Firebase Setup

Overview

Trackmart uses Firebase as its backend infrastructure for authentication, real-time data synchronization, and cloud storage. This guide will walk you through setting up all necessary Firebase services.

Ensure you have a Firebase account and have created a project in the Firebase Console.

Firebase Services Used

Trackmart integrates the following Firebase services:

Firebase Authentication

Phone and email authentication for users and drivers

Realtime Database

Real-time location tracking and order status updates

Cloud Firestore

User profiles, chat messages, and structured data storage

Cloud Storage

Profile photos and image uploads

Dependencies

The following Firebase packages are used in Trackmart:

pubspec.yaml

dependencies:
  firebase_auth: ^0.11.1+7
  firebase_database: 3.0.5
  cloud_firestore: 0.12.7+1
  firebase_storage: 3.0.4
  firebase_messaging: 5.1.2  # For push notifications

Step 1: Create Firebase Project

Create a new project

Go to the Firebase Console and click “Add project”. Name your project “Trackmart” or your preferred name.

Enable Google Analytics (Optional)

Choose whether to enable Google Analytics for your project. This is recommended for tracking app usage.

Wait for project creation

Firebase will create your project and initialize the required services.

Step 2: Configure Android App

In your Firebase project, click on the Android icon to add an Android app.

Package name: com.example.sandtrack (or your custom package name)
App nickname: Trackmart Android
Debug signing certificate SHA-1: Optional for development

Download google-services.json

Download the google-services.json file and place it in your Android app folder:

android/app/google-services.json

Configure build.gradle files

Add the Google services plugin to your project-level android/build.gradle:

android/build.gradle

buildscript {
  dependencies {
    // Add this line
    classpath 'com.google.gms:google-services:4.3.3'
  }
}

The app-level android/app/build.gradle should already include:

android/app/build.gradle

apply plugin: 'com.google.gms.google-services'

android {
  defaultConfig {
    minSdkVersion 18
    multiDexEnabled true
  }
}

Ensure multiDexEnabled true is set, as Firebase services require multidex support.

Step 3: Configure iOS App

In your Firebase project, click on the iOS icon to add an iOS app.

Bundle ID: Match the bundle identifier in your ios/Runner.xcodeproj
App nickname: Trackmart iOS

Download GoogleService-Info.plist

Download the GoogleService-Info.plist file and add it to your Xcode project:

Open ios/Runner.xcworkspace in Xcode
Drag GoogleService-Info.plist into the Runner folder
Ensure “Copy items if needed” is checked

Update Info.plist for authentication

Add the URL scheme for Firebase Authentication in ios/Runner/Info.plist:

ios/Runner/Info.plist

<key>CFBundleURLTypes</key>
<array>
  <dict>
    <key>CFBundleTypeRole</key>
    <string>Editor</string>
    <key>CFBundleURLSchemes</key>
    <array>
      <string>YOUR_REVERSED_CLIENT_ID</string>
    </array>
  </dict>
</array>

Find YOUR_REVERSED_CLIENT_ID in your GoogleService-Info.plist file.

Step 4: Enable Firebase Authentication

Navigate to Authentication

In the Firebase Console, go to Authentication > Sign-in method.

Enable Phone Authentication

Enable the Phone sign-in provider
No additional configuration required for development
For production, you may need to add SHA-1 certificate fingerprints

Enable Email/Password Authentication

Enable the Email/Password sign-in provider
Email verification is automatically supported

Authentication Implementation

Trackmart implements dual authentication methods:

Phone Authentication
Email Authentication

lib/login_page.dart

Future<void> verifyPhone() async {
  await FirebaseAuth.instance.verifyPhoneNumber(
    phoneNumber: countryCode + phoneNo,
    timeout: const Duration(seconds: 15),
    verificationCompleted: (AuthCredential credential) async {
      // Auto-verification successful
      FirebaseUser user = await fAuth.createUserWithEmailAndPassword(
        email: countryCode + phoneNo + '@sandtrackapp.com',
        password: pin,
      );
      await saveUserDetails(user);
    },
    verificationFailed: (AuthException exception) {
      showMessageDialog(exception.message);
    },
    codeSent: (String verificationId, [int forceCodeResend]) {
      // Show SMS code input dialog
    },
  );
}

lib/login_page.dart

Future<void> verifyEmail() async {
  if (login) {
    FirebaseUser user = await fAuth.signInWithEmailAndPassword(
      email: email,
      password: pin,
    );
    
    if (user.isEmailVerified) {
      await saveUserDetails(user);
      widget.onSignedIn(user);
    } else {
      await user.sendEmailVerification();
    }
  } else {
    FirebaseUser user = await fAuth.createUserWithEmailAndPassword(
      email: email,
      password: pin,
    );
    await user.sendEmailVerification();
  }
}

Step 5: Configure Realtime Database

Create Realtime Database

In the Firebase Console, go to Realtime Database > Create Database.

Choose location

Select a database location closest to your users for optimal performance.

