firebase-functions: Deployment error Can't determine Firebase Database URL.

Version info

"firebase-admin": "~6.0.0",
"firebase-functions": "^2.0.5",

> firebase --version                    
4.2.0

Steps to reproduce

in my package.json

{
  "name": "functions",
  "description": "Cloud Functions for Firebase",
  "scripts": {
    "lint": "./node_modules/.bin/eslint .",
    "serve": "firebase serve --only functions",
    "shell": "firebase experimental:functions:shell",
    "start": "npm run shell",
    "deploy": "firebase deploy --only functions",
    "logs": "firebase functions:log"
  },
  "dependencies": {
    "@google-cloud/storage": "^1.7.0",
    "@google-cloud/vision": "^0.5.0",
    "child-process-promise": "^2.2.0",
    "firebase-admin": "~6.0.0",
    "firebase-functions": "^2.0.5",
    "mkdirp": "^0.5.1",
    "mkdirp-promise": "^5.0.1"
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "eslint": "^5.4.0",
    "eslint-plugin-promise": "^4.0.0"
  },
  "engines": {
    "node": "8"
  },
  "private": true,
  "main": "src/index.js"
}

in my index.js

'use strict';
const admin = require('firebase-admin');
admin.initializeApp();

/**
 * Storage triggers
 */
const storageTriggers = require('./storageTriggers');
exports.blurOffensiveImages = storageTriggers.blurOffensiveImages;

/**
 * Database triggers
 */
const databaseTriggers = require('./databaseTriggers');
exports.sendPhotoCommentNotification = databaseTriggers.sendPhotoCommentNotification;

in my databaseTriggers.js

'use strict';

const functions = require('firebase-functions');
const admin = require('firebase-admin');
const db = admin.database();
...

in my storageTriggers.js which is basically https://github.com/firebase/functions-samples/tree/Node-8/moderate-images

'use strict';

const admin = require('firebase-admin');
const functions = require('firebase-functions');
const mkdirp = require('mkdirp-promise');
const vision = require('@google-cloud/vision')();
const spawn = require('child-process-promise').spawn;
const path = require('path');
const os = require('os');
const fs = require('fs');
...

Were you able to successfully deploy your functions?

Previously yes, but not sure what changed from the previous deploy.

Actual behavior

firebase deploy --only functions

=== Deploying to 'vape-tool'...

i  deploying functions
i  functions: ensuring necessary APIs are enabled...
✔  functions: all necessary APIs are enabled
i  functions: preparing functions directory for uploading...
i  functions: packaged functions (74.13 KB) for uploading
✔  functions: functions folder uploaded successfully
i  functions: updating Node.js 8 function blurOffensiveImages(us-central1)...
i  functions: updating Node.js 8 function sendPhotoCommentNotification(us-central1)...
⚠  functions[blurOffensiveImages(us-central1)]: Deployment error.
Function load error: Code in file src/index.js can't be loaded.
Is there a syntax error in your code?
Detailed stack trace: Error: Can't determine Firebase Database URL.
    at FirebaseDatabaseError.FirebaseError [as constructor] (/srv/node_modules/firebase-admin/lib/utils/error.js:39:28)
    at new FirebaseDatabaseError (/srv/node_modules/firebase-admin/lib/utils/error.js:190:23)
    at DatabaseService.ensureUrl (/srv/node_modules/firebase-admin/lib/database/database.js:75:15)
    at DatabaseService.getDatabase (/srv/node_modules/firebase-admin/lib/database/database.js:52:26)
    at FirebaseApp.database (/srv/node_modules/firebase-admin/lib/firebase-app.js:231:24)
    at FirebaseNamespace.fn (/srv/node_modules/firebase-admin/lib/firebase-namespace.js:280:45)
    at Object.<anonymous> (/srv/src/databaseTriggers.js:20:18)
    at Module._compile (module.js:652:30)
    at Object.Module._extensions..js (module.js:663:10)
    at Module.load (module.js:565:32)
⚠  functions[sendPhotoCommentNotification(us-central1)]: Deployment error.
Function load error: Code in file src/index.js can't be loaded.
Is there a syntax error in your code?
Detailed stack trace: Error: Can't determine Firebase Database URL.
    at FirebaseDatabaseError.FirebaseError [as constructor] (/srv/node_modules/firebase-admin/lib/utils/error.js:39:28)
    at new FirebaseDatabaseError (/srv/node_modules/firebase-admin/lib/utils/error.js:190:23)
    at DatabaseService.ensureUrl (/srv/node_modules/firebase-admin/lib/database/database.js:75:15)
    at DatabaseService.getDatabase (/srv/node_modules/firebase-admin/lib/database/database.js:52:26)
    at FirebaseApp.database (/srv/node_modules/firebase-admin/lib/firebase-app.js:231:24)
    at FirebaseNamespace.fn (/srv/node_modules/firebase-admin/lib/firebase-namespace.js:280:45)
    at Object.<anonymous> (/srv/src/databaseTriggers.js:20:18)
    at Module._compile (module.js:652:30)
    at Object.Module._extensions..js (module.js:663:10)
    at Module.load (module.js:565:32)


