Recovery
How to bring services back online, following the Auto Stop Services shutdown.
Last updated
How to bring services back online, following the Auto Stop Services shutdown.
Last updated
Once the extension is up-and-running, the general hope is that you will not have to use it (i.e. you will stay within your budget). However, in the event that it does happen, you will eventually need to restore services - we can call this "recovery".
The way to recover will depend on your strategy.
As outlined in previous pages, this strategy will simply disconnect the Billing Account from your project. However, we need to also consider if the extension will re-trigger if we haven't implemented a fix and a new budget.
To recover, follow the steps below.
Step 1: Identify how the project cost exceeds your budget
This is project dependent, but can fall into three categories:
Case 1: Organic uptake in services, meaning you have general growth in activities like more users.
Case 2: Technical error leading to higher than usual uptake in services, this can be a bug in your code (like recursively calling functions).
Case 3: Abuse leading to inorganic uptake in services, which can be a bug in your code (like not authenticating in functions), architectural gaps, missing functionality, misconfiguration, or something else.
The best case scenario is organic uptake as it is generally positive growth. The standard case would be technical error and is within our control and capability. The worst case is abuse which can be much harder to track down, but you can largely mitigate the risk by enforcing Firebase Security Rules and enabling App Check - I suggest reading the to cover this topic.
Once you have identified the root cause, move on to the next step.
Step 2: Resolve the root cause issue
Once you have identified why the project cost exceeds your budget, you must fix this issue. Unfortunately we cannot provide guidance into how to fix your specific issue.
Case 1 scenarios are usually non-problematic, however you may consider optimisation of your codebase. Otherwise, there is no inherent issue and you can move on from this step.
Case 2 scenarios should identify the bug and deploy a fix into your target environment. If you need to reconnect billing to validate the fix, move on to the next step.
Case 3 scenarios should consult the . When you meet the checklist requirements, or you are comfortable with the risk mitigations, move on to the next step.
Step 3: Update your budget to a comfortable amount
If we restore services while the project cost still exceeds the budget, the extension will simply re-trigger and will stop services again. Therefore, you must update the budget to be a figure you are comfortable with.
For instance, if a project budget is $100 and the project cost is $100, we must update the budget to be >$100. This is your decision and is highly dependent on which case triggered the cost blowout. In general, we recommend an incremental approach to ensure that bill shock is kept to a minimum.
We recommend that you increase you budget by 5-10%, as a starter and gradually increase. For subsequent billing months you should reconsider the budget.
Step 4: Reconnect the Billing Account
From the Firebase Console, there are a couple ways to reconnect. One approach is under Usage and Billing > Details and Settings > Modify Plan. Here you will be prompted to select your Billing Account and link it.
Warning: Once the Billing Account is reconnected, services will resume. If the underlying problem isn't resolved, then the cost blowout will continue, leading to greater loss.
Step 5: Continuous monitoring and budget updates
Your Firebase services are now restored! It's good practice to continue monitoring your project in case the underlying issue isn't resolved.
At the end of your billing month, be sure to restore your budget to the original amount!
Navigate to > Select your Billing Account > Select Budgets and Alerts on the navigation pane > Select your Budget > update Target Amount > Save.
