create-shopify-firebase-app 1.1.0 → 1.1.2

package/README.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # create-shopify-firebase-app
 
-> Create Shopify apps powered by Firebase. One command. Zero framework. Fully serverless.
+> Build and run Shopify apps for free. Pay nothing until you have real traffic. One command. Zero framework. Fully serverless.
 
 [![npm version](https://img.shields.io/npm/v/create-shopify-firebase-app.svg)](https://www.npmjs.com/package/create-shopify-firebase-app)
 [![Downloads](https://img.shields.io/npm/dm/create-shopify-firebase-app.svg)](https://www.npmjs.com/package/create-shopify-firebase-app)
@@ -38,11 +38,11 @@ One `npx` command scaffolds everything, installs dependencies, wires up Firebase
 
 ### Prerequisites
 
-| Tool | Install |
-|------|---------|
-| Node.js 18+ | [nodejs.org](https://nodejs.org/) |
-| Firebase CLI | `npm i -g firebase-tools` |
-| Shopify CLI *(optional)* | `npm i -g @shopify/cli` |
+| Tool | Install | Auto-installed? |
+|------|---------|----------------|
+| Node.js 18+ | [nodejs.org](https://nodejs.org/) | Required |
+| Firebase CLI | `npm i -g firebase-tools` | Yes, installed automatically if missing |
+| Shopify CLI | `npm i -g @shopify/cli` | Yes, installed automatically if missing |
 
 ### 1. Create your Shopify app
 
@@ -117,7 +117,11 @@ shopify app dev
 
 ---
 
-## Why Firebase instead of Remix?
+## Why Firebase?
+
+**$0/month to run your Shopify app. No credit card. No server. No bill until you're big.**
+
+Most Shopify app developers pay for hosting before they even have users. With Firebase, you deploy for free and only start paying when your app serves thousands of stores daily. Even at 50,000 installed stores, you're looking at ~$5/month. Try getting that from Vercel or Heroku.
 
 | | `shopify app init` (Remix) | `create-shopify-firebase-app` |
 |---|---|---|
@@ -128,7 +132,7 @@ shopify app dev
 | **Auth** | `@shopify/shopify-app-remix` | Manual OAuth (140 lines, you own it) |
 | **Build** | Webpack / Vite | `tsc` (TypeScript compiler, no bundler) |
 | **Deploy** | Varies | `firebase deploy` (one command) |
-| **Cost** | $5-25/month hosting | Free tier covers most apps |
+| **Cost** | $5-25/month from day one | **$0/month** — free until you scale |
 | **Framework knowledge** | Remix + React required | Express + HTML (that's it) |
 | **Scaling** | Single server | Per-function auto-scaling (Cloud Run) |
 | **GDPR webhooks** | Auto-handled | Included (ready for App Store) |
@@ -137,11 +141,11 @@ shopify app dev
 
 ### When to use this
 
+- You want to **launch for free** and only pay when your app takes off
 - Custom apps for a single merchant
 - Public apps with simple admin UIs
 - Teams already using Firebase / Google Cloud
 - You want to understand every line of your app
-- You want free/cheap serverless hosting
 
 ### When to use Remix instead
 
@@ -401,19 +405,45 @@ export { dailyCleanup } from "./cleanup";
 
 ---
 
-## Firebase Free Tier
+## How Many Stores Can You Run for Free?
+
+Firebase's free tier is generous. Here's what it actually means for a Shopify app:
+
+### Per-store usage (typical Shopify app)
+
+| Action | Function calls | Firestore reads | Firestore writes |
+|--------|---------------|-----------------|------------------|
+| Merchant opens admin dashboard | 5 | 5 | 0 |
+| Webhooks (orders, inventory) | 5 | 5 | 2 |
+| **Total per active store/day** | **~10** | **~10** | **~2** |
+
+### Free tier capacity
+
+| Firebase Resource | Free Limit | Stores Supported |
+|-------------------|-----------|-----------------|
+| Cloud Functions | 2M invocations/month (~66K/day) | **~6,600 daily active stores** |
+| Firestore reads | 50K/day | **~5,000 daily active stores** |
+| Firestore writes | 20K/day | **~10,000 daily active stores** |
+| Hosting bandwidth | 360 MB/day | **~7,000 page loads/day** (CDN-cached after first load) |
+
+**Bottleneck: Firestore reads at ~5,000 daily active stores.**
+
+Not every installed merchant opens your app daily. With a typical 20% daily active rate:
+
+> **Free tier supports ~25,000 installed stores** with normal usage patterns. That's $0/month.
+
+### When you outgrow free (Blaze pay-as-you-go)
 
