How to Set Up Google Firebase on Your Application

Prerequisites

Steps

1. 1

   Go to the Firebase console (opens in a new tab) and sign in with your Google account.

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2. 2

   Click “Create a new Firebase project”.

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3. 3

   Enter a name for your project (anything you like, e.g. “fastmemo-sync”), tick “I accept the Firebase terms” and click “Continue”.

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4. 4

   Skip the AI assistance step (Gemini in Firebase) with “Continue”. Then turn off “Enable Google Analytics for this project”, click “Create project” and, when the project is ready, “Continue”.

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5. 5

   On your project's page, click the </> icon (“Web”).

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6. 6

   Give the app any nickname (e.g. “Fast Memo”), leave Firebase Hosting unchecked and click “Register app”.

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7. 7

   Firebase now shows your app's configuration. Fast Memo needs three values from it: apiKey, projectId and appId. Keep them somewhere safe (you can always find them again in Project settings → General → Your apps), then click “Continue to console”.

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8. 8

   In the sidebar, open “Databases & Storage” → “Firestore”.

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9. 9

   Click “Create database”.

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10. 10

    Leave the database ID as “(default)”, pick the location closest to you (e.g. “eur3 (europe-west)” if you live in Europe) and click “Next”. Then select “Start in production mode” and click “Create”.

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11. 11

    When the database is ready, open the “Rules” tab, change “allow read, write: if false;” to “allow read, write: if true;” and click “Publish”. You'll always find Firestore in the sidebar, under “Project shortcuts”.

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12. 12

    Now connect Fast Memo: open the app, go to Settings → Cloud Sync and turn on “Enable Cloud sync” (it may ask for your secret code). Choose “Google Firebase”, paste the API Key, Project Id and App Id from step 7 and tap “Save settings”. Then set your encryption password (see the next section): from then on your notes and categories stay in sync, in real time, on every device you connect.

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Securing your vault with end-to-end encryption

Once Cloud Sync is connected, Fast Memo protects your data with end-to-end encryption. Your note contents are encrypted on your device with a password that only you know, so Google — and anyone else — only ever sees unreadable data. Here's what to expect:

1. 1

   Set an encryption password. The first time you connect, you choose an encryption password. It never leaves your device and is the key that unlocks your notes.

2. 2

   Save your recovery key. During setup you're shown a one-time recovery key. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe — it's the only way back in if you ever forget your password.

3. 3

   Unlock each device once. Every device that joins enters the same password to unlock the vault. After that the key is stored securely on the device, so you don't have to re-enter it at every launch.

4. 4

   Forgot your password? Use your recovery key to set a new one without losing any notes. As a last resort you can reset the encryption, which rebuilds the vault from the notes currently on your device.

Optional Steps

1. 1

   Firebase will warn you by email that the rules are open, as set in step 11. To stop these emails, open your alert settings (opens in a new tab).

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2. 2

   In the “Cloud Firestore” section, untick all 4 boxes (“In Firebase” and “Email” for both alerts).

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