Firebase vs DynamoDB for Solo Developers

Quick Comparison

Firebase Overview

Firebase is Google's all-in-one app development platform. Firestore gives you a NoSQL document database, Firebase Auth handles user authentication, Cloud Storage manages files, Cloud Functions runs server-side logic, and Firebase Hosting serves your frontend. Everything connects through well-documented SDKs for web, iOS, and Android.

The developer experience is Firebase's strongest point. Setting up authentication with Google, GitHub, or email takes minutes. Connecting your frontend to Firestore takes a few lines of code. Real-time listeners let your UI update instantly when data changes. For a solo developer who wants to ship fast, Firebase removes a massive amount of boilerplate.

The free tier (Spark plan) is generous. 1GiB of Firestore storage, 50,000 daily reads, 20,000 daily writes, and enough compute for Cloud Functions. You can build and launch a real product without spending money.

DynamoDB Overview

DynamoDB is AWS's managed NoSQL database. It delivers single-digit millisecond latency, handles virtually unlimited throughput, and requires zero server management. You create tables, define partition keys and sort keys, and AWS handles everything else: replication, backups, scaling, failover.

The learning curve is where DynamoDB loses solo developers. You need to understand partition keys, sort keys, global secondary indexes, local secondary indexes, capacity modes, and DynamoDB's unique approach to data modeling. Unlike SQL databases where you model first and query later, DynamoDB forces you to design your tables around your access patterns. Change your access patterns, and you might need to redesign your tables.

The free tier provides 25GB of storage, 25 read capacity units, and 25 write capacity units. That's enough for small applications. But DynamoDB exists within the AWS ecosystem, which means you also need to learn IAM policies, VPC configuration, and the AWS Console. The total cognitive overhead is significant.

Key Differences

Platform vs database. Firebase is a complete platform. Database, auth, storage, hosting, functions, analytics. DynamoDB is just a database within AWS. Need auth? Add Cognito. Need storage? Add S3. Need hosting? Add CloudFront and S3. Need functions? Add Lambda. Each AWS service adds its own configuration, IAM policies, and billing. Firebase integrates everything in one SDK.

Developer experience. Firebase has a clean console, intuitive SDKs, and documentation written for developers. AWS has the AWS Console (complex, sometimes confusing), SDKs that work but feel enterprise-heavy, and documentation that's thorough but dense. For a solo developer who values time, Firebase's DX is dramatically better.

Real-time capabilities. Firebase has built-in real-time sync. Subscribe to a document, and every connected client sees changes instantly. DynamoDB has DynamoDB Streams for change data capture, but turning that into client-side real-time updates requires Lambda functions, API Gateway WebSockets, and significant glue code. Firebase gives you real-time in five lines of code. DynamoDB gives you real-time after a week of infrastructure work.

Data modeling. Both are NoSQL, but they're different kinds of NoSQL. Firestore uses documents organized in collections with subcollections. DynamoDB uses items with partition keys and sort keys. Firestore's model is more intuitive for most developers. DynamoDB's model is more performant at scale but requires more upfront design. For typical solo developer applications, Firestore's model is easier to work with.

Querying. Both have limited querying compared to SQL databases. Firestore supports basic equality, range, and array-contains filters on indexed fields. DynamoDB supports queries on partition key + sort key combinations and secondary indexes. Both struggle with complex queries. Neither supports joins. If you need flexible querying, neither is ideal, but Firestore's composite indexes are slightly easier to work with.

Pricing predictability. Both charge per read, write, and storage, which means costs scale with traffic. Firebase's pricing is simpler to understand. DynamoDB's pricing has more variables (read vs write capacity units, on-demand vs provisioned, eventual vs strong consistency reads). Both can surprise you with bills during traffic spikes.

Lock-in. Firebase locks you into Google. DynamoDB locks you into AWS. Both are significant vendor lock-in. But Firebase's lock-in comes with a better developer experience and more bundled services. DynamoDB's lock-in comes with access to the broader AWS ecosystem, which matters more for enterprise applications than solo projects.

When to Choose Firebase

• You want a complete platform without assembling multiple services
• Real-time sync is important for your application
• You're building a mobile app with iOS/Android
• You value developer experience and fast iteration
• You want to start free and pay only as usage grows

When to Choose DynamoDB

• You're already deep in the AWS ecosystem
• Your application is built on AWS Lambda and needs tight integration
• You need virtually unlimited scale with predictable latency
• Your access patterns are well-defined and unlikely to change
• You're comfortable with AWS IAM, VPCs, and the AWS Console

The Verdict

Firebase wins for solo developers. The 8/10 vs 5/10 rating reflects the massive difference in developer experience and practicality.

Firebase gives you a complete backend in one SDK. Auth, database, storage, hosting, functions, real-time. The setup takes minutes. The free tier covers your prototype and early users. The documentation is clear. You spend your time building features, not configuring infrastructure.

DynamoDB gives you a database inside an ecosystem designed for large engineering teams. Every additional capability (auth, storage, hosting, functions) requires a separate AWS service with its own configuration and learning curve. The time you spend learning IAM policies and wiring Lambda to DynamoDB is time you're not spending on your product.

The only scenario where DynamoDB makes sense for a solo developer is if you're already building on AWS Lambda and want everything in one cloud. Even then, Firebase's ease of use makes it worth considering. AWS expertise is valuable for your career, but if your goal is shipping a product fast, Firebase gets you there with less friction.

My recommendation: use Firebase if you need NoSQL with a complete platform. But honestly, if you're evaluating databases, also consider Supabase. It gives you PostgreSQL (much more powerful querying than either Firebase or DynamoDB) with the same platform convenience as Firebase.