-The Spark (free) plan covers most Shopify apps:
+| Installed Stores | Daily Active | Monthly Cost |
+|-----------------|-------------|-------------|
+| 1 - 25,000 | up to 5,000 | **$0 (free)** |
+| 50,000 | ~10,000 | **~$5/month** |
+| 100,000 | ~20,000 | **~$15/month** |
+| 500,000 | ~100,000 | **~$80/month** |
 
-| Resource | Free Limit |
-|----------|-----------|
-| Cloud Functions | 2M invocations/month |
-| Firestore reads | 50K/day |
-| Firestore writes | 20K/day |
-| Hosting storage | 10 GB |
-| Hosting transfer | 360 MB/day |
+Compare that to Vercel/Heroku at **$25-100/month from day one**, before you even have your first user.
 
-Need more? The Blaze plan (pay-as-you-go) costs most apps **under $5/month**.
+No credit card required to start. No server to manage. No bill until you're successful.
 
 ---
 

package/lib/index.js

@@ -352,8 +352,19 @@ export async function run(argv) {
     warn("Build failed — run manually: cd functions && npm run build");
   }
 
-  // ── Step 4: Firebase provisioning ───────────────────────────────────
+  // ── Step 4: Firebase CLI ─────────────────────────────────────────────
   step(4, totalSteps, "Setting up Firebase...");
+  if (!hasCommand("firebase")) {
+    info("Firebase CLI not found — installing globally...");
+    try {
+      await exec("npm install -g firebase-tools");
+      ok("Firebase CLI installed");
+    } catch (e) {
+      warn("Could not install Firebase CLI automatically");
+      info("Install manually: npm i -g firebase-tools");
+      info(`Then run: cd ${config.projectName} && firebase use ${config.projectId}`);
+    }
+  }
   if (hasCommand("firebase")) {
     const isCI = args["api-key"] && args["api-secret"] && args["project-id"];
     await provisionFirebase(config, {
@@ -362,19 +373,22 @@ export async function run(argv) {
       nonInteractive: isCI,
       cwd: outputDir,
     });
-  } else {
-    warn("Firebase CLI not found. Install: npm i -g firebase-tools");
-    info(`Then run: cd ${config.projectName} && firebase use ${config.projectId}`);
-    info("After installing, re-run with --skip-provision to skip provisioning");
   }
 
-  // ── Step 5: Shopify CLI check ─────────────────────────────────────
+  // ── Step 5: Shopify CLI ─────────────────────────────────────────────
   step(5, totalSteps, "Checking Shopify CLI...");
   if (hasCommand("shopify")) {
     ok("Shopify CLI detected — you can use `shopify app dev` for local development");
   } else {
-    warn("Shopify CLI not found. Install: npm i -g @shopify/cli");
-    info("Optional — you can also develop with Firebase emulators");
+    info("Shopify CLI not found — installing globally...");
+    try {
+      await exec("npm install -g @shopify/cli");
+      ok("Shopify CLI installed");
+    } catch (e) {
+      warn("Could not install Shopify CLI automatically");
+      info("Install manually: npm i -g @shopify/cli");
+      info("Optional — you can also develop with Firebase emulators");
+    }
   }
 
   // ── Step 6: Initialize git ────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -483,7 +497,8 @@ function printHelp() {
     ✔ Firestore for sessions and app data
     ✔ App Bridge embedded admin dashboard (vanilla HTML/JS)
     ✔ Theme App Extension for storefront UI
-    ✔ Firebase Hosting (free tier covers most apps)
+    ✔ Firebase Hosting ($0/month — free for up to 25K installed stores)
+    ✔ Auto-installs Firebase CLI + Shopify CLI if missing
     ✔ Auto-provisioning: Firestore, Web App, Hosting (interactive)
 `);
 }

package/package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "create-shopify-firebase-app",
-  "version": "1.1.0",
+  "version": "1.1.2",
   "description": "Create Shopify apps powered by Firebase — serverless, lightweight, zero-framework. The official alternative to Remix for Shopify + Firebase developers.",
   "keywords": [
     "shopify",