Firebase Connector

Overview

The Firebase connector enables writing data to Google Cloud Firestore, a flexible, scalable NoSQL cloud database for mobile, web, and server development.

Connector Types:

• FirebaseWriter - Write documents to Firestore collections

Firebase Writer

Write data to a Firestore collection:

{
  "type": "FirebaseWriter",
  "config": {
    "credentialsFile": {
      "mode": "base64",
      "data": "<base64-encoded-service-account-json>"
    },
    "projectId": "my-firebase-project",
    "collection": "sensor_readings"
  }
}

With Custom Database

Connect to a specific Firestore database (for multi-database projects):

{
  "type": "FirebaseWriter",
  "config": {
    "credentialsFile": {
      "mode": "path",
      "data": "/path/to/service-account.json"
    },
    "projectId": "my-firebase-project",
    "databaseName": "production-db",
    "collection": "iot_events"
  }
}

Configuration Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
credentialsFile	EncodedFile	✅	Service account credentials file
projectId	string	✅	Firebase/GCP project ID
collection	string	✅	Firestore collection name
databaseName	string	❌	Firestore database name (for multi-database projects)

Credentials File Format

The credentialsFile parameter supports two modes:

Base64 Encoded

{
  "credentialsFile": {
    "mode": "base64",
    "data": "eyJ0eXBlIjoic2VydmljZV9hY2NvdW50Ii..."
  }
}

File Path

{
  "credentialsFile": {
    "mode": "path",
    "data": "/etc/meddle/firebase-credentials.json"
  }
}

Service Account Setup

1. Go to Firebase Console
2. Select your project → Project Settings → Service Accounts
3. Click “Generate new private key”
4. Download the JSON file
5. Use the file path or base64-encode the contents

Data Format

Each data payload is added as a new document in the specified collection:

{
  "temperature": 25.5,
  "pressure": 101.3,
  "humidity": 60,
  "timestamp": 1234567890
}

Firestore automatically generates a unique document ID for each entry.

Common Use Cases

1. IoT Sensor Data

Store sensor readings in Firestore:

{
  "type": "FirebaseWriter",
  "config": {
    "credentialsFile": {
      "mode": "path",
      "data": "/config/firebase-sa.json"
    },
    "projectId": "iot-monitoring",
    "collection": "sensor_data"
  }
}

2. Event Logging

Log system events to Firestore:

{
  "type": "FirebaseWriter",
  "config": {
    "credentialsFile": {
      "mode": "base64",
      "data": "<credentials>"
    },
    "projectId": "event-tracker",
    "collection": "system_events"
  }
}

3. Multi-Database Architecture

Write to a specific database in a multi-database project:

{
  "type": "FirebaseWriter",
  "config": {
    "credentialsFile": {
      "mode": "path",
      "data": "/config/firebase-sa.json"
    },
    "projectId": "enterprise-app",
    "databaseName": "analytics-db",
    "collection": "metrics"
  }
}

Troubleshooting

Initialization Failed

Solutions:

• Verify credentials file is valid JSON
• Check project ID matches your Firebase project
• Ensure service account has Firestore permissions
• Verify base64 encoding if using base64 mode

Write Failed

Solutions:

• Check collection name is valid
• Verify Firestore security rules allow writes
• Ensure service account has datastore.user role
• Check Firestore quotas and limits

Client Connection Error

Solutions:

• Verify network connectivity to Google Cloud
• Check firewall allows outbound HTTPS (port 443)
• Ensure credentials haven’t expired or been revoked

Best Practices

1. Use Service Accounts: Never use user credentials in production
2. Limit Permissions: Grant only necessary Firestore permissions
3. Organize Collections: Use meaningful collection names with clear hierarchy
4. Monitor Usage: Track Firestore read/write operations for cost management
5. Secure Credentials: Store credentials securely, never commit to version control

Related Connectors

• MongoDB - Alternative NoSQL database
• SQL - Relational database storage
• InfluxDB - Time-series database