Going Serverless with Firebase
In this production from Big Machine, we explore what it takes to build a usable, “serverless” ecommerce application. I’m not just talking about checking out and running a Stripe charge – no we’re doing it all.
In these videos we’ll set up web site hosted at Firebase, authenticate with Firebase auth, setup email notifications and build a full-blown digital ecommerce site powered by VueJS! I built a site that I want to use, far beyond a typical demo. That site is yours along with over 3 hours of video explanation.

Welcome!
These videos have been 3 years in the making! I started this project in the spring of 2014 with a simple idea: what could I build without having to manage a server? The results were interesting, but not overly compelling. I wanted to SELL THINGS, and doing that by knitting together various services was a pain. Then came serverless and Firebase - let's get started!

Introduction
What is Firebase and why should you care? The whole Serverless thing is interesting, but is it worth doing? We discuss this here.
4 minutes

Hosting
One of the very nice things about Firebase is its hosting service. It's free and comes with SSL to boot. I like to use Middleman to help build the site out, but you don't have to! Use whatever tools you like, and serve the files with firebase serve.
29 minutes

The Realtime Database
We get rolling with our site, building out the initial checkout service while getting to know Firebase.
29 minutes

Firebase Functions
Extremely simple to create with NodeJS. Simple to deploy, and fun to use, Firebase functions are incredibly flexible and fun. There are some tricks you need to know, however.
46 minutes

Authentication and Storage
In this part we tidy things up, plugging in Authentication and hooking our download service into Firebase Storage.
29 minutes