Mastering Firebase for Android Development: Build real-time, scalable, and cloud-enabled Android apps with Firebase

✍ Scribed by Ashok Kumar S

• Publisher: Packt Publishing
• Year: 2018
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 386
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Develop a fully functional dynamic Android application using the latest features of Firebase

Key Features

• Explore all the latest tools in Firebase―Firebase Firestore, ML-Kit, and Firebase Predictions
• Master Firebase cloud messaging, remote configuration, and work with a real-time database
• Make your app a global success with the help of Google Analytics and AdMob

Book Description

Firebase offers a wide spectrum of tools and services to help you develop high-quality apps in a short period of time. It also allows you to build web and mobile apps quickly without managing the infrastructure.Mastering Firebase for Android Development takes you through the complete toolchain of Firebase,including the latest tools announced in Google IO 2018 such as Firebase ML-Kit, FireStore, and Firebase Predictions.

The book begins by teaching you to configure your development environment with Firebase and set up a different structure for a Firebase real-time database. As you make your way through the chapters, you'll establish the authentication feature in Android and explore email and phone authentication for managing the on-boarding of users. You'll be taken through topics on Firebase crash reporting, Firebase functions, Firebase Cloud, Firebase Hosting, and Cloud Messaging for push notifications and explore other key areas in depth. In the concluding chapters, you will learn to use Firebase Test Lab to test your application before using Firebase Performance Monitoring to trace performance setbacks.

By the end of the book, you will be well equipped with the Firebase ecosystem, which will help you find solutions to your common application development challenges.

What you will learn

• Learn about Firebase push notifications and write backend functionalities
• Identify the root cause of an application crash and diagnose and fix bugs
• Store different Multipurpose Internet MailExtension(MIME) type files
• Explore web hosting and connect the Firebase functions to the host website
• Send push notifications and understand the deep integration of analytics tools and cohorts
• Market and monetize your application using Firebase Adwords and Admob
• Build a secure authentication framework while enhancing the sign-in and on-boarding experience for end users

Who This Book Is For

Mastering Firebase for Android Development is for individualslooking to extend their skills with Firebase and build faster, scalable, and real-time mobile applications. Basic understanding of Android programming is necessary. In all, this in-depth guide is an accessible pathway to mastering Firebase.

Table of Contents

1. First things first, Setting up your development environment and Firebase Real-timedatabase
2. Safe and sound, Firebase Authentication
3. Safe and sound, Firebase Crash Reporting
4. Genie in the cloud, Firebase Functions
5. Arsenal for your files, Firebase Cloud Storage
6. Not just a keeper, Firebase Hosting
7. Inspection & Evaluation, Firebase Test Lab(Android)
8. A smart Watchdog, Firebase Performance monitoring
9. Application usage measuring and notification, Firebase analytics and Cloud messaging
10. Makeup your app, Firebase Remote config and Dynamic links
11. Bring everyone on the same page, Firebase invites, Firebase app indexing
12. Making monetary impact, Firebase Admob and Adwords
13. Flexible Nosql, Cloud Firestore
14. Firebase Predictions
15. Train your code, ML kit

