Does Firebase Work in China?

Contents

2023 Update: Exciting News!
What is Firebase?
Does Firebase work in China?
Making Firebase Work in China: A Simple Solution

2023 Update: Exciting News!

Hey there, readers! We’ve got an important update for you regarding our ongoing work. Since January 2023, our incredible team has been hard at work creating a seamless Firebase solution specifically for China. We’re super proud of what we’ve achieved so far! If you’re eager to see our solution in action, you’re in luck! We’re offering live demos, so you can experience its awesomeness firsthand. Just click here to schedule a time with us, and we’ll make sure to arrange it according to your convenience. Stay tuned for more updates, and let us know if you have any questions or feedback along the way. We’re thrilled to have you on this journey with us!

TLDR; Firebase doesn’t work in China. Apps built with Firebase services are not even accessible in China. This article explains why Firebase has poor performance in China and then provide you with the only solution to make Firebase work in mainland China.

In this article, we will walk you through some speed tests we conducted to determine if Firebase works in China or not. Our staff conducted the tests in Shanghai (China Mainland) and the United States. We used 3rd party testing tools to ensure our tests weren’t biased.

By the end of this article, you should be able to explain to your boss, 1: Does Firebase works in China 🇨🇳, and 2: How can I make Firebase work in China 🇨🇳.

What is Firebase?

Firebase is Google’s mobile application development platform with a suite of services to help you build, improve, and grow your app.

Firebase Core Services

Analytics: Monitor app usage and gain insight into who your users are, and what actions they’re taking inside your app.
Cloud Firestore: Build serverless, secure apps at global scale. Store app data in the cloud, sync data across online and offline devices, and retrieve it with expressive queries.
Firebase Hosting: Deploy fast-loading, secure websites that are backed by a global CDN without all of the hassle.
Realtime Database: Build serverless apps by storing and syncing JSON data between your users in near-realtime, on or offline, with strong user-based security.

Does Firebase work in China?

The short answer is no.

According to Google Beijing, Firebase is blocked and can’t be accessed in China along with other Google services.

Don’t just take our word. Lets take a look at a few test to see how Firebase core services work in China.

Does Firebase Realtime Database work in China?

We used the ping command (-c) to test if the database is accessible (ping-able) from our servers in Shanghai and US.

First, to show you what a working Firebase ping test looks like, we ran one in the United States.

As expected, “0% packet loss”, Firebase works in the U.S.

Now, lets look at 🇨🇳 China 🇨🇳.

This time the ping test show’s “100% packet loss”. Meaning that Firebase Realtime database is NOT accessible in mainland China.

Does Firebase Hosting work in China?

Using a third-party speed testing tool, we ran a China speed test on a small media asset hosted on Firebase to see how it would load across China.

Orange, Yellow, White = Bad, slow ; Green = Good

Making Firebase Work in China: A Simple Solution

In this article, we aim to provide you with a clear and easy solution to make Firebase work in China without having to change your existing technology stack. To demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach, we will run tests and offer proof that our 21Yunbox Acceleration Suite technology can deliver on its promises.

How Does It Work?

Firebase in China with 21YunBox Acceleration Suite

Our solution involves creating a direct tunnel for your users in China to connect to Firebase services using the 21Yunbox Acceleration Suite. Here’s how you can get started:

Sign up for an account.
In compliance with China’s security laws, we will conduct a security assessment on your backend infrastructure.
We will provide you with code snippets to add to your iOS and Android apps.
Publish your apps on the iOS and Android app stores with the 21YunBox Acceleration Suite integrated.

Essentially, we enable your app to establish a direct tunnel to both your app services and Firebase services. Furthermore, our solution extends beyond Firebase to allow you to customize access to content specific to your app. Simply sign up and inform our staff about the access you require, and they will be happy to assist you.