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Tutorials > Android App Development > Integrating Firebase services into the Android app

Integrating Firebase services into the Android app

Firebase is a comprehensive platform provided by Google for building mobile and web applications. It provides a range of services including real-time database, authentication, cloud storage, analytics, and more. In this response, we will go through the steps to integrate Firebase services into an Android app with code examples.

Here are the steps to integrate Firebase services into your Android app:

  • Create a Firebase project: Go to the Firebase Console and create a new project. Follow the instructions to set up the project and add the required Firebase services.
  • Add Firebase to your app: In Android Studio, open your app-level build.gradle file and add the following dependency:

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implementation 'com.google.firebase:firebase-core:20.0.0'

This will add the Firebase Core SDK to your app.

  • Connect your app to Firebase: In the Firebase Console, go to your project settings and download the google-services.json file. Copy this file into the app directory of your Android project.
  • Initialize Firebase in your app: In the onCreate() method of your Application class or your MainActivity, add the following code to initialize Firebase:

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    FirebaseApp.initializeApp(this);

    This will initialize the Firebase services in your app.

  • Use Firebase services in your app: You can use Firebase services in your app by adding the required dependencies and code. Here are some examples:

    Authentication:

    To use Firebase Authentication, add the following dependencies to your app-level build.gradle file:

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    implementation 'com.google.firebase:firebase-auth:21.0.0'
implementation 'com.google.android.gms:play-services-auth:19.2.0'

    Then, add the following code to sign in a user with Google:

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    GoogleSignInOptions gso = new GoogleSignInOptions.Builder(GoogleSignInOptions.DEFAULT_SIGN_IN)
        .requestIdToken(getString(R.string.default_web_client_id))
        .requestEmail()
        .build();

GoogleSignInClient googleSignInClient = GoogleSignIn.getClient(this, gso);

Intent signInIntent = googleSignInClient.getSignInIntent();
startActivityForResult(signInIntent, RC_SIGN_IN);

    You also need to handle the result of the sign-in request in the onActivityResult() method:

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    @Override
protected void onActivityResult(int requestCode, int resultCode, Intent data) {
    super.onActivityResult(requestCode, resultCode, data);

    if (requestCode == RC_SIGN_IN) {
        Task<GoogleSignInAccount> task = GoogleSignIn.getSignedInAccountFromIntent(data);
        try {
            // Signed in successfully, show authenticated UI.
            GoogleSignInAccount account = task.getResult(ApiException.class);
            firebaseAuthWithGoogle(account.getIdToken());
        } catch (ApiException e) {
            // ...
        }
    }
}

    Finally, you can authenticate the user with Firebase by calling the firebaseAuthWithGoogle() method:

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    private void firebaseAuthWithGoogle(String idToken) {
    AuthCredential credential = GoogleAuthProvider.getCredential(idToken, null);
    FirebaseAuth.getInstance().signInWithCredential(credential)
            .addOnCompleteListener(this, new OnCompleteListener<AuthResult>() {
                @Override
                public void onComplete(@NonNull Task<AuthResult> task) {
                    if (task.isSuccessful()) {
                        // Sign in success, update UI with the signed-in user's information
                        FirebaseUser user = FirebaseAuth.getInstance().getCurrentUser();
                        // ...
                    } else {
                        // If sign in fails, display a message to the user.
                        // ...
                    }
                }
            });
}

    This will authenticate the user with Firebase and provide an instance of the authenticated FirebaseUser object.

    Real-time Database:

    To use the Firebase Real-time Database, add the following dependencies to your app-level build.gradle file:

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    implementation 'com.google.firebase:firebase-database:20.0.0'

    Then, you can write and read data to the database using the DatabaseReference class. Here is an example:

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    // Write data to the database
DatabaseReference database = FirebaseDatabase.getInstance().getReference();
database.child("users").child(userId).setValue(user);

// Read data from the database
ValueEventListener postListener = new ValueEventListener() {
    @Override
    public void onDataChange(DataSnapshot dataSnapshot) {
        // Get the user object from the snapshot
        User user = dataSnapshot.getValue(User.class);
        // ...
    }

    @Override
    public void onCancelled(DatabaseError databaseError) {
        // Getting Post failed, log a message
        // ...
    }
};
database.child("users").child(userId).addListenerForSingleValueEvent(postListener);

    This will write the user object to the database and read it back using a ValueEventListener.

    Cloud Storage:

    To use the Firebase Cloud Storage, add the following dependencies to your app-level build.gradle file:

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    implementation 'com.google.firebase:firebase-storage:20.0.0'

    Then, you can upload and download files to and from the cloud storage using the StorageReference class. Here is an example:

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    // Upload a file to the cloud storage
StorageReference storageRef = FirebaseStorage.getInstance().getReference();
StorageReference fileRef = storageRef.child("images/" + fileName);
UploadTask uploadTask = fileRef.putFile(fileUri);

// Download a file from the cloud storage
StorageReference fileRef = storageRef.child("images/" + fileName);
File localFile = File.createTempFile("images", "jpg");
fileRef.getFile(localFile).addOnSuccessListener(new OnSuccessListener<FileDownloadTask.TaskSnapshot>() {
    @Override
    public void onSuccess(FileDownloadTask.TaskSnapshot taskSnapshot) {
        // Local temp file has been created
        // ...
    }
}).addOnFailureListener(new OnFailureListener() {
    @Override
    public void onFailure(@NonNull Exception exception) {
        // Handle any errors
        // ...
    }
});

    This will upload a file to the cloud storage and download it back to a local file.

    These are just a few examples of how to use Firebase services in your Android app. Firebase provides a wide range of services that can be integrated into your app easily.



    Next: Securing your app with permissions and encryption.

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