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Quick Start Guide

Get FireBackup up and running in under 5 minutes. This guide will walk you through creating your account, connecting your first Firebase project, and executing your first backup.

Prerequisites​

Before you begin, ensure you have:

  • A Firebase project with Firestore enabled
  • A Google account with access to the Firebase project
  • A cloud storage destination (AWS S3, GCS, or DO Spaces) - optional for initial setup

Step 1: Create Your Account​

  1. Navigate to app.firebackup.io
  2. Click "Sign in with Google"
  3. Select your Google account
  4. Grant the required permissions
tip

Use the same Google account that has access to your Firebase projects for seamless integration.

Step 2: Create an Organization​

Organizations help you manage multiple Firebase projects and team members.

  1. After signing in, you'll be prompted to create an organization
  2. Enter your organization name (e.g., "My Company" or "Personal Projects")
  3. Click "Create Organization"

Step 3: Connect Your Firebase Project​

  1. From the dashboard, click "Add Project"
  2. Click "Connect Firebase" to authorize FireBackup
  3. Grant the additional Firebase permissions when prompted
  4. Select your Firebase project from the list
  5. Choose which collections to include in backups
  6. Click "Connect"

Step 4: Configure Storage (Optional)​

For production use, configure a cloud storage destination:

AWS S3​

  1. Go to Settings > Storage
  2. Click "Add Storage Destination"
  3. Select "AWS S3"
  4. Enter your AWS credentials and bucket name
  5. Click "Verify & Save"

Google Cloud Storage​

  1. Select "Google Cloud Storage"
  2. Upload your service account JSON
  3. Enter your bucket name
  4. Click "Verify & Save"
info

If you skip this step, backups will be stored locally. This is fine for testing but not recommended for production.

Step 5: Create Your First Backup​

  1. Navigate to Backups in the sidebar
  2. Click "New Backup"
  3. Select your connected project
  4. Choose collections to backup (or select all)
  5. Click "Start Backup"

You'll see real-time progress as FireBackup:

  • Connects to your Firebase project
  • Exports the selected data
  • Compresses the backup (Brotli compression)
  • Encrypts the data (AES-256-GCM)
  • Uploads to your storage destination

Step 6: Verify Your Backup​

Once complete:

  1. Click on the backup in the list
  2. Review the backup details:
    • Collections backed up
    • Document count
    • Backup size (original and compressed)
    • Duration
  3. Click "Verify Integrity" to ensure the backup is valid

Next Steps​

Congratulations! You've created your first backup. Here's what to explore next:

Common Issues​

"No Firebase projects found"​

Ensure your Google account has access to the Firebase project. Check the Firebase Console to verify your permissions.

"Permission denied accessing Firestore"​

Your account needs the following roles:

  • Firebase Admin or Editor on the Firebase project
  • Cloud Datastore User role in Google Cloud

"Storage connection failed"​

Verify your storage credentials and bucket permissions. See our storage setup tutorials for detailed instructions.

Need help? Contact support@firebackup.io or visit our support page.