I'm sure these are common scenarios, but after researching some hours, I couldn't really find what the common practice is. Maybe someone with more experience in Firebase can point me to the right direction.
I have two particular scenarios:
1. Code that runs once
Example 1: adding new data to all users in firestore, which is needed for a new feature
Example 2: start duplicating data into existing documents
I currently write the code in a cloud function, and run it on a firestore event (onUpdate of a "hidden" document) and then I immediately delete the function if everything goes well.
I also increase the timeout and memory for this function, as the idea is to potentially update millions of documents.
2. Manually trigger a function from the firebase console (or command line)
Example: Give a user admin privileges in the app (function that sets custom claims and firestore data). We don't have time to implement a back-office, so doing this from the firebase web portal/console would be ideal, specifying the user id.
My current solution is to use a https function, and run it from the GCP portal (on the function's "Testing" tab, being able to pass a json). BUT the function can be triggered publicly, which I don't really like...
What are the common practices for these scenarios?
To expand on my comment: if you want to create a node script to run one-off code, you just write your JS code like for any cloud function but simply run it immediately. Something like this.
const admin = require('firebase-admin');
admin.initializeApp();
const db = admin.firestore();
db.collection('users')
.where('myField', '==', true)
.get()
.then(querySnapshot => {
querySnapshot.docs.forEach(doc => {
// update doc
});
});
If you save this as script.js and execute it with node script.js you’ll be pointed towards downloading a JSON file with credentials. Follow the instructions and you can then run the script again and now you’re running your own code on Firestore, from the command line.
For administrative type operations, you're better off just running them on your desktop or some other server you control. Cloud Functions is not well suited for long running operations, or things that must just happen once on demand.
Case 1 really should be managed by a standalone program or script that you can monitor by running it on your desktop.
Case 2 can be done a number of ways, such as building your own admin web site. But you might find it easiest to mirror the contents of a document to custom claims using a Firestore trigger. Read this: https://medium.com/firebase-developers/patterns-for-security-with-firebase-supercharged-custom-claims-with-firestore-and-cloud-functions-bb8f46b24e11
Related
I have a function that is fired on a onUpdate trigger from my cloud firestore database.
The function not being called at all when I change my database.
I did not deploy the function using firestore CLI, instead I deployed it using the GCP Console.
Here is the function:
exports.NotificationListener = functions
.firestore
.document('users/{userId}')
.onUpdate((change, context) => {
const userId = context.params.userId.toString();
const eventId = context.eventId;
console.log('EventId:' + eventId);
console.log('Change in:' + userId);
return 200;
});
Here is the deployment information from the GCP console (showing the trigger):
Finally, here is the Cloud Firestore schema:
I want to monitor any changes to any "USER" in the collection: "/user", hence I am using "user/{userId}".
Why is this function not being called when I change the database ?
EDIT 1
A little information about my environment:
I have my entire project core in a TypeScript file. I have over 40 HTTPS triggered functions that are currently online.
I add a new function in my TS file, then I do a npm run build to compile and get the JS file.
Finally, I go to Google Cloud Console and create a function and choose "Zip Upload" and upload the compiled JS file (obviously, along with the required JSON files for getting Database URL, Authentication etc.)
This approach works perfectly fine, at least for HTTP triggered firestore functions.
Now I repeated the same steps as above for the onUpdate trigger and just instead of choosing HTTP trigger, I chose Cloud Firestore trigger. The trigger information can be found above in the screenshot.
onUpdate is not being fired on DB changes.
EDIT 2
My event trigger function NotificationListener is showing up in the firebase console functions list along with my other 40 HTTPS functions. But it is not being called.
#doug-stevenson, your answer seems to have disappeared, I am not sure why.
Anyway, I found the reason why it wasn't working.
My firebase database was in project "Placeholder 1" and my GCP functions were in project "Placeholder 2".
Now, I was able to update the "Placeholder 1" DB from GCP functions (in "Placeholder 2") using firabse-functions API because I set the DatabaseURL to "Placeholder 1".
But, just setting the DatabaseURL to the desired database doesn't work if you want to LISTEN to the database for changes. You actually need to have the function in the same project otherwise it is not able to subscribe and listen for events.
I think it's a little inconsistent that you can read/write to a DB from different projects, but to listen for events, function needs to be in same project.
Or maybe I am missing something fundamental that caused this confusion for me.
Does anyone know if there is an easy way to trigger a function everytime i re-deploy some funciont to firebase?
I have an specific firabase functions which i define inside GCP (this way when i do "firebase deploy" it doesnt re-deploy, unnisntal or touch in any form my current function)
but sometimes i might update this function manually on GCP and i would like to trigger a inner function of its code everytime it happens... is it possible?
ex:
exports.decrementAction = (req, res) => {/*do stuff*/res.status(200).send("ok")};
function auxiliary(){
//to be called on re-deploy
}
Unfortunately, there isn't an easy way for you to trigger a function within a code that is being redeployed. Since this code is only being deployed at the moment, this wouldn't be possible to be done automatically.
The alternative would be to have this function separately from the "root" function in the moment of deploying and use triggers to run this other Cloud Function, when the first is redeployed. This way, it would be possible to run it based in the deployment of the other.
