Add Firebase security guidelines for personal projects

[Sazwanismail]

User description

I've gathered some essential Firebase security guidelines for your personal projects. The key to Firebase security lies in properly configuring Firebase Security Rules and Firebase Authentication to control access to your data and backend services.

Here is a summary of the core security practices you should implement:

| Security Aspect | Key Guideline for Personal Projects | | :--- | :--- |
| 🔒 General Rules | Start in "Locked" or "Production" mode; never use public rules in production. | | 👤 Authentication | Use managed authentication (e.g., Google OAuth); require sign-in for data access. | | 🗄️ Data Security | Structure data for user-based access; enforce ownership with request.auth.uid. | | 🚫 Abuse Prevention | Enable App Check; set up budget alerts and use emulators for development. | | ⚙️ Admin SDK | Use only on trusted servers; it bypasses all security rules. |

📝 Implement Core Security Rules

The most critical step is writing secure rules for your database and storage. Never deploy your app with open rules that allow all reads and writes (allow read, write: if true;), as this lets anyone steal or destroy your data.

• For User-Specific Data: The most common pattern for personal projects is to restrict access so users can only manage their own data. javascript // Cloud Firestore: User owns their document service cloud.firestore { match /databases/{database}/documents { match /users/{userId} { allow read, write: if request.auth != null && request.auth.uid == userId; } } } json // Realtime Database: User owns their data path { "rules": { "users": { "$uid": { ".read": "auth != null && auth.uid === $uid", ".write": "auth != null && auth.uid === $uid" } } } }
• For Mixed Public & Private Data: You can create rules that allow public reading but restrict writing to owners. javascript // Cloud Storage: Public read, owner-only write service firebase.storage { match /b/{bucket}/o { match /user_uploads/{userId}/{allPaths=**} { allow read; allow write: if request.auth != null && request.auth.uid == userId; } } }

🔐 Strengthen Authentication and Prevent Abuse

• Use Strong Authentication: For managed authentication, OAuth 2.0 providers (like Google Sign-In) are more secure than email/password alone.
• Enable App Check: To help protect your backend resources from abuse, enable Firebase App Check. This helps ensure only your apps can access your project's services.
• Set Up Alerts: In the Google Cloud Console, set up budget alerts to be notified of unexpected spikes in usage that could indicate an attack or a bug in your app.

🛠️ Adopt Secure Development Practices

• Use the Emulator Suite: Test your security rules and app logic locally using the Firebase Local Emulator Suite before deploying. This prevents you from accidentally causing a denial-of-service attack on your own live service during development.
• Manage Environments: Create separate Firebase projects for development and production. This keeps your test data isolated and prevents development mistakes from affecting your live application.
• Store Config Securely: While Firebase API keys are not secret, it's still a good practice to load your app's configuration using environment variables, especially when working with different environments.

I hope these guidelines provide a solid foundation for securing your personal Firebase project. If you'd like more detailed examples for a specific use case, such as setting up role-based access, feel free to ask.

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CodeAnt-AI Description

Add Firebase Realtime Database security guidelines for personal projects

What Changed

• New user-facing guide that compares three Realtime Database security modes (open/test, authenticated-only, user-specific) and explains when to use each
• Recommends the user-specific pattern so each authenticated account can only read and write its own data, and provides example rules for a "users" path plus an optional "public_data" section
• Step-by-step actions to secure a personal project: enable Firebase Authentication (Email/Password or Anonymous), store data under your UID, and integrate sign-in so rules can enforce ownership
• Practical safety advice: never leave public rules in production, validate incoming data in rules, enable App Check, and run periodic rule audits

Impact

✅ Fewer accidental data leaks
✅ Safer production deployments
✅ Faster secure setup for single-user apps

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[Sazwanismail]

Mampoih pi

[codeant-ai]

Suggestion: Harden the example for public_data write access by showing how to restrict writes to a specific UID instead of allowing any authenticated user. [best practice]

Suggested change

	".write": "auth != null" // Or restrict to your UID for writing
	".write": "auth.uid === 'YOUR_UID'"

Why Change? ⭐

Replacing a permissive "auth != null" with a specific UID check (auth.uid === 'YOUR_UID') tightens write permissions and prevents any other authenticated user from modifying public_data.
This is a legitimate security hardening example for a personal project. The placeholder must be replaced with the actual UID.

[codeant-ai]

Pull Request Feedback 🔍

🔒 No security issues identified

⚡ Recommended areas for review Filename / Location The file was added under .devcontainer with a non-standard name and a typo ("Fairbase"). Documentation like this should live in a docs/ or docs/firebase/ folder and use a .md extension so it displays correctly and is discoverable. Consider renaming/moving and fixing the typo.

[codeant-ai]

Suggestion: Mark the insecure examples in the table with a clear "DO NOT COPY TO PRODUCTION" label and replace the inline JSON in the table with short references that point to clearly labeled fenced examples below (including safe, copy-paste-safe alternatives); keep the insecure snippets only in fenced blocks with an explicit warning. [security]

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