✦ Table of Contents

Cover
Title Page
Copyright and Credits
Dedication
Packt Upsell
Contributors
Table of Contents
Preface
Chapter 1: Keep It Real – Firebase Realtime Database
Firebase Realtime Database
Setting up a development environment 
Prerequisites 
Configuring Firebase in Android projects
Reading and writing to Realtime Database
Database reference 
Writing into Realtime Database
Reading from Realtime Database
Structuring the data with objects
Reading the objects from Firebase
Reading value changes 
Parsing the DataSnapshot object
Updating data
Writing HashMaps to Realtime Database
Realtime Database and lists
Deleting data
Offline capabilities
Realtime Database rules
Default security rules
Database rules and types
Customizing database rules
Data security
Custom variables 
Default variables
RuleDataSnapshot and its methods
Creating an Android application using Realtime Database
User interface design
Logic
Summary
Chapter 2: Safe and Sound – Firebase Authentication
Firebase Authentication
Setting up Firebase Authentication
FirebaseUI Auth authentication
Firebase SDK Authentication
FirebaseUI Email Authentication
Configuring for Email Authentication
Enabling Email/Password Authentication in Console
Initializing Firebase Authentication
Finalizing the project
Firebase SDK Email Authentication
Sign up new users
Sign in existing users
Managing users
Provider-specific user profile details
Profile updating
Sending a verification Email 
Forgot password
Deleting a user
Managing users through console
Smart Lock 
FirebaseUI social networking site authentication
Google Sign-in
SHA-1 fingerprint
Code for Google provider
Facebook Login
Facebook App ID and App secret
Project configuration
Twitter Sign-in
Twitter Api key
Project Configuration
Phone number sign-in
Project configuration
Firebase SDK social networking site authentication
Google sign-in 
Facebook login
Twitter sign-in 
Phone number sign-in 
Anonymous Authentication
Link multiple Auth providers
Firebase Authentication failures
Firebase Authentication exceptions
Summary 
Chapter 3: Safe and Sound – Firebase Crashlytics
Firebase Crash Reporting and Crashlytics
Firebase Crash Reporting setup 
Creating crash reports
Creating custom logs
Deobfuscating ProGuard labels
Crash Report support for multiple APK
Disabling Crash Reporting
Firebase Crashlytics 
Firebase Crashlytics setup and upgrading from Crash Reporting
Migrating from Firebase Crash Reporting to Crashlytics
Validating Crashlytics implementation
Enabling Crashlytics debug mode
Customizing Crashlytics reports
Crashlytics and functions
Summary
Chapter 4: Genie in the Cloud – Firebase Cloud Functions
Firebase Cloud Functions
Set up the development environment
Project structure
Required modules
Deploying Cloud functions project
Custom logs and reviewing functions
Trigger functions 
Cloud Firestore Triggers
Specific documents
Creating a document
Updating documents
Deleting a document
Changes in a document
Realtime Database Triggers 
Firebase Authentication Triggers
Analytics and Crashlytics Triggers
Cloud Storage Triggers
HTTP Triggers
Cloud Pub/Sub Triggers
Writing Firebase functions
Cloud Functions to fire a push notification
Summary
Chapter 5: Arsenal for Your Files – Firebase Cloud Storage
Firebase a Cloud Storage
Creating storage reference
Storage reference properties
Limitations of reference
Uploading and downloading files
Uploading files 
Uploading existing files
Uploading files as a stream
Uploading from data in memory
Managing file upload
Monitoring file upload
Beyond monitoring and managing 
Downloading files 
Creating a reference
Downloading into memory
Downloading into a local file
Downloading data through a URL 
Downloading images using FirebaseUI
Beyond downloading files
File metadata
Retrieving File Metadata
Update the metadata of the file
Deleting files
Handling common errors
Security and rules
The general syntax for storage security rules
Securing user files
Request and Resource Evaluation 
Storage and functions 
Firebase Storage in practice 
Summary
Chapter 6: Not Just a Keeper, Firebase Hosting
Firebase Hosting
Deploying a website
Connecting to custom domain
Connecting Firebase cloud functions
Customizing hosting behavior
Custom 404/Not Found page
Redirects
Rewrites 
Headers 
Hosting priorities
Reserved URLs
Summary
Chapter 7: Inspection and Evaluation – Firebase Test Lab
Firebase Test Lab
Test Lab for Android
Choosing the testing method
Robo testing 
Choosing device type and reviewing test results
Test Lab with Firebase Console
Test Lab with gcloud CLI 
Google Cloud SDK environment
Choosing test configurations
Scripting gcloud commands with Test Lab
Test Lab with CI systems
Creating a Jenkins project 
Test Lab with Android Studio
Firebase Test Lab results
Available devices in Test Lab
Firebase Test Lab Game Loop testing 
Test Loop Manager
Game loop in Test Lab
Prelaunch reports 
Summary
Chapter 8: A Smart Watchdog – Firebase Performance Monitoring
Firebase Performance Monitoring
Performance Monitoring for Android
Automatic traces
Custom trace and counters
Performance Monitoring for Android performance
Monitoring for specific network requests
Monitoring custom attributes
Enabling Logcat output
Firebase Console for Performance Monitoring
Summary
Chapter 9: Application Usage Measuring and Notification, Firebase Analytics, and Cloud Messaging
Firebase Analytics
Firebase Analytics for Android
Setting user properties
Analytics in a WebView
Debugging events
Firebase Analytics and functions
Cloud Messaging
Firebase Cloud Messaging in Android
Accessing the device registration token 
Cloud Messaging explained
Sending the first notification
Summary
Chapter 10: Changing Your App – Firebase Remote Config and Dynamic Links
Firebase Remote Config
Setting up Remote Config on Android
Remote Config's singleton object
In-app parameters
Accessing the Remote Config parameters
Server-side parameters
Fetching the parameters
Activating parameters
Conditions, rules, and values
Remote Config and Google Analytics
A/B Testing with Remote Config
Firebase Dynamic Links
Dynamic Links use cases
Converting mobile web users to native app users
Sharing content between users
Rewarding referrals using Firebase 
The anatomy of Dynamic Links
Creating Dynamic Links
Receiving Dynamic Links
Summary
Chapter 11: Bringing Everyone on the Same Page, Firebase Invites, and Firebase App Indexing
Firebase Invites
Sending and receiving invites from Android applications 
Firebase App Indexing
Enabling public content indexing
Enabling personal content indexing
Logging user actions
Testing your implementation
Search performance and latest APIs
Summary
Chapter 12: Making a Monetary Impact and Firebase AdMob and AdWords
Firebase AdWords
Creating an AdWords account
Linking AdWords to Firebase
Tracking app conversions with Firebase
AdMob
Android Studio and initializing the SDK
Summary 
Chapter 13: Flexible NoSQL and Cloud Firestore
Cloud Firestore
Adding and managing data
Choosing a data structure for your Firestore project
Querying data
Securing data
Offline data support
Summary
Chapter 14: Analytics Data, Clairvoyant, Firebase Predictions
Firebase Predictions 
Setting up Firebase Predictions
Optimizing monetization
Optimizing promotions
Preventing churn
Predefined predictions
Predictions and risk tolerance
Summary
Chapter 15: Training Your Code and ML Kit
Firebase ML Kit
Vision
Recognizing text
Setting up ML Kit for recognizing text
On-device text recognition
Cloud-Based text recognition
Face detection
Setting up ML Kit for face detection
Barcode scanning 
Setting up ML Kit for barcode scanning 
Custom models 
ML Kit and text recognition 
Summary
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