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> Google decided to double down on Firebase So much so that they announced the closing down of another realtime service just last week, the Channel API [1], an

by Strom 10y ago

> Google decided to double down on Firebase So much so that they announced the closing down of another realtime service just last week, the Channel API [1], and are trying to funnel everyone into using Firebase instead. Frankly I'm not sure I even want to look into another Google service as I feel it'll get deprecated in no time as well. Better to use someone whose primary business I'm using. [1] https://cloud.google.com/appengine/docs/deprecations/channel https://cloud.google.com/appengine/docs/deprecations/channel

jaxondu 10y ago
Any idea what are the alternatives? Dont see similar offerings from AWS or Azure. One minus point for Firebase is its Android SDK relies on the availability of Google Play services. Most of Android phones in China has no Google Play. So apps can not run even when you do not utilize any of Google Play services. In addition, there is no official words that you can use Firebase services within the great China firewall. It's better to look elsewhere if you have China market in mind.
- Strom 10y ago
  Alternatives for the whole collection of Firebase services? Not sure, but for the realtime messaging/sync part I found the following four that I'll take the time to investigate as replacements for my Channel API usage. * https://pusher.com/ https://pusher.com/ * https://www.pubnub.com/ https://www.pubnub.com/ * https://www.ably.io/ https://www.ably.io/ * https://framework.realtime.co/ https://framework.realtime.co/
crb 10y ago
Sounds like a well handled deprecation to me: > The Channel API did not scale well enough for the workloads it was intended for and so did not find wide adoption. > You can use the Firebase Realtime Database to achieve superior realtime functionality in your application. Firebase is a more robust and customizable solution than the Channels API, and it allows communication with a broader set of clients. It currently supports Android, iOS, and apps, and web browser apps.

by Strom 10y ago

jaxondu 10y ago

Any idea what are the alternatives? Dont see similar offerings from AWS or Azure. One minus point for Firebase is its Android SDK relies on the availability of Google Play services. Most of Android phones in China has no Google Play. So apps can not run even when you do not utilize any of Google Play services. In addition, there is no official words that you can use Firebase services within the great China firewall. It's better to look elsewhere if you have China market in mind.

Strom 10y ago
Alternatives for the whole collection of Firebase services? Not sure, but for the realtime messaging/sync part I found the following four that I'll take the time to investigate as replacements for my Channel API usage. * https://pusher.com/ https://pusher.com/ * https://www.pubnub.com/ https://www.pubnub.com/ * https://www.ably.io/ https://www.ably.io/ * https://framework.realtime.co/ https://framework.realtime.co/

crb 10y ago

Sounds like a well handled deprecation to me: > The Channel API did not scale well enough for the workloads it was intended for and so did not find wide adoption. > You can use the Firebase Realtime Database to achieve superior realtime functionality in your application. Firebase is a more robust and customizable solution than the Channels API, and it allows communication with a broader set of clients. It currently supports Android, iOS, and apps, and web browser apps.