Firebase is a cloud-based platform that provides a variety of services to help developers build and manage mobile and web applications. It is owned by Google and offers many features such as real-time database, hosting, authentication, messaging, and analytics.

With Firebase, developers can easily integrate these features into their applications, without having to manage their own infrastructure. For example, Firebase's real-time database allows developers to store and sync data in real-time, while Firebase Authentication provides a simple and secure way to authenticate users with email and password, phone number, and social media accounts.

Firebase also provides powerful tools for app analytics and monitoring, allowing developers to track user behavior, crashes, and other key metrics. Additionally, Firebase offers hosting services, which allows developers to host their applications on Firebase's servers, making it easier to deploy and scale their applications.

Overall, Firebase provides developers with an easy-to-use and flexible platform to build and manage their applications, with features that can help them to quickly develop, deploy, and improve their apps.

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Firebase and the Google Play Store can work together in several ways to enhance your app's functionality and user experience.

One example is using Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) to send push notifications to your app's users. With FCM, you can send targeted messages to specific segments of your user base, such as users who haven't opened your app in a while or users who have added items to their cart but haven't completed a purchase. By integrating FCM into your app and using it to send push notifications, you can increase user engagement and retention.

Another example is using Firebase Analytics to track user behavior and app usage. With Firebase Analytics, you can gain insights into how users are interacting with your app, including what features they use most frequently, how long they spend in the app, and how often they return. This information can be valuable for optimizing your app's user experience and identifying areas for improvement.

Once you have integrated Firebase services into your app, you can then deploy your app to the Google Play Store to make it available to users. When users download your app from the Play Store, they can then start using the Firebase features that you have integrated, such as push notifications or analytics tracking.

Overall, Firebase and the Google Play Store can work together to provide a seamless and integrated experience for your app's users, with Firebase providing backend services and the Play Store providing a distribution platform for your app.

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But then where does GCP play the role in b/w these 2 (play store and firebase)?

Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is the underlying infrastructure that powers Firebase, and it provides additional services and resources that you can use to enhance your app's functionality and performance.

For example, if your app requires a backend server to handle user data or perform complex computations, you can use GCP's App Engine or Compute Engine to deploy and scale your backend infrastructure. App Engine is a fully-managed platform that allows you to deploy web applications and APIs without having to manage servers, while Compute Engine provides more control and flexibility over your virtual machine instances.

In addition to these compute services, GCP also provides a wide range of storage, database, and networking services that you can use to build and scale your app. For example, you can use Cloud Storage to store user-generated content, Cloud SQL to store and manage your app's database, and Cloud Load Balancing to distribute traffic across multiple instances.

By using Firebase for frontend development and GCP for backend development, you can build a scalable and reliable app that provides a great user experience. The Google Play Store can then serve as the distribution platform for your app, making it available to millions of users worldwide.

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Then do I not need GCP if I am using firebase?

If you use Firebase, you can use it as a standalone service without needing to use Google Cloud Platform (GCP) explicitly. Firebase is built on top of GCP, but it provides a simplified and integrated platform for building web and mobile applications.

That being said, if you require more advanced features or customization options that are not available in Firebase, you can use GCP services directly to build and deploy your backend infrastructure. For example, you can use GCP's App Engine, Cloud Functions, or Compute Engine to run your backend code, or use Cloud SQL or Cloud Firestore to manage your databases.

So firebase is like keras for tensorflow (GCP), it's a framework which internally uses tensorflow only but give a template like style of programming. firebase reduces the complexity for app and web developers.