Functions deploy had errors. To continue deploying other features (such as database), run:
    firebase deploy --except functions

Error: Functions did not deploy properly.

About this issue

Original URL
State: closed
Created 6 years ago
Reactions: 1
Comments: 35 (10 by maintainers)

Most upvoted comments

I can confirm that simply requiring firebase-functions before initializeApp() fixes the issue.

LOADING TIME: {"projectId":"******","databaseURL":"https://******.firebaseio.com","storageBucket":"******.appspot.com","cloudResourceLocation":"us-central"}
DEFAULT APP OPTIONS: { projectId: '******',
  databaseURL: 'https://******.firebaseio.com',
  storageBucket: '******.appspot.com',
  cloudResourceLocation: 'us-central',
  credential: 
   ApplicationDefaultCredential {
     credential_: MetadataServiceCredential { httpClient: HttpClient {} } } }

Looks like in the prod environment it is the firebase-functions package that sets the environment variable. So if you initialize Admin SDK before requiring that, your code is going to break.

hiranya911 on Dec 12, 2018

@kevinajian Yes, it fixed the problem.

stanbar on Dec 18, 2018

I have fixed the issue by adding

process.env.FIREBASE_CONFIG = JSON.stringify({
    projectId: 'vape-tool',
    databaseURL: "https://vape-tool.firebaseio.com",
    storageBucket: "vape-tool.appspot.com"
});

at the top of index.ts

stanbar on Oct 30, 2018

If anyone stumbles across this and you get to the bottom, have tried everything and it’s still not working. It could be this.

My issue was that I had not created a Realtime Database. I was only using Firestore so didn’t bother creating a a realtime database. I could not get my functions to deploy with something as simple as this in my index.js

const admin = require('firebase-admin');
const app = admin.initializeApp();
const db = admin.firestore()

Once I created a Realtime Database https://console.firebase.google.com/u/0/[project-name]/database everything worked

pklitscher on Apr 18, 2021

Thanks! Will close this out. We will work on adding better documentation for this issue.

kevinajian on Dec 18, 2018

@stasbar @nikhilag If possible can you try the suggested fix of putting const functions = require('firebase-functions'); before calling admin.initializeApp();?

kevinajian on Dec 17, 2018

@stasbar I ran into this issue as well. I feel it would help to keep this issue open until it has been fixed in firebase library. Ideally we shouldn’t need to do anything apart from admin.initializeApp()

witbybit on Nov 14, 2018

Any update on this topic? I just decided to update my firebase functions project with some new features, and I can’t seem to serve it locally at all, getting same database exception

AAverin on Oct 17, 2018

✔  functions[blurOffensiveImages(us-central1)]: Successful update operation. 
✔  functions[sendPhotoCommentNotification(us-central1)]: Successful update operation. 

✔  Deploy complete!

stanbar on Sep 26, 2018

Thanks for the detailed diagnosis! I am quite puzzled by this. I know this is not a satisfying answer, but could you move const db = admin.database() into the sendPhotoCommentNotification function? Then maybe you will be able to deploy. (The trigger parsing process during deployment only executes global scope code, so code that is inside the function will not cause any issues)

laurenzlong on Sep 20, 2018