Choosing between Native mode and Datastore mode

When you create a Firestore database, you must choose between two modes: Native mode or Datastore mode. This page explains the difference between the two modes.

Choose a database mode

When you create a new Firestore database, you must select a database mode. You can have both Native mode and Datastore mode databases in the same project, but each database will be of a single type.

We recommend the following when choosing a database mode:

• Use Firestore in Native mode for all new applications (server, mobile, and web).

  Firestore in Native mode uses a document-based data model that aligns with industry standards. In addition to a strongly consistent and scalable database, Firestore in Native mode provides real-time data syncing and backend-as-as-service features.

• Use Firestore in Datastore mode if your app depends on the Datastore API.

  Datastore Mode is fully supported and is recommended for applications with a dependency on the Datastore API. Native mode and Datastore mode share an underlying storage layer with the same availability, consistency, and scaling capabilities.

Firestore in Native mode

Firestore is the next major version of Datastore and a re-branding of the product. Taking the best of Datastore and the Firebase Realtime Database , Firestore is a NoSQL document database built for automatic scaling, high performance, and ease of application development.

Firestore introduces the following features:

• A strongly consistent storage layer
• A collection and document data model
• Real-time updates
• Mobile and Web client libraries

Firestore is backwards compatible with Datastore, but the new data model, real-time updates, and mobile and web client library features are not. To access all Firestore features, you must use Firestore in Native mode.

Firestore in Datastore mode

Firestore in Datastore mode uses Datastore system behavior but accesses Firestore's storage layer, removing the following Datastore limitations:

• All Datastore queries are now strongly consistent, unless you explicitly request eventual consistency .
• Queries in transactions are no longer required to be ancestor queries.
• Transactions are no longer limited to 25 entity groups.
• Writes to an entity group are no longer limited to 1 per second.

Datastore mode disables Firestore features that are not compatible with Datastore:

• The project will accept Datastore API requests and deny Firestore API requests.
• The project will use Datastore indexes instead of Firestore indexes.
• You can use Datastore client libraries with this project but not Firestore client libraries.
• Firestore real-time capabilities will not be available.
• In the Google Cloud console, the database will use the Datastore viewer.

Pricing and locations

Native mode and Datastore mode databases use the same pricing structure and are available in the same locations. Pricing and locations are described in detail in the following pages:

Firestore in Native mode

• Firestore pricing
• Firestore locations

Firestore in Datastore mode

• Firestore in Datastore mode pricing
• Firestore in Datastore mode locations

Feature comparison

The following table compares the system behavior of the database modes:

Create a new database

You can create a new Firestore database in either Native mode or Datastore mode. This choice does not depend on the modes of any existing databases in your project.

Change between Native mode and Datastore mode

If your database is empty, you can change between Native mode and Datastore mode.

Change database to Native mode:

 gcloud  
firestore  
databases  
update  
--type = 
firestore-native  
--database = 
 ' DATABASE_ID 
' 
 

 curl  
--request  
PATCH  
 \ 
--header  
 "Authorization: Bearer " 
 $( 
gcloud  
auth  
print-access-token ) 
  
 \ 
--header  
 'Accept: application/json' 
  
 \ 
--header  
 'Content-Type: application/json' 
  
 \ 
--data  
 '{"type":"FIRESTORE_NATIVE"}' 
  
 \ 
 "https://firestore.googleapis.com/v1/projects/ PROJECT_ID 
/databases/ DATABASE_ID 
?updateMask=type" 
 

Change database to Datastore mode:

   
gcloud  
firestore  
databases  
update  
--type = 
datastore-mode  
--database = 
 ' DATABASE_ID 
' 
 

 curl  
--request  
PATCH  
 \ 
--header  
 "Authorization: Bearer " 
 $( 
gcloud  
auth  
print-access-token ) 
  
 \ 
--header  
 'Accept: application/json' 
  
 \ 
--header  
 'Content-Type: application/json' 
  
 \ 
--data  
 '{"type":"DATASTORE_MODE"}' 
  
 \ 
 "https://firestore.googleapis.com/v1/projects/ PROJECT_ID 
/databases/ DATABASE_ID 
?updateMask=type"