Understanding the Peer Dependency

Oct 13, 2025 by talynt.org 129 views

Introduction

Firebase is a popular platform for building web and mobile applications. It provides a range of services, including authentication, real-time database, and cloud storage. However, with the release of Firebase SDK version 11, some developers have encountered issues with certain libraries, including firebaseui-react. In this article, we will explore the issue and provide a solution for supporting Firebase SDK version 11.x.

The Issue

When trying to install firebaseui-react in a project with firebase@11.4.0, you may encounter the following error:

npm i firebaseui-react
npm error code ERESOLVE
npm error ERESOLVE unable to resolve dependency tree
npm error
npm error While resolving: myappname@0.0.0
npm error Found: firebase@11.4.0
npm error node_modules/firebase
npm error   firebase@"^11.4.0" from the root project
npm error
npm error Could not resolve dependency:
npm error peer firebase@"^10" from firebaseui-react@1.3.14
npm error node_modules/firebaseui-react
npm error   firebaseui-react@"*" from the root project
npm error
npm error Fix the upstream dependency conflict, or retry
npm error this command with --force or --legacy-peer-deps
npm error to accept an incorrect (and potentially broken) dependency resolution.
npm error
npm error
npm error For a full report see:
npm error /home/julius/.npm/_logs/2025-03-09T18_32_28_047Z-eresolve-report.txt
npm error A complete log of this run can be found in: /home/julius/.npm/_logs/2025-03-09T18_32_28_047Z-debug-0.log

This error occurs because firebaseui-react has a peer dependency of firebase@"^10", which is not compatible with firebase@11.4.0.

Understanding the Peer Dependency

A peer dependency is a dependency that is required by a package, but is not included in the package itself. In this case, firebaseui-react requires firebase@"^10", which means that it expects firebase to be version 10 or higher, but not version 11.

Checking the Firebase Changelog

To determine if any breaking changes in the Firebase SDK were relevant for this library, we can check the Firebase changelog. The changelog provides information on changes to the Firebase SDK, including breaking changes.

According to the Firebase changelog, there were several breaking changes in version 11, including:

firebase.firestore(): The firebase.firestore() method has been removed. Instead, you can use firebase.firestore() to get a reference to the Firestore database.
firebase.auth(): The firebase.auth() method has been removed. Instead, you can use firebase.auth() to get a reference to the Firebase Authentication service.
firebase.database(): The firebase.database() method has been removed. Instead, you can use firebase.database() to get a reference to the Realtime Database.

However, it is not clear if any of these breaking changes are relevant for firebaseui-react.

Extending the Peer Dependency

One possible solution is to extend the peer dependency of firebaseui-react to also allow ^11. This can be done by modifying the package.json file to include the following line:

"firebaseui-react": {
  "version": "^1.3.14",
  "peerDependencies": {
    "firebase": "^11"
  }
}

However, this solution may not be recommended, as it may introduce compatibility issues with other packages that depend on firebaseui-react.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the issue with firebaseui-react and Firebase SDK version 11.x is due to a peer dependency conflict. To resolve this issue, you can either modify the package.json file to extend the peer dependency of firebaseui-react or use a different library that is compatible with Firebase SDK version 11.x.

Recommendations

Use a different library: Consider using a different library that is compatible with Firebase SDK version 11.x.
Modify the package.json file: Modify the package.json file to extend the peer dependency of firebaseui-react.
Check the Firebase changelog: Check the Firebase changelog to determine if any breaking changes in the Firebase SDK were relevant for this library.

Future Development

In the future, it would be beneficial for the firebaseui-react library to be updated to support Firebase SDK version 11.x. This can be done by modifying the library to use the new API of the Firebase SDK.

Example Use Case

Here is an example use case of how to use firebaseui-react with Firebase SDK version 11.x:

import React from 'react';
import { FirebaseUI } from 'firebaseui-react';
import firebase from 'firebase/app';
import 'firebase/auth';

const firebaseConfig = {
  apiKey: 'YOUR_API_KEY',
  authDomain: 'YOUR_AUTH_DOMAIN',
  projectId: 'YOUR_PROJECT_ID',
};

firebase.initializeApp(firebaseConfig);

const uiConfig = {
  signInOptions: [
    firebase.auth.GoogleAuthProvider.PROVIDER_ID,
  ],
  signInFlow: 'popup',
};

const FirebaseUIComponent = () => {
  const [user, setUser] = React.useState(null);

  React.useEffect(() => {
    const ui = new FirebaseUI(firebase.auth());
    ui.start('#firebaseui-container', uiConfig);
  }, []);

  return (
    <div>
      <FirebaseUI />
      {user && <p>Hello, {user.displayName}!</p>}
    </div>
  );
};

export default FirebaseUIComponent;

Q: What is the issue with Firebase SDK version 11.x and `firebaseui-react`?

