CLI tool

The Firebase CLI tool is important for some workflows:

• we may run an emulated backend locally to debug it with no incurred cost: authentication, database, and cloud functions.
• it is the main way to scaffold the cloud functions directory with boilerplate code
• it is the main way to deploy cloud functions, security rules, and websites if we host them on Firebase.
• we may browse and manage the Firebase projects linked to the Firebase account.

the executable

The executable is provided by the firebase-tools npm package. It is invoked as firebase:

npm i firebase-tools
firebase

one-time setup

firebase login
firebase login:list # indicates which account is logged-in

list projects and select one

firebase projects:list
firebase use imagetales

project configuration and scaffolding

firebase init

help

firebase help
firebase help deploy
firebase help | grep firestore

cloud functions

firebase functions:list
firebase functions:shell

firebase functions:secrets:access ABC_API_KEY
firebase functions:secrets:set ABC_API_KEY
firebase functions:secrets:destroy ABC_API_KEY

firebase deploy --only functions
firebase deploy --only functions:requestPlanet

emulators

start emulators:

firebase emulators:start
firebase emulators:start --import=./emulatorData/ --export-on-exit

We specify which emulators to run in firebase.json. In absence of such file, emulators will not run. The port is optional: we may omit it and provide an empty object instead.

{
    "emulators": {
        "firestore": { "port": 8080 },
        "auth": { "port": 9099 },
        "functions": { "port": 5001 },
        "storage": { "port": 9199 },
        "ui": { "enabled": true }
    },
    "storage": { "rules": "storage.rules" },
    "functions": [
        /* ... */
    ]
}

Google Cloud CLI tool

The tool unlocks some operations not available on the Firebase's one.

gcloud secrets list --project <PROJECT_ID>