You can get more information on the triggers available for Cloud Functions here: Calling Cloud Functions. With them, you should be able to configure the timing for the execution.
Besides that, it might be worth it to raise a Feature Request for Google's to verify the possibility of adding this in future releases.
Let me know if the information clarified!
I think there exists a manner.
With Pub/Sub you can catch logs from Stackdriver (docs). Those services allow you to store only the logs related to the deployment of a Cloud Function.
The store could be, for instance, Cloud Firestore. As you should know, there is available a trigger for Cloud Firestore events.
Finally, every time an event log related to a function's deployment is generated, it will be stored and triggers a function attached to that event. In the function, you can parse or filter the logs.
Currently developing a hybrid mobile app using ionic. When the app starts up, and a user writes to the Realtime Database for the first time, it's always delayed by around 10 or more seconds. But any subsequent writes are almost instantaneous (less than 1 second).
My calculation of delay is based on watching the database in the Firebase console.
Is this a known issue, or maybe I am doing something wrong. Please share your views.
EDIT:
The write is happening via Firebase Cloud Function.
This is the call to the Firebase Cloud function
this.http.post(url+"/favouritesAndNotes", obj, this.httpOptions)
.subscribe((data) => {
console.log(data);
},(error)=>{
console.log(error);
});
This is the actual function
app.post('/favouritesAndNotes', (request, response) => {
var db = admin.database().ref("users/" + request.body.uid);
var favourites = request.body.favourites;
var notes = request.body.notes;
if(favourites!==undefined){
db.child("favourites/").set(favourites);
}
if(notes!==undefined){
db.child("notes/").set(notes);
}
console.log("Write successfull");
response.status(200).end();
});
The first time you interact with the Firebase Database in a client instance, the client/SDK has to do quite some things:
If you're using authentication, it needs to check if the token that it has is still valid, and if not refresh it.
It needs to find the server that the database is currently hosted on.
It needs to establish a web socket connection.
Each of these may take multiple round trips, so even if you're a few hundred ms from the servers, it adds up.
Subsequent operations from the same client don't have to perform these steps, so are going to be much faster.
If you want to see what's actually happening, I recommend checking the Network tab of your browser. For the realtime database specifically, I recommend checking the WS/Web Socket panel of the Network tab, where you can see the actual data frames.
Is there a way to disable a Cloud Function for Firebase through the Firebase dashboard?
I deployed a Cloud Function with a bug which caused an infinite loop of the function being triggered, updating the data, then the function triggering again. I discovered the error quickly, but I had to fix the code and redeploy the entire project to get the function to stop triggering.
Even though I deployed the new function, the deployment took some time and the function was triggered hundreds of times (which actually caused others to be triggered hundreds of times).
I'd like to be able to disable a function immediately when this happens, but I don't see any options in the dashboard or through the Firebase CLI.
If you view Cloud Functions in the Cloud Console, you can delete them individually from there: https://console.cloud.google.com/functions
Dont want to delete the function as I want to keep the usage history, logs, health ect?
This work around,long winded, but does the trick:
Disable function:
comment out the code in then function in your index.js
deploy just the firebase function:
firebase deploy --only functions:functionName
Enable function:
uncomment code
redeploy just the function with above line
Unfortunately Firebase has only a delete option and no disable option :(
A thing that I'm doing which isn't particularly neat but does the job. is just add a node in the database. for me I have a weekly script I run where I don't want my cloud functions to run when that's running. so at the top of my function I read that node and if the script is running, I just return early. not ideal but saves me having to comment out and redeploy every time
For me the fastest way is to edit function code directly in Google Cloud Console editor. In case of the HTTP function adding something like this at the beginning of a handler
res.status(500).send('The function is disabled');
return;
I use a solution similar to Red Baron. I have a Firestore Collection of booleans (one for each function) and I check that boolean at the beginning of my function to determine if it's allowed to run. The function will indeed be called, but it won't do anything if that boolean is set to false. It's not a perfect solution because it doesn't completely disable the function. But at least it will retain the log history.
We have a problem with our meteor server. When we publish 300 or so items with Meteor.publish/Meteor.subscribe the server increases its memory and eventually becomes unresponsive.
We thought of:
1) monitor the number of reactive subscribtions / memory taken by an active subscription
2) make something like ,,one time publish" - ignore changes in server side collection
Any thoughts on how any of the above can be accomplished ?
Or any other tips to debug /improve meteor app performance ?
Thanks
zorlak's answer is good.
Some other things:
You can do a one-time publish by writing your own custom publisher via the this.set API, based on the code in _publishCursor. You'd do something like:
Meteor.publish("oneTimeQuery", function () {
MyCollection.find().forEach(function (doc) {
sub.added("collectionName", doc._id, doc);
});
sub.ready();
});
This does a query, sends its results down, and then never updates it again.
That said, we hope that Meteor's performance will be such that this is unnecessary!
I'd also like to add an easy way to get stats (like number of observed cursors) from an app to Meteor (exposed as an authenticated subscription) but haven't had the time yet.
As of Meteor 0.5.1, one thing you can do is to remove dependencies on the userId from the publish function. If a publish function does not depend on which user is subscribing, then Meteor will cache the db query so it doesn't get slower as more users subscribe.
See this Meteor blog post: http://meteor.com/blog/2012/11/20/meteor-051-database-scaling