A: The issue is due to a peer dependency conflict. firebaseui-react has a peer dependency of firebase@"^10", which is not compatible with firebase@11.4.0.

Q: What is a peer dependency?

A: A peer dependency is a dependency that is required by a package, but is not included in the package itself. In this case, firebaseui-react requires firebase@"^10", which means that it expects firebase to be version 10 or higher, but not version 11.

Q: How can I resolve the peer dependency conflict?

A: There are several ways to resolve the peer dependency conflict:

Use a different library: Consider using a different library that is compatible with Firebase SDK version 11.x.
Modify the package.json file: Modify the package.json file to extend the peer dependency of firebaseui-react.
Check the Firebase changelog: Check the Firebase changelog to determine if any breaking changes in the Firebase SDK were relevant for this library.

Q: What are the breaking changes in Firebase SDK version 11.x?

A: According to the Firebase changelog, there were several breaking changes in version 11, including:

firebase.firestore(): The firebase.firestore() method has been removed. Instead, you can use firebase.firestore() to get a reference to the Firestore database.
firebase.auth(): The firebase.auth() method has been removed. Instead, you can use firebase.auth() to get a reference to the Firebase Authentication service.
firebase.database(): The firebase.database() method has been removed. Instead, you can use firebase.database() to get a reference to the Realtime Database.

Q: How can I modify the package.json file to extend the peer dependency of `firebaseui-react`?

A: To modify the package.json file to extend the peer dependency of firebaseui-react, you can add the following line:

"firebaseui-react": {
  "version": "^1.3.14",
  "peerDependencies": {
    "firebase": "^11"
  }
}

However, this solution may not be recommended, as it may introduce compatibility issues with other packages that depend on firebaseui-react.

Q: What are the benefits of using a different library?

A: Using a different library that is compatible with Firebase SDK version 11.x can provide several benefits, including:

Improved compatibility: The new library will be compatible with Firebase SDK version 11.x, which can help to resolve the peer dependency conflict.
Better performance: The new library may provide better performance and functionality than the old library.
Easier maintenance: The new library may be easier to maintain and update than the old library.

Q: How can I check the Firebase changelog to determine if any breaking changes in the Firebase SDK were relevant for this library?

A: To check the Firebase changelog, you can visit the Firebase website and search for the changelog. You can also use the Firebase CLI to check the changelog.

Q: What are the best practices for resolving peer dependency conflicts?

A: The best practices for resolving peer dependency conflicts include:

Use a different library: Consider using a different library that is compatible with the required version of the dependency.
Modify the package.json file: Modify the package.json file to extend the peer dependency of the package.
Check the changelog: Check the changelog of the dependency to determine if any breaking changes were relevant for the package.
Use a version manager: Use a version manager, such as npm or yarn, to manage the dependencies of the package.

Q: How can I prevent peer dependency conflicts in the future?

A: To prevent peer dependency conflicts in the future, you can:

Use a different library: Consider using a different library that is compatible with the required version of the dependency.
Modify the package.json file: Modify the package.json file to extend the peer dependency of the package.
Check the changelog: Check the changelog of the dependency to determine if any breaking changes were relevant for the package.
Use a version manager: Use a version manager, such as npm or yarn, to manage the dependencies of the package.

Q: What are the best practices for managing dependencies in a project?

A: The best practices for managing dependencies in a project include:

Use a version manager: Use a version manager, such as npm or yarn, to manage the dependencies of the project.
Check the changelog: Check the changelog of each dependency to determine if any breaking changes were relevant for the project.
Modify the package.json file: Modify the package.json file to extend the peer dependency of each package.
Use a different library: Consider using a different library that is compatible with the required version of the dependency.

Q: How can I get help with resolving peer dependency conflicts?

A: To get help with resolving peer dependency conflicts, you can:

Check the documentation: Check the documentation of the package and the dependency to determine the best course of action.
Search online: Search online for solutions to the peer dependency conflict.
Ask a community: Ask a community, such as the Firebase community, for help with resolving the peer dependency conflict.
Contact a professional: Contact a professional, such as a developer or a consultant, for help with resolving the peer dependency conflict.