Deploy Firebase Functions with Bolt.new 🚀

Important Note: When working in Bolt.new (StackBlitz), you can’t directly deploy Firebase Functions from the web environment. This guide shows you how to use Google Cloud Shell as a deployment solution.

What You’ll Need

Prerequisites:
- Google account (same one you use for Firebase)
- Firebase project set up in Firebase Console
- Your Bolt.new project ready to go
Tools We’ll Use:
- Google Cloud Shell (free, browser-based development environment)
- Firebase CLI
- Basic terminal knowledge

Deployment Process

1. Access Google Cloud Shell

Visit cloud.google.com/shell
Click “Start Cloud Shell”
Wait for environment initialization (~30 seconds)

2. Set Up Your Working Space

# Create and enter a new directory
mkdir my-firebase-functions
cd my-firebase-functions

# Initialize Firebase
firebase init functions

When prompted during initialization:

Choose “Yes” to proceed
Select your Firebase project
Choose JavaScript or TypeScript
Skip ESLint for now (say “No”)
Install dependencies (say “Yes”)

3. Write Your Functions

You have two options for editing:

Cloud Shell Editor:
- Click the pencil icon (“Open Editor”)
- Navigate to functions/index.js
Terminal Editor:
```
nano functions/index.js
```

Here’s a basic example function:

const functions = require('firebase-functions');

// HTTP Function Example
exports.helloWorld = functions.https.onRequest((request, response) => {
  response.send("Hello from Firebase!");
});

// Firestore Trigger Example
exports.onUserCreated = functions.firestore
  .document('users/{userId}')
  .onCreate((snap, context) => {
    const newUser = snap.data();
    console.log('New user created:', newUser);
    return null;
  });

// Storage Trigger Example
exports.onFileUploaded = functions.storage
  .object()
  .onFinalize(async (object) => {
    console.log('File uploaded:', object.name);
    return null;
  });

4. Deploy Your Functions

# Deploy all functions
firebase deploy --only functions

# Deploy specific function
firebase deploy --only functions:functionName

Function Types

1. HTTP Functions

exports.api = functions.https.onRequest((req, res) => {
  // Check request method
  if (req.method !== 'POST') {
    res.status(405).send('Method Not Allowed');
    return;
  }

  // Handle CORS
  res.set('Access-Control-Allow-Origin', '*');

  // Process request
  const data = req.body;
  res.json({ received: data });
});

2. Firestore Triggers

exports.onDocumentUpdate = functions.firestore
  .document('collection/{docId}')
  .onUpdate((change, context) => {
    const newData = change.after.data();
    const previousData = change.before.data();
    
    // Your logic here
    return null;
  });

3. Storage Triggers

exports.processUpload = functions.storage
  .object()
  .onFinalize(async (object) => {
    const filePath = object.name;
    const contentType = object.contentType;
    
    // Your processing logic here
    return null;
  });

Best Practices

Error Handling

exports.robustFunction = functions.https.onRequest(async (req, res) => {
  try {
    // Your function logic
    const result = await someOperation();
    res.json({ success: true, data: result });
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Function failed:', error);
    res.status(500).json({
      success: false,
      error: error.message
    });
  }
});

Environment Variables

// In Cloud Shell:
firebase functions:config:set api.key="your-api-key"

// In your function:
const apiKey = functions.config().api.key;

Function Timeouts

exports.longRunningTask = functions
  .runWith({
    timeoutSeconds: 300,
    memory: '1GB'
  })
  .https.onRequest(async (req, res) => {
    // Your long-running task here
  });

Common Issues

1. Authentication Issues

If you see “Not authorized” errors:

firebase login

2. Dependencies Missing

If Firebase CLI is not found:

npm install -g firebase-tools

3. Session Expiration

Cloud Shell sessions expire after 1 hour of inactivity. If this happens:

Refresh the Cloud Shell page
Navigate back to your project directory
Continue where you left off

Important Notes

Code Management
- Keep function code in version control
- Document environment variables
- Maintain local backups
Development Flow
- Write and test functions locally first
- Use emulators for testing
- Deploy only when ready
Security
- Always validate input data
- Use appropriate IAM roles
- Implement rate limiting

Remember

Cloud Shell sessions are temporary
Save your work frequently
Keep function code in your Bolt.new project
Use Cloud Shell only for deployments