MongoDB Firebase Cloud Functions Training – Initialize Firebase App & Get Token: Auth Power Unlocked

Welcome to Part 10 of the MongoDB Firebase Cloud Functions Training series! In this essential session, you’ll learn how to initialize the Firebase app in your frontend project and securely retrieve the Firebase Authentication token (ID token)—a critical step for validating users before calling Cloud Functions.

You’ll also explore how to pass this token from the client to your serverless backend so that your MongoDB-powered logic runs securely and with proper user context.

✅ What You’ll Learn in This Video:

✔️ Installing Firebase SDK and initializing the Firebase App in React
✔️ Setting up Firebase Authentication and listening for auth state changes
✔️ Getting the current user’s ID token using getIdToken()
✔️ Sending the token to Firebase Cloud Functions for verification
✔️ Securing your backend routes using token headers (preview)

💡 Why This Step Matters:

🔹 Enables secure user-specific operations in your serverless backend
🔹 Forms the authentication bridge between client and Cloud Functions
🔹 Ensures only authorized users can write/read sensitive MongoDB data