Firebase vs Telebase
A comprehensive, factual comparison between Google Firebase and the open-source Telebase serverless engine.
| Features | Google Firebase | Telebase (Open Source) |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting & Database Cost | Free tier with strict read/write count limits. Pay-as-you-go billing afterwards. | 100% Free. $0 hosting on Cloudflare Pages and Telegram persistence. |
| Storage Capacity | 5GB free storage limit. Expensive pricing tier for backups and media assets. | Infinite free storage via Telegram. Autochunking support up to gigabytes. |
| Cold Starts | Serverless cloud functions subject to minor spin-up delays (cold starts). | Zero cold starts. Run globally at the edge on Cloudflare Workers network. |
| Zero-Knowledge Encryption | Google manages encryption keys. | Client-side AES-256-GCM. Telegram can't read files. |
| Open Source License | Proprietary / Closed vendor-lock. | MIT License on GitHub. Self-host friendly. |
Database Caching
Firebase caches database values on client-side memory. Telebase uses Cloudflare KV edge database, returning globally replicated reads in sub-15ms.
Private & Encrypted
Firebase requires complex IAM configuration. Telebase leverages client-side zero-knowledge architecture, meaning only you hold decryption headers.
Perfect for Hackathons
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Key Differences Summary
What is Telebase? An open-source serverless database layer using Telegram storage API and Cloudflare edge workers.
When to use Telebase instead of Firebase: Use Telebase if you are building hackathon projects, student assignments, staging apps, or side projects where hosting fees must be kept at exactly zero, and when you need unlimited file storage without paid quotas.
Limitations of Telebase: Telebase is not intended for high-velocity transactional financial systems or corporate production environments. It is custom-optimized for rapid prototyping and serverless hobby apps.