Ever wondered how WhatsApp works?
Or how different users connect and exchange messages in chats?
Creating a simplified chat tool can be a great way to grasp the core functionalities behind chat applications.
Building a chat app can seem like a daunting task, however, Firebase simplifies the process.
confirm you configure Firebase before running the software.
To get started, head over toFirebaseand sign up for an account.
On the user dashboard, clickCreate Projectto set up a new project.
Registering with Firebase allows you to access and utilize its resources to build your React web app.
Take note of the instructions for integrating Firebase’s SDK to your project underAdd Firebase SDK.
Next,create a React applicationand roll out the Firebase SDK in your software.
Additionally, import thereact-firebase-hookspackage that simplifies working with Firebase In React.
Copy the environment variables from your firebase project dashboard and paste them into this file.
Set Up a Firestore Database
This database will store user data and chat messages.
Head over to your project overview page and click onCreate databasebutton to set up your Cloud Firestore.
Define the database mode and location.
Lastly, update the Firestore database rules to allow read-and-write operations from the React tool.
choose theRulestab and change theread-and-writerule totrue.
The collections are made up of documents as records.
To create a new collection, tap on theStart collectionbutton, and provide a collection ID a table name.
On your project’s overview page, selectAuthenticationfrom the list of products displayed.
Next, select theSetup sign-in methodbutton to configure the Google provider.
Select Google from the list of Providers, enable it, and fill in the project support email.
Inside thecomponentsfolder, create a new file:SignIn.js.
Create a new file inside thecomponentsfolder, and name itChat.js.
The authentication status is destructured from the Firebase authentication component with the help of theuseAuthStatehook from thereact-firebase-hookspackage.
It checks if a user is authenticated, and renders theChatcomponent otherwise theSignIncomponent is rendered.
Firebase Serverless Functionalities
Firebase provides a range of features beyond a real-time database and authentication.
you’re able to use its serverless functionalities to quickly bootstrap and scale any app.
Furthermore, Firebase seamlessly integrates with both web and mobile applications making it easy to build cross-platform applications.
