"Error: Can't determine Firebase Database URL." after v1 Migration from Beta

[zgosalvez]

Version info

firebase-functions: 1.0.0

firebase-tools: firebase/firebase-tools.git#ll-fixfbconfig2 (3.18.1) See firebase/firebase-tools/issues/722

firebase-admin: 5.11.0

Test case

See steps to reproduce. Related to /issues/216.

Steps to reproduce

1. Create a sandbox Firebase project
2. firebase init functions (Choose TypeScript and TSLint during setup)
3. cd functions
4. Add "express": "^4.16.3", in package.json
5. rm -rf node_modules then npm install
6. Replace index.ts with

import * as admin from 'firebase-admin';

admin.initializeApp();

exports['debug'] = require(`${__dirname}/debug.js`);

7. Create debug.ts with

import * as express from 'express';
import * as admin from 'firebase-admin';
import * as functions from 'firebase-functions';

const app = express();

app.get('/', async (request, response) => {
    try {
        await admin.database().ref().once('value') as admin.database.DataSnapshot;
    } catch (error) {
        console.error(error);

        return response.status(500).send(error);
    }

    return response.status(200).send('OK');
});

export = functions.https.onRequest((request, response) => {
    // https://github.com/firebase/firebase-functions/issues/27#issuecomment-292768599

    if (!request.path) {
        request.url = `/${request.url}`;
    }

    return app(request, response);
});

8. npm run deploy
9. Access created function URL in a web browser, e.g. https://us-central1-project-id.cloudfunctions.net/debug

Were you able to successfully deploy your functions?

Yes.

Expected behavior

HTTP Response

Status Code: 200
Body: OK

Actual behavior

HTTP Response

Status Code: 500
Body: {"code":"database/invalid-argument","message":"Can't determine Firebase Database URL."}

Firebase Functions Logs

{ Error: Can't determine Firebase Database URL.
    at FirebaseDatabaseError.Error (native)
    at FirebaseDatabaseError.FirebaseError [as constructor] (/user_code/node_modules/firebase-admin/lib/utils/error.js:39:28)
    at new FirebaseDatabaseError (/user_code/node_modules/firebase-admin/lib/utils/error.js:190:23)
    at DatabaseService.ensureUrl (/user_code/node_modules/firebase-admin/lib/database/database.js:75:15)
    at DatabaseService.getDatabase (/user_code/node_modules/firebase-admin/lib/database/database.js:52:26)
    at FirebaseApp.database (/user_code/node_modules/firebase-admin/lib/firebase-app.js:235:24)
    at FirebaseNamespace.fn (/user_code/node_modules/firebase-admin/lib/firebase-namespace.js:283:45)
    at Object.<anonymous> (/user_code/lib/debug.js:16:21)
    at next (native)
    at /user_code/lib/debug.js:7:71
  errorInfo: 
   { code: 'database/invalid-argument',
     message: 'Can\'t determine Firebase Database URL.' } }

[ahaverty]

@laurenzlong Unfortunately I'm seeing this again with some of my functions, but not all.
I've tried "firebase-tools": "https://github.com/firebase/firebase-tools.git#ll-fixfbconfig2" and still getting the same as @zgosalvez in a functions.database function.
I'm going to go back to the try catch initializeApp() in each function workaround I mentioned in #216

[zgosalvez]

@ahaverty, with the above snippets. How would you implement the workaround?

[ahaverty]

Remove the admin.initializeApp(); from index.ts
And add this under your imports in debug.ts

try {
    admin.initializeApp();
} catch(error) {
    //TODO: ignoring until firebase-functions fix released
}

[ahaverty]

I've yet to hit issues with that, I'll update here if I do.
_If that doesn't fix it for you, it sounds like it's actually some weird timing/race issue and only working for me because of the time it takes to export all my functions. 🤔
Plan C if that doesn't work for you, is to add a tempFirebase to my firebase function configuration, which seems to be guaranteed to be gettable from index.ts (Let me know if it doesn't work for you, i'll join you in Plan C just to be safe 😄)

[zgosalvez]

@ahaverty, that didn't work either; Same erroneous behavior.

[ahaverty]

@zgosalvez Damn. Thoughts on using a temporary custom firebase config?

