Supported data types in Firebase - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What are the basic data types supported by Firebase Realtime Database?

Firebase Realtime Database supports strings, numbers, booleans, null, arrays, and objects as basic data types.

intermediate

How does Firebase store a timestamp value?

Firebase stores timestamps as numbers representing milliseconds since Unix epoch or using special server timestamp values.

intermediate

Can Firebase Realtime Database store binary data directly?

No, Firebase Realtime Database does not store binary data directly; binary data should be encoded as strings (e.g., base64) or stored in Firebase Storage.

advanced

What data type does Firebase Firestore support that Firebase Realtime Database does not?

Firestore supports additional data types like GeoPoint, Timestamp, and Reference types that are not available in Realtime Database.

intermediate

Why should you avoid using arrays in Firebase Realtime Database?

Arrays can cause issues with concurrent updates and indexing; it's better to use objects with unique keys for better scalability and data integrity.

Which of the following is NOT a supported data type in Firebase Realtime Database?

A String

B Function

C Boolean

D Number

Firebase Realtime Database does not support storing functions as data.

How should binary data be stored when using Firebase Realtime Database?

A As base64 encoded strings

B As JSON objects

C Directly as binary

D As numbers

Binary data should be encoded as base64 strings before storing in Firebase Realtime Database.

Which Firebase service supports GeoPoint data type?

A Realtime Database

B Cloud Storage

C Firestore

D Firebase Hosting

Firestore supports GeoPoint data type for storing geographic coordinates.

What is the recommended way to store lists in Firebase Realtime Database?

A Numbers

B Arrays

C Strings

D Objects with unique keys

Using objects with unique keys avoids issues with concurrent updates and indexing.

Which data type represents a null value in Firebase Realtime Database?

A null keyword

B Empty string

C Zero

D "null" string

Firebase uses the null keyword to represent null values.

List and describe the main data types supported by Firebase Realtime Database.

Think about simple data types and how collections are stored.

Explain why using objects with unique keys is preferred over arrays in Firebase Realtime Database.

Consider how multiple users might update data at the same time.