered across several resources and contains more technical information with fewer examples of real use.
3. Firebase services are available out of the box. The only thing a developer has to do is to start writing code. AWS requires a lot of configuration - from Typescript functions and debugger configurations to easy and straightforward deploy.
4. Firebase has a lower entry barrier for a developer. It is easy to get started with writing your functions, debugging, database queries implementation, etc.
5. Firebase makes it possible to work with a database on the client-side, providing developers with data validation and access control. AWS doesn’t provide the same options. Work with a database is done with REST or GraphQL, or a low-level implementation of work with DynamoDB with full access to a database only. There is no data validation, nor access control. Generally speaking, Firebase is tailored to the client-side, while AWS still requires a backend layer.
6. Firebase has a simpler and easy to use control panel. When working with AWS, you have to put some effort into trying to find what you need due to a big number of available micro-services.
7. Serverless architecture implementation on Firebase is less time-consuming due to the factors described above.

To sum up, both platforms can be used for serverless architecture implementation. Firebase, however, has some advantages that can be very attractive for both developers who are just getting started with cloud solutions and those ones who are looking to optimize their work.

In a nutshell, what makes a Firebase a good choice are

• Out of the box availability of services
• Lower entry barrier
• Less time required

If you have any questions about Firebase or AWS, please send us a message to hello@ronasit.com