I have been solely a front-end developer for six years now and while I can still find my way around on the backend (with Node and PHP) my interest in the backend has all but faded.
This is where platforms like Firebase are a real asset for developers like me.
It is no secret the front-end has become complicated, if you’re not fighting a framework or library for control, you’re debugging confusing TypeScript error messages or trying to get Webpack configured. While the backend is a little more straightforward from a lack of new things to learn every five minutes like the front-end, it’s just another thing to worry about.
Part of setting up a backend isn’t just setting it up, it’s configuring file/folder permissions, it is ensuring your firewall rules are appropriately configured, that you’ve disabled password-based access on your server, that you’ve disabled external access to your MySQL database.
The amount of work to properly secure a backend is quite extensive and tedious.
This is why platforms like Firebase and hosting solutions like Heroku and Vercel are of interest to me and many other developers like me. Sure, there is a risk in trusting that the provider you’re using has taken the appropriate measures to secure your data, but nonetheless, they’re going to do a much better job than you.
But, laziness comes at a cost. Firebase is notorious for getting really expensive, real quick. The lack of free plan means if you incorrectly setup your Firestore rules for example, you can be stung with a bill for thousands as a few other well-known examples point out.
Still, as long as I am careful, I would much rather roll the dice than spend days setting up a backend that is going to have more holes in it than swiss cheese.
