Documentation

Everything you need to know about using AppoBase to manage your Firestore databases.

Getting Started

Installation

AppoBase is available as a desktop application for macOS and Windows.

  1. Download the installer for your platform
  2. Run the installer and follow the setup wizard
  3. Launch AppoBase from your applications folder

Prerequisites

  • Firebase Project: You need a Firebase project with Firestore enabled
  • Service Account: Create a service account JSON key file from Firebase Console
  • Permissions: Ensure your service account has appropriate Firestore permissions

Creating a Service Account

  1. Go to Firebase Console → Project Settings → Service Accounts
  2. Click "Generate New Private Key"
  3. Save the JSON file securely on your device
  4. Keep this file private - it provides full access to your Firebase project

Features

Multi-Tab & Multi-Database

Open multiple projects and databases simultaneously in isolated tabs with drag-and-drop reordering. Supports named Firestore databases per project - select which database to connect to when opening a tab.

Multi-Project Support

Manage multiple Firestore projects from a single application. Open the same project with different named databases in separate tabs. Persistent tab state across app restarts.

Advanced Query Builder

Build queries with Simple mode (visual filters, field suggestions) or JavaScript mode (Monaco Editor with autocomplete, syntax highlighting). Execution logs track detailed statistics.

Multiple View Modes

View data in Tree, Table, List, or JSON format. Advanced JSON viewer with search navigation, copy buttons, Monaco-style line numbers, and auto-expand search results.

GeoPoint & DocumentReference Support

Native handling of Firestore GeoPoints (latitude/longitude) and DocumentReferences (path linking). Proper round-trip conversion ensures no data loss during edits.

Cloud Storage Management

Browse Cloud Storage with 4 view modes (Folder, Tree, Grid, Table). Upload, download, copy, move files, generate signed URLs, and preview images with metadata inspection.

Authentication Management

Manage Firebase Auth users with pagination (500 per page), search by email/UID/name/phone, sorting by creation date or last sign-in, and custom claims management.

Background Task Management

Long-running operations like import/export and collection rename run in the background with real-time progress tracking so you can continue working.

Collection & Document Operations

Create, rename, and delete collections and documents. Rename operations include automatic sub-collection copying. Data change detection alerts you to unsaved edits.

UI Customization & Themes

Personalize your workspace with customizable layouts, preset and custom color themes for light and dark modes, and automatic cross-device settings sync.

Settings Sync

All preferences, column widths, query history, and UI settings automatically sync across devices in real-time. Privacy control lets you disable cloud sync anytime.

Security Architecture

Secure multi-process design with credentials isolated in the main process. CSP, context isolation, and node integration disabled ensure your data stays safe locally.

Connecting Projects

Adding Your First Project

  1. Click the "Add Project" button in the project selector
  2. Enter an optional project name (for easy identification)
  3. Select your Firebase service account JSON file
  4. AppoBase will validate the connection and add the project
  5. Select the project to open it in a new tab

Security Best Practices

  • •Store service account files in a secure location
  • •Use service accounts with minimal required permissions
  • •Never commit service account files to version control
  • •Rotate service account keys regularly

Local Storage

AppoBase stores only the file path to your service account JSON file locally. The actual credentials never leave your device and are never transmitted to external servers.

All data processing happens locally on your machine, ensuring maximum security and privacy.

Querying Data

Simple Query Mode

Build queries using a visual interface with filters, operators, and conditions. Here's what the Query Builder looks like:

Query Builder
Where (Filters)1
string
Order By (Optional)
Limit (Optional)

JavaScript Query Mode

Write custom JavaScript functions for complex filtering logic, powered by Monaco Editor:

  • Full Monaco Editor with JavaScript syntax highlighting
  • Autocomplete for doc, id, and document field names
  • Comment/uncomment shortcuts (Ctrl+/ or Cmd+/)
  • Client-side filtering after loading documents (up to 1000)
Example:
return doc.age > 25 && doc.status === "active";

Query History & Execution Logs

All queries are automatically saved to history with detailed execution logs. You can:

  • View your query history for each collection
  • Replay previous queries with one click
  • Search and filter through your query history
  • Delete queries you no longer need
  • Execution Logs: Track query execution with timestamps, log types (info, success, error, warning), and expandable details
  • Statistics: View total documents scanned, filtered count, and execution time for each query
  • Cloud sync: Query history automatically syncs across all your devices when logged in (can be disabled in settings)

Supported Operators

==!=<<=>>=array-containsarray-contains-anyinnot-in

UI Customization & Layout

Personalize Your Workspace

AppoBase lets you customize the interface to match your workflow. Hide features you don't use, show only what matters to you, and create your perfect workspace.

UI Layout Manager

Access the UI Layout Manager from Settings to customize every aspect of your interface:

Database Section

  • Toggle view modes (Tree, Table, List, JSON)
  • Show/hide actions (Create, Delete, Export, Import, Query Builder)
  • Control UI elements (Search Bar, Column Manager, Pagination)

Document Detail Panel

  • Choose toolbar style: Hybrid (default), Compact, or Classic
  • Visual previews help you choose the right style
  • Responsive overflow adapts to panel width automatically

Auth & Storage Sections

  • Customize available actions for each section
  • Toggle UI elements visibility
  • Hide entire sections you don't use

Resizable & Reorderable Table Columns

When working in Table view, you can resize and reorder columns to fit your data perfectly:

  • Hover over column borders to see the resize handle
  • Click and drag to adjust column width
  • Drag column headers to reorder columns
  • Column widths and order are saved per collection automatically
  • Persists across tab switches and app restarts
  • Minimum width: 80px, Maximum width: 1200px

Table View with Column Reordering

Drag the grip handle on any column header to reorder columns. The table auto-animates the transition:

id
name
email
age
status
createdAt
abc123John Doejohn@example.com28trueFeb 9, 2026
def456Jane Smithjane@example.com34trueFeb 8, 2026
ghi789Bob Wilsonbob@example.com42falseFeb 7, 2026
jkl012Alice Chenalice@example.com26trueFeb 6, 2026
4 documentsDrag columns to reorder

Settings Sync Across Devices

Your preferences automatically sync across all your devices when you're logged in:

  • UI layout preferences sync in real-time
  • Column widths and view settings preserved
  • Query history syncs across devices
  • Theme preferences sync automatically
  • Works offline with automatic sync when online
  • Privacy control: Cloud sync can be disabled anytime from app settings

Benefits of Customization

Reduced Overwhelm: Hide features you don't use for a cleaner interface
Faster Workflow: Access only the tools you need quickly
Better for Small Screens: Optimize layout for laptops and smaller displays
Easy Reset: Restore default settings anytime with one click