TypeError: firebase.storage is not a function

Question

Following this example, I keep getting the error:

 TypeError: firebase.storage is not a function

From this line in my code:

Answer 1

Deprecated: please see the accepted answer.

Some details to note:

1. Firebase Storage is no longer used with Node.js, so all documentation there is useless for Node.js. Instead, use google-cloud. The references and guides for Firebase and Google Cloud do not reflect this as of today.
2. Unlike Firebase, google-cloud costs money, even for small projects.
3. In my case, I'm using the firebase-admin SDK so I don't have to mess with user authentication at the moment.

---

Purpose

To create a single Node.js project which uses Firebase and Google Cloud. Why? Firebase has a useful database, among other features, and Google Cloud allows cloud file storage and retrieval.

Directions

Step 1: Project Creation

Create Firebase and Google Cloud (Storage) projects.

Step 2: Install Packages

Using npm, install firebase-admin and google-cloud in Node.js project.

Note 1: I used the admin SDK, so after creating the Firebase project, you'll need to go to:

• Settings(the gear) > Project Settings > Service Accounts > Firebase Admin SDK
• Then you: Select Node.js > [Copy/paste the generated code into your project] > [click "Generate New Private Key"] > [download the generated json to preferred location] > [replace "path/to...AccountKey.json" with the path to the key you just generated]

Note 2: the generated key can be reused in firebase or google-cloud credentials.

Step 3: Firebase Setup

Once your project is created, import the firebase-admin sdk:

The code should look like this, but filled with your info:

var admin = require("firebase-admin");
admin.initializeApp({
  credential: admin.credential.cert("/path/to/generated/json/here.json"),
  databaseURL: "database-url-from-firebase"
});

To find the databaseURL, go to 'Storage' in Firebase, and note the URL starting with gs: and copy/paste it the the value field of databaseURL.

Next, get a reference to the database you can use:

var db = admin.database();
var ref = db.ref("/");
console.log('DB ref: ' + ref); //just to debug, if undefined, there's a problem.

To learn more about reading/writing to the database, follow Firebase's own documentation.

Step 4: Google-Cloud Billing Setup

After creating a project on Google Cloud, add billing information; buckets cannot be used without billing info.

Step 5: Google-Cloud Storage Setup

1. Scrolling through the menu (the horizontal 3-bars), click "Storage", then "Enable Billing". Yes, you added billing info, now you need to enable it for that project's buckets.
2. You should see that a bucket should already exists from your Firebase project.
3. Click on menu again(3-bar icon), then > IAM & Admin > Settings
4. At settings, you'll see "Project ID" which should look like "projectName-00000" or "projectName-Some#", copy that project ID

Step 6: Google Cloud in Node.js

In your index.js:

var gcloud = require('google-cloud');
var gcs = gcloud.storage({
  projectId: 'paste-that-project-id-here',
  keyFilename: 'paste-that-path-to-the-previously-downloaded-json-from-firebase-here'
});

Now you can send a file to your storage by:

var bucket = gcs.bucket('bucket_name');
var remoteFile = bucket.file('somefile-inThisCaseASong.mp3');
var localFilename = '/Users/you/Music/somefile-inThisCaseASong.mp3';
bucket.upload(localFilename, function(err, file) {
  if (!err) {
    console.log('somefile-inThisCaseASong.mp3 is now in your bucket.');
  } else {
    console.log('Error uploading file: ' + err);
  }
});

Step 7: Verify

If the file is visible in Firebase Storage and Google Cloud Storage, you're done!