How to connect Firebase to Android Studio App | 2024

Introduction

In this tutorial, you'll learn how to connect your Android Studio app to Firebase, a powerful platform for building mobile applications. This guide will walk you through creating a Firebase project, setting up a Firebase database, and adding data to Firebase Firestore. By the end, you'll have a working connection between your Android app and Firebase.

Step 1: Create a Firebase Project

1. Go to the Firebase Console.
2. Click on "Add project."
3. Enter your project name and click "Continue."
4. Choose whether to enable Google Analytics for your project and click "Create project."
5. Once your project is created, click "Continue" to access the project dashboard.

Step 2: Register Your Android App

1. In the Firebase project dashboard, click on the Android icon to add an app.
2. Fill in the required fields:
   • Package name: This should match your Android app's package name.
   • App nickname: (optional) A nickname for your app.
   • Debug signing certificate SHA-1: (optional) This can be added later.
3. Click "Register app."

Step 3: Download the Configuration File

1. After registering your app, download the google-services.json file.
2. Move this file to the app/ directory of your Android Studio project.

Step 4: Add Firebase SDK to Your Project

1. Open your build.gradle (Project) file and add the Google services classpath:

   buildscript {
       dependencies {
           // Add this line
           classpath 'com.google.gms:google-services:4.3.10' // Check for latest version
       }
   }
   

2. Open your build.gradle (Module: app) file and apply the Google services plugin at the bottom:

   apply plugin: 'com.google.gms.google-services'
   

3. Add the necessary Firebase dependencies in the dependencies section:

   implementation 'com.google.firebase:firebase-firestore-ktx:24.2.0' // Check for latest version
   

4. Sync your project with the Gradle files.

Step 5: Create a Firestore Database

1. Back in the Firebase Console, navigate to the "Firestore Database" section.
2. Click on "Create database."
3. Choose "Start in test mode" for development purposes (this allows read/write access without restrictions).
4. Click "Next" and select your preferred location, then click "Done."

Step 6: Add Data to Firestore

1. In your Android app, create a Firestore instance:

   FirebaseFirestore db = FirebaseFirestore.getInstance();
   

2. Create a data object to add:

   Map<String, Object> user = new HashMap<>();
   user.put("name", "John Doe");
   user.put("age", 30);
   

3. Add the data to Firestore:

   db.collection("users")
       .add(user)
       .addOnSuccessListener(documentReference -> {
           Log.d(TAG, "DocumentSnapshot added with ID: " + documentReference.getId());
       })
       .addOnFailureListener(e -> {
           Log.w(TAG, "Error adding document", e);
       });
   

Conclusion

You've successfully connected your Android app to Firebase and set up Firestore to store data. Key steps included creating a Firebase project, registering your app, and implementing Firestore for data management. Next, consider exploring Firebase authentication or cloud functions to enhance your app's capabilities. Happy coding!