Firebase is a Google-backed database optimized for synchronizing data to the cloud. It's a key player in the rush for distributed databases.

Some 2,200 unsecured Firebase databases have caused more than 3,000 iOS and Android apps to leak user data, exposing over 100 million records including plaintext passwords, health information, GPS ...

In addition to Genkit, the Firebase team also today announced support for SQL databases, powered by Firebase Data Connect, a new service powered by Google’s Cloud SQL Postgres database.