Upgrade Your React App to Firebase v9.x: A Step-by-Step Guide
Breaking Changes in Firebase v9.x
The latest release of the Firebase Web SDK, version 9, introduces significant changes in managing users and querying databases. If you’re currently using Firebase v8.x, you’ll need to refactor your code to ensure compatibility with the new version. In this article, we’ll walk you through the process of upgrading a React app from Firebase v8.x to v9.x.
Prerequisites
Before we dive in, make sure you’re familiar with React and Firebase v8.x. You should also have Node.js installed on your machine.
Introducing Firebase v9.x Web SDK
The new Firebase Web SDK adopts a modular format, which eliminates unused code and reduces the JavaScript bundle size. This transition has introduced breaking changes, making the new library backward incompatible with v8.x.
Benefits of Firebase v9.x
The Firebase Web SDK v9.x offers several benefits, including reduced size and increased performance. By taking advantage of code elimination features, the new web SDK provides a faster web experience. According to the official Firebase Twitter account, the new SDK is about 80% smaller than its predecessors.
Setting Up Our React App for Refactoring
We’ll be using an Amazon clone app built with Firebase and Strapi to demonstrate the refactoring process. The app uses Firebase for user authentication and Cloud Firestore for storing product purchases. We’ll also use Strapi to handle payments and Express.js to create an API with Firebase Cloud Functions.
Refactoring the Amazon Clone App
To refactor the app, we’ll update the Firebase version in the package.json file to v9.x and install the necessary npm packages. We’ll then refactor the code for authentication and Cloud Firestore, removing the compat library once we’ve completed the process.
Refactoring Authentication Codes
We’ll start by refactoring the authentication codes in the Login.js, App.js, and Header.js files. We’ll import the necessary functions from the auth module and update the code to follow the modular approach.
Refactoring Cloud Firestore Codes
Next, we’ll refactor the Cloud Firestore codes in the Payment.js and Orders.js files. We’ll import the necessary functions and update the code to follow the modular approach.
Removing the Compat Library
Once we’ve refactored all the codes, we can remove the compat library to gain the size benefits. We’ll update the initialization code in the firebase.js file to complete the process.
Conclusion
Upgrading your React app to Firebase v9.x may seem daunting, but with this step-by-step guide, you’ll be able to refactor your code and take advantage of the new modular format. Remember to check out the official Firebase blog and support communities if you encounter any issues during the process.