Firebase Admin SDK causing build error in React

Question

I added Firebase Admin SDK to a react project (I used create-react-app if that makes a difference). I'm just testing it out so I just initialize Firebase in index.js

import React from 'react';
import ReactDOM from 'react-dom';
import App from './App';
import './index.css';

var admin = require("firebase-admin");

var serviceAccount = require("./serviceAccountKey.json");

admin.initializeApp({
  credential: admin.credential.cert(serviceAccount),
  databaseURL: "https://<APP-NAME>.firebaseio.com/"
});

ReactDOM.render(
  <App />,
  document.getElementById('root')
);

Everything else in the project is essentially untouched. I go to run npm run build so I can deploy the project to Firebase hosting and get the following failed to compile error

Module not found: Error: Cannot resolve module 'request' in /home/ubuntu/workspace/shelf/node_modules/firebase-admin/lib/database

Any ideas what is the issue here or what I should do to solve it? Thanks!

The Firebase Admin SDK is meant for server-side applications, not client-side applications. You should use the standard Firebase client SDK (firebase not firebase-admin) in your React app. — jwngr
@jacobawenger I have a server.js file that handles a POST request at a given url. Wouldn't I need the admin sdk for that? — maxwellgover
The code sample you provided is client-side code, right? It uses "react-dom" after all. Is there a reason why you cannot use the client-side Firebase library and need to use the Admin SDK? — jwngr
To authenticate sever with firebase so I can store data in the database. — maxwellgover

nodediggity nodediggity · Accepted Answer · 2018-09-20T08:11:40

The Firebase Admin SDK is intended to be un on NodeJS, hence why it is trying to require request.

Please use the Firebase Client package for your React App.

Firebase Admin SDK causing build error in React

1 Answers