7kfpun / chat-sdk-firebase

Firebase scripts and rules

Firebase Environment Setup

There are a few steps you need to complete to get your Firebase environment ready:

1. Setup Push Notifications
2. Enable the security and search rules
3. Enable the storage rules

Enable Push Notifications

To handle push notifications, we use Firebase Cloud Functions. This service allows you to upload a script to Firebase hosting. This script monitors the realtime database and whenever a new messsage is detected, it sends a push notification to the recipient.

Below is a summary of the steps that are required to setup push using the Firebase Cloud Functions script. For further instructions you can look at the Firebase Documentation.

1. Run firebase login and login using the browser
2. Make a new directory to store your push functions in. It can be called anything
3. Navigate to that directory using the terminal
4. Run firebase init functions
5. Choose the correct app from the list
6. Choose JavaScript
7. Choose y for ESLint
8. Choose Y to install node dependencies
9. Find the functions directory you've just created and add the files: index.js and package.json from Github
10. If you are using the user blocking module ensure that the variable in the script blockedUsersEnabled is set to true
11. Run firebase deploy

Now the script is active and push notifications will be set out automatically.

Deploy the Firebase rules

Firebase secures your data by allowing you to write rules to govern who can access the database and what can be written. On the Firebase dashboard click Database then the Rules tab.

Copy the contents of the chat-sdk-rules.json file into the rules and click publish.

OR

Update your firebase.json file as follows:

"database": {
  "rules": "chat-sdk-rules.json"
}

Copy the chat-sdk-rules.json file into your project directory then run:

firebase deploy --only database:rules

Bolt

The rules are written in bolt which is a language that makes it easier to write the rules. We include an up-to-date version of the rules in the chat-sdk-rules.json file but if you want to update the rules yourself, you should edit the rules.bolt file.

Install Bolt:

npm install --g firebase-bolt

Then run:

firebase-bolt rules.bolt

This will generate a rules.json file which you can add to your project from the Firebase console.

Deploy the storage rules

Make sure storage is enabled for your project. On the Firebase dashboard click Storage and follow the instructions to enable storage.

The storage rules are needed to enable image storage and upload for image messages and user profiles.

Update your firebase.json file as follows:

"storage": {
	"rules": "chat-sdk-storage-rules.json"
}

Copy the chat-sdk-storage-rules.json file into your project directory then run:

firebase deploy --only storage