Using Cloud Firestore with Node-RED

Firebase provides two database options: Realtime Database (RTDB) and Cloud Firestore. This guide focuses on Cloud Firestore, Firebase's newer, more flexible document database with better performance, richer queries, and multi-regional support.

Cloud Firestore is a scalable NoSQL document database that offers real-time synchronization, offline support, and seamless integration with Node-RED. Using this combination, developers can build event-driven flows for IoT dashboards, notifications, and synchronized device management.

Prerequisites

Before you start, ensure you have the following:

  • Node-RED instance: Ensure you have a running Node-RED instance. The quickest and easiest way to set up Node-RED is via FlowFuse. Sign up to get started. Once you have a FlowFuse instance, you can easily manage, deploy, scale, and collaborate with your team on flows securely.
  • Firebase account: You will need a Firebase account with the necessary configuration details to create projects and access Cloud Firestore.

Step 1: Install the Cloud Firestore Node-RED Package

To connect Node-RED with Cloud Firestore, you need to install the required Node-RED node.

  1. Open your Node-RED editor.
  2. Go to Menu → Manage palette → Install.
  3. In the search box, enter: @gogovega/node-red-contrib-cloud-firestore
  4. Click Install next to the package.
  5. After installation, restart your Node-RED instance to ensure the configuration node loads properly.
  6. The Firestore nodes will appear in your palette, ready to use in your flows.

Step 2: Configure the Firestore Node

Once the Firestore nodes are installed, you need to configure them with your Firebase project credentials.

  1. Drag a Firestore node (e.g., Firestore Out node) onto the Node-RED canvas.
  2. Double-click the node to open its configuration panel.
  3. Click the + icon next to the Database field to add a new configuration.
  4. In the Authentication tab:
    • Select Email/Password as the authentication type.
    • Enter your Firebase API key (from your project's web app settings).
    • Enter the email and password of a Firebase user with access to Firestore.
  5. In the Database section:
    • Enter your Firebase Project ID.
  6. Click Done to save the configuration.

Security Note: Keep your credentials secure. Avoid exposing your API key, email, or password publicly. When sharing flows, use environment variables to keep sensitive information safe.

Step 3: Create a Document

Before sending data from Node-RED, you need a collection where the data will be stored. Firestore organizes data in documents within collections.

  1. Drag a Firestore Out node onto the Node-RED canvas.
  2. Double-click the node to open its configuration panel.
  3. Select the Firestore configuration you created in Step 2.
  4. Set the Operation to Set / Create Document.
  5. Enter the Collection name and Document ID:
    • You can enter them as static strings, e.g., devices and raspberry_pi_5_01.
    • Or you can set them dynamically using msg.collection and msg.document.
  6. Drag an Inject node onto the canvas and connect it to the Firestore node. Configure the payload data you want to store. For example, set msg.payload to:
{
  "device_id": "device_001",
  "status": "online",
  "last_seen": "2025-09-22T13:10:00Z",
  "location": "Room 101"
}
  1. Click Done to save the configuration.
  2. Deploy the flow.

To test, click the Inject button on the Inject node to send the data to Firestore. You should see the Firestore node update its status:

  • Querying… – Node-RED is sending the data to Firestore.
  • Done – Data has been successfully written to your collection.

Step 4: Updating a Document

Updating an existing document in Firestore lets you change one or more fields without replacing the entire document.

  1. Drag a Firestore Out node onto the Node-RED canvas.
  2. Double-click the node to open its configuration panel.
  3. Select the Firestore configuration you created earlier.
  4. Set the Operation to Update Document.
  5. Specify the Collection name and the Document ID you want to update.
    • Example: devices and raspberry_pi_5_01.
  6. Connect an Inject node to provide the updated data. For example, set msg.payload to:
{
  "status": "offline",
  "last_seen": "2025-09-23T11:45:00Z"
}
  1. Deploy the flow.
  2. Click the Inject button. The Firestore node will update the specified fields in the document.

Note: Fields not included in msg.payload will remain unchanged.

Step 5: Deleting a Document

To remove a document from a Firestore collection:

  1. Drag another Firestore Out node onto the Node-RED canvas.
  2. Double-click the node to open its configuration panel.
  3. Select your Firestore configuration.
  4. Set the Operation to Delete Document.
  5. Enter the Collection and Document ID to delete.
    • Example: devices and raspberry_pi_5_01.
  6. Connect an Inject node to trigger the deletion.
  7. Deploy the flow and click the Inject button.

Once executed, the specified document will be permanently removed from the collection.

Step 6: Reading Data from Firestore

The Firestore Get node allows Node-RED to read data from a Firestore collection or document. This is useful for dashboards, data processing, or one-time data retrieval.

  1. Drag a Firestore Get node onto the Node-RED canvas.
  2. Double-click the node to open its configuration panel.
  3. Select the Firestore configuration you created in Step 2.
  4. Choose the Type:
    • Collection – Reads all documents within a single collection.
    • Collection Group – Reads documents across multiple collections with the same name.

      If Collection or Collection Group is selected, specify the name in the Collection / Group field.

    • Document – Reads a single document.

      If Document is selected, specify the Collection and Document ID. You can also enter them together in a single field using the format collectionName/documentName.

  5. To sort or filter your data, check the option "Do you want to sort and order your data?". Then configure the query constraints, such as:
    • limitToFirst or limitToLast – Limit the number of results returned.
    • startAt / startAfter – Start the query at a specific value.
    • endAt / endBefore – End the query at a specific value.
    • orderBy – Sort documents by a specific field.
    • where – Apply filters to select specific documents.
  6. Connect a Debug node to the Firestore node to monitor the output and deploy the flow.

Step 7: Listening for Real-time Changes

Unlike the Firestore Get node, which retrieves data only once, the Firestore In node establishes a real-time listener. This means Node-RED will continuously receive updates whenever documents are added, modified, or removed in the specified collection, collection group, or document.

This capability is particularly useful for building live dashboards, sending notifications, or keeping device states synchronized without repeatedly polling the database.

  1. Drag a Firestore In node onto the Node-RED canvas.
  2. Double-click the node to open its configuration panel.
  3. Select the Firestore configuration you created in Step 2.
  4. Choose the Type:
    • Collection – Listens to all documents within a single collection.
    • Collection Group – Listens to documents across multiple collections with the same name.

      If Collection or Collection Group is selected, specify the name in the Collection / Group field.

    • Document – Listens to changes in a single document.

      If Document is selected, specify the Collection and Document ID. You can also enter them together in a single field using the format collectionName/documentName.

  5. When Collection or Collection Group is selected, choose the type of changes you want to listen for with the filter field:
    • Added documents
    • Modified documents
    • Removed documents
  6. To refine your listener, enable "Do you want to sort and order your data?" and configure query constraints such as:
    • limitToFirst or limitToLast – Limit the number of results returned.
    • startAt / startAfter – Start the query at a specific value.
    • endAt / endBefore – End the query at a specific value.
    • orderBy – Sort documents by a specific field.
    • where – Apply filters to select specific documents.
  7. Connect a Debug node to the Firestore node to monitor the output and deploy the flow.

Example Flow

The flow below demonstrates all the concepts covered in this guide. You can explore and modify it as needed.