Firestore does not support JOIN operations, but it offers other ways to handle complex queries. One approach is denormalization, where you duplicate data across collections for easy access. This method increases read efficiency at the expense of write cost and storage.
Another strategy involves using collection groups to query documents across multiple subcollections with the same name. This allows querying on a specific field in all instances of that subcollection.
You can also use composite indexes which allow querying on multiple fields. Firestore automatically creates single-field indexes, but for complex queries involving multiple fields, you need to manually create these indexes.
For real-time updates, you can listen to a document with the ‘onSnapshot’ method. It provides an event whenever the document changes, allowing your app to respond in real time.
Remember, Firestore’s strength lies in its simplicity and scalability, so design your database schema keeping this in mind. Avoid overly complex relationships and aim for shallow and wide structures over deep and narrow ones.
