FR: Firestore C++ SDK for desktop out of beta

[ScottPierce]

[REQUIRED] Please fill in the following fields:

• Main Firebase Components in concern: Firestore + Auth
• Platform you are using the C++ SDK on: Mac and Windows
• Platform you are targeting: Desktop

[REQUIRED] Please describe the question here:

I notice on the readme that there is no reference to Firestore C++. I found some old issues from 2019 that talk about firestore being in alpha.

I'm interested in using the Firestore C++ SDK in a Windows and Mac desktop application. What is the state of firestore currently? Is desktop supported for Windows and Mac environments, or would I be treading into alpha/beta territory?

[google-oss-bot]

I found a few problems with this issue:

• I couldn't figure out how to label this issue, so I've labeled it for a human to triage. Hang tight.
• This issue does not seem to follow the issue template. Make sure you provide all the required information.

[rafikhan]

@ScottPierce - Thanks for pointing out that the top level readme does not mention Firestore. That's a miss on our side and I filed an internal bug for it b/190075287.

As for desktop support it is intended to make the local workflow easier but is not intended for publicly shipping code (hence the beta label). Given that it is open source you are welcome to try and ship it but do so at your own risk. If you make pull requests with bug fixes or enhancements we would take a look at it but platform specific issues might not get attention unless there's enough demand/usage.

[ScottPierce]

@rafikhan What's the purpose behind the C++ library?

[rafikhan]

The overly simplified answer is that it made it easier to target multiple platforms with a single codebase. We've only tested it on the platforms where we've had developer demand (mobile platforms and the Unity Editor); however, if there was more demand for desktop support or other platforms we would seriously consider it.

[ttgil]

In what way would developer demand be expressed for the Firebase team to measure? I've been building new products on the Firebase C++ SDK for a couple of years under the understanding that desktop would become a fully-supported platform that would eventually graduate out of beta and be used for shipping software. Using Firebase together with Qt/C++ in cross-platform desktop and mobile apps is a great use case, as it is with Flutter.

[rafikhan]

@ttgil - We monitor a lot of channels, look at metrics, and speak with customers directly on an ongoing basis. One of the many formal channels we look at is here; however, for your request I suggest voting on this issue. If you know others in the C++ desktop development community that want to leverage Firestore I would encourage you to have them do the same.

[ttgil]

@ttgil - We monitor a lot of channels, look at metrics, and speak with customers directly on an ongoing basis. One of the many formal channels we look at is here; however, for your request I suggest voting on this issue. If you know others in the C++ desktop development community that want to leverage Firestore I would encourage you to have them do the same.

Why would someone fill out a feature request for a feature that is already implemented as a beta, as Firestore on desktop is? I don't see a voting mechanism here.

Is there some chance that the desktop implementations will NOT be supported for shipping software? I've been working with it for 2 years, and have gotten assurances from members of the Firebase dev team that the desktop support will graduate from beta eventually. So, what's changed?

[rafikhan]

I don't see a voting mechanism here.

You can press the smiley face on the upper right hand corner of the first (or any relevant) comment in the thread and pick an appropriate emoji. We keep an eye on these.

Is there some chance that the desktop implementations will NOT be supported for shipping software? I've been working with it for 2 years, and have gotten assurances from members of the Firebase dev team that the desktop support will graduate from beta eventually. So, what's changed?

When the Firestore C++ SDK graduates out of beta we will clearly document which platforms are supported for which use case. We try to stay consistent with other Firebase SDKs which at this time is mobile platforms intended for games and unity editor for desktop. As I mentioned before we regularly re-evaluate these based on customer demand and I encourage you voice that in the ways I mentioned above. I cannot make commitments or comment past that.

I'm not sure where you received assurances from our team on desktop support outside of the Unity Editor but saw you are on a thread with my colleagues on this topic. We can continue this aspect of the conversation there.

[chkuang-g]

@ScottPierce @ttgil

Thank you for reporting your concerns.

If I read this correctly, the general concerns is that Firestore or Firebase C++ SDK in general for desktop is not out of beta. I would recommend to change this thread to a feature request by:

• Change the title to something like "FR: Firestore C++ SDK for desktop out of beta".
• Upvote the first post of this thread.

This can help us to understand the demand and to prioritize our resources.

Let us know if this works for you.
Shawn