Realtime chat iOS demo (2) - Firebase Remote Config

In the previous chapter, I demonstrated how Firebase Realtime Database can help to implement realtime chat functionality. Now imaging I am the host of the Tarot Room, I want to shut down the room at some point in time and deliver a message to inform guests of the reason and shut down period.

Considering a normal way to achieve the above goal, I definitely need backend API and deploy backend changes when I decide to open/close the room again. Firebase Remote Config will make it much easier.

TarotChatRoom at Github

Main steps to integrate Firebase Remote Config into the demo

• Install Firebase/Core and Firebase/RemoteConfig
• Add parameters through Remote Config panel in Firebase console
• 
• Click Publish Changes
• Create RemoteConfigService

• Call fetchRemoteValues in Login page and show the message when isShutdown is true
• Try change parameters in Firebase console, the app should behave differently as expected if everything is correct.

There is a famous discussion around remote config loading strategies which covers the cache period and refresh mechanism.  https://firebase.googleblog.com/2017/01/firebase-remote-config-loading.html

In my demo, I do need fetch the remote value every time guest visits the Login page, so I adopted strategy 2 with the implementation of loading view.



All chapters:
Realtime chat iOS demo (1) - Firebase Realtime Database
Realtime chat iOS demo (2) - Firebase Remote Config
Realtime chat iOS demo (3) - Firebase Cloud Storage
Realtime chat iOS demo (4) - Firebase Cloud Function
Realtime chat iOS demo (5) - Firebase Cloud Messaging
Source code:
TarotChatRoom in Github