Set security rules

Start in test mode for development, then update rules for production:

{
  "rules": {
    "Drivers": {
      "$driverId": {
        ".read": "auth != null",
        ".write": "auth.uid === $driverId",
        "requests": {
          ".read": "auth.uid === $driverId",
          ".write": "auth != null"
        }
      }
    },
    "buyers": {
      "$buyerId": {
        ".read": "auth.uid === $buyerId",
        ".write": "auth.uid === $buyerId"
      }
    }
  }
}

Database Structure

Trackmart uses the following Realtime Database structure:

View Database Schema

{
  "Drivers": {
    "driverId": {
      "id": "string",
      "displayName": "string",
      "phoneNo": "string",
      "photoUrl": "string",
      "lat": "number",
      "long": "number",
      "status": "boolean",
      "requests": {
        "orderId": { /* order data */ }
      }
    }
  },
  "buyers": {
    "userId": {
      "id": "string",
      "displayName": "string",
      "phoneNo": "string",
      "photoUrl": "string",
      "lat": "number",
      "long": "number",
      "requests": { /* orders */ },
      "transit": { /* active orders */ }
    }
  }
}

Realtime Database is used for location tracking and order status updates that require real-time synchronization.

Step 6: Configure Cloud Firestore

Create Firestore database

In the Firebase Console, go to Firestore Database > Create Database.

Choose starting mode

Select test mode for development. You’ll update security rules later.

Select location

Choose a Firestore location (note: this cannot be changed later).

Update security rules

Set production-ready security rules:

rules_version = '2';
service cloud.firestore {
  match /databases/{database}/documents {
    match /users/{userId} {
      allow read, write: if request.auth != null && request.auth.uid == userId;
    }
    
    match /buyers/{buyerId} {
      allow read: if request.auth != null;
      allow write: if request.auth != null && request.auth.uid == buyerId;
    }
    
    match /drivers/{driverId} {
      allow read: if request.auth != null;
      allow write: if request.auth != null && request.auth.uid == driverId;
    }
  }
}

Firestore Collections

Trackmart uses Firestore for structured data:

users: User profiles and metadata
buyers: Buyer-specific information
drivers: Driver profiles and availability
messages: Chat messages between users and drivers

Step 7: Configure Cloud Storage

Enable Cloud Storage

In the Firebase Console, go to Storage > Get Started.

Set security rules

Configure security rules for profile images:

rules_version = '2';
service firebase.storage {
  match /b/{bucket}/o {
    match /profile_images/{userId}/{fileName} {
      allow read: if request.auth != null;
      allow write: if request.auth != null && request.auth.uid == userId;
    }
  }
}

Step 8: Enable Persistence

Trackmart enables offline persistence for better performance:

// Enable Realtime Database persistence
FirebaseDatabase database = FirebaseDatabase.instance;
database.setPersistenceEnabled(true);
database.setPersistenceCacheSizeBytes(10000000); // 10MB cache

// Enable Firestore persistence
await Firestore.instance.settings(persistenceEnabled: true);

Persistence allows the app to work offline and sync data when connectivity is restored.

Verification

To verify your Firebase setup:

Run the app

flutter run

Test authentication

Try creating a new account with phone or email authentication.

Check Firebase Console

Verify users appear in Authentication > Users
Check data is written to Realtime Database and Firestore
Confirm profile images upload to Storage

Troubleshooting

MultidexEnabled Error

If you see dex-related errors, ensure multiDexEnabled true is set in android/app/build.gradle:

android {
  defaultConfig {
    multiDexEnabled true
  }
}

Phone Authentication Not Working

Verify SHA-1 fingerprint is added in Firebase Console (Android)
Check that phone authentication is enabled in Firebase Console
For iOS, ensure reverse client ID is added to Info.plist

Permission Denied Errors

Review your Realtime Database and Firestore security rules. For development, you can temporarily use:

{
  "rules": {
    ".read": "auth != null",
    ".write": "auth != null"
  }
}

Get Started

Core Features

User Guides

Configuration

Overview

Firebase Services Used

Firebase Authentication

Realtime Database

Cloud Firestore

Cloud Storage

Dependencies

Step 1: Create Firebase Project

Step 2: Configure Android App

Step 3: Configure iOS App

Step 4: Enable Firebase Authentication

Authentication Implementation

Step 5: Configure Realtime Database

Database Structure

Step 6: Configure Cloud Firestore

Firestore Collections

Step 7: Configure Cloud Storage

Step 8: Enable Persistence

Verification

Troubleshooting

Next Steps

Mapbox Integration

Push Notifications

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Core Features

User Guides

Configuration

​Overview

​Firebase Services Used

Firebase Authentication

Realtime Database

Cloud Firestore

Cloud Storage

​Dependencies

​Step 1: Create Firebase Project

​Step 2: Configure Android App

​Step 3: Configure iOS App

​Step 4: Enable Firebase Authentication

​Authentication Implementation

​Step 5: Configure Realtime Database

​Database Structure

​Step 6: Configure Cloud Firestore

​Firestore Collections

​Step 7: Configure Cloud Storage

​Step 8: Enable Persistence

​Verification

​Troubleshooting

​Next Steps

Mapbox Integration

Push Notifications

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Firebase Services Used

Dependencies

Step 1: Create Firebase Project

Step 2: Configure Android App

Step 3: Configure iOS App

Step 4: Enable Firebase Authentication

Authentication Implementation

Step 5: Configure Realtime Database

Database Structure

Step 6: Configure Cloud Firestore

Firestore Collections

Step 7: Configure Cloud Storage

Step 8: Enable Persistence

Verification

Troubleshooting

Next Steps