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kriasoft/react-firebase-starter

4,511JavaScriptAudience · developerComplexity · 4/5LicenseSetup · hard

TLDR

A pre-built project template wiring together React, GraphQL, and Firebase on Google Cloud so developers can skip the initial infrastructure setup and start building their web app immediately.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((React Firebase Starter))
    What it does
      App template
      Serverless stack
    Tech stack
      React
      GraphQL Relay
      Firebase Cloud Functions
      PostgreSQL
      Material UI
    Features
      Social auth via Passport
      DB migrations
      Dev and prod configs
    Use cases
      SaaS starter
      Rapid prototyping
      Full-stack apps
    Audience
      JavaScript developers
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Code map

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Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Spin up a full-stack web app with authentication, a database, and serverless backend functions already wired together, skipping days of boilerplate setup.

USE CASE 2

Add social login to a React app using the Passport.js integration that is already pre-configured in the template.

USE CASE 3

Deploy a serverless backend to Google Cloud Functions with an existing GraphQL API layer ready for your own queries and mutations.

USE CASE 4

Manage database schema changes safely using the built-in migration folder and workflow described in the README.

Tech stack

JavaScriptReactGraphQLRelayFirebasePostgreSQLMaterial UINode.js

Getting it running

Difficulty · hard Time to first run · 1day+

Requires a Google Cloud account, Firebase project, PostgreSQL database, and environment variable configuration before the development server starts successfully.

Use, modify, and distribute freely for any purpose including commercial, keep the MIT license and copyright notice.

In plain English

React Firebase Starter is a pre-built template for creating web applications that run on Google's cloud infrastructure. Instead of spending days wiring together the tools a modern web app needs, a developer can start from this template and have the basic structure already in place. The template combines several specific technologies: React for building the user interface, GraphQL for how the app requests data, Relay for managing that data on the client, and Firebase on Google Cloud for hosting, file storage, and running server-side functions. A PostgreSQL database handles the data storage. The stack is oriented toward what the project calls a serverless approach, meaning there is no traditional server that you manage yourself. Instead, the backend logic runs as Cloud Functions on Google's infrastructure, which scale automatically based on traffic. Authentication is handled through Passport.js using social login options, with sessions stored as tokens rather than in a database table. The UI uses Material UI, which is a component library that follows Google's visual design guidelines. The project folder structure is laid out clearly in the README: source code lives in src/, divided into sections for the server API, client-side pages, shared components, GraphQL mutations and queries, user account pages, and utility functions. Database migrations are managed through a separate migrations/ folder. Environment configuration is split across separate files for development, testing, and production. Getting started requires cloning the repository, filling in environment variables, and running two commands: one to install dependencies and set up the database, and another to start the development server with live reload. The README also covers how to deploy to Firebase, how to handle database schema changes, and notes about connecting to Cloud SQL from a local environment. This is a starting point rather than a finished product. It is aimed at developers who know JavaScript and React and want a foundation that already handles the common infrastructure decisions, rather than building from scratch or assembling the pieces themselves.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
I've cloned react-firebase-starter. Walk me through filling in the environment variables and running the two setup commands to get the development server running with a local database.
Prompt 2
How do I add a new GraphQL query and matching React page to react-firebase-starter following the folder structure described in the README?
Prompt 3
Show me how to deploy the Firebase Cloud Functions backend to production using the Firebase CLI, and what environment variables I need to set in Firebase first.
Prompt 4
How does session authentication work in react-firebase-starter? Explain the Passport.js token flow and show me how to add a new social login provider.
Prompt 5
How do I connect the app to a Cloud SQL PostgreSQL instance from my local machine for development, given the networking restrictions mentioned in the README?
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