[zgosalvez]

I want to hold off a more complicated workaround until we get feedback from @laurenzlong (or anyone from the Firebase team). This may be a simple fix on their end and I'm going to sleep soon. Thank goodness it's still the weekday in SFO. I'll hang ten for now. Feel free to do Plan C in the meantime. 🤓

[ahaverty]

Deploying tonight (It's Friday in Ireland), I think I'll go with Plan C for now 🤓
I'll post up how it goes
Good night 👋 🌉

[ahaverty]

According to @inlined (https://twitter.com/inlined/status/982277528751489025) we need to import firebase-functions before calling initializeApp()
Which I believe explains why some functions were working and others weren't.

[ahaverty]

Ok, that didn't work either. console.log(process.env.FIREBASE_CONFIG) gives me undefined even after importing firebase-functions beforehand.
I also tried doing what firebase are doing, inside my functions:

import { AppOptions, initializeApp } from 'firebase-admin';

let firebaseConfig = JSON.stringify({
    databaseURL: `https://${process.env.GCLOUD_PROJECT}.firebaseio.com`,
    storageBucket: `${process.env.GCLOUD_PROJECT}.appspot.com`,
    projectId: process.env.GCLOUD_PROJECT,
});

initializeApp(firebaseConfig as AppOptions);

but I got this on deploy attempt:

Error: Error occurred while parsing your function triggers.

Error: Invalid Firebase app options passed as the first argument to initializeApp() for the app named "[DEFAULT]". Options must be a non-null object.
    at FirebaseAppError.Error (native)
    at FirebaseAppError.FirebaseError [as constructor] ...

[inlined]

TL;DR: Though it's a bit hacky, can you try requiring firebase-functions before calling admin.initializeApp()?

(background)
We are in the process of providing a server-side contract for Cloud Functions that lets you auto-initialize the Firebase Admin SDK, but that still hasn't completed unfortunately.

Until then, requiring firebase-functions will silently ensure the new model (the FIREBASE_CONFIG env var) on any environment deployed with the firebase CLI.

[ahaverty]

@inlined I've tried import * as functions from 'firebase-functions' but it's still giving me the above + console.log(process.env.FIREBASE_CONFIG) is undefined.
Or do you mean call it as a require like: require('firebase-functions')?

[ahaverty]

I just got the following working in my index.ts, although it looks like firebase-functions is favouring some internal firebase config call and if else'ing to this:

import { AppOptions, initializeApp } from 'firebase-admin';

initializeApp({
    databaseURL: `https://${process.env.GCLOUD_PROJECT}.firebaseio.com`,
    storageBucket: `${process.env.GCLOUD_PROJECT}.appspot.com`,
    projectId: process.env.GCLOUD_PROJECT,
});

Would you recommend sticking with this or going with the require('firebase-functions')? 🤔
Thanks for the help

[inlined]

Module loading in TypeScript has a few really subtle nuances to it; I think you've triggered lazy loading with the as statement. In TypeScript, you import a module for side effects with

import 'firebase-functions';

(a require statement would also work, though in some typescript configs you'll have to declare the existence of the require function first).

If the GCLOUD_PROJECT trick works for you, then that's fine as long as the code is not open source. There exist a small percentage of projects in the world where that code won't work. The databaseURL or storageBucket may not be the GCLOUD_PROJECT if the project is old enough.

[zgosalvez]

@inlined, I changed the index.ts snippet to this and it worked (even on my actual project)! 👏🏼

// https://github.com/firebase/firebase-functions/issues/220#issuecomment-379312738
// tslint:disable-next-line:no-import-side-effect
import 'firebase-functions';

import * as admin from 'firebase-admin';

admin.initializeApp();

exports['debug'] = require(`${__dirname}/debug.js`);

It kind of makes sense now since I removed import * as functions from 'firebase-functions; when I migrated to v1. I noticed I wasn't using functions in index.ts so I removed it. I'll retain it until your server-side contract is complete. Importing in TypeScript is such a nuisance; I still can't get my head around it.
For now, I'll monitor the health of my functions in the coming days. Thanks for the new health dashboard in the Firebase console, and of course thank you for the insight into this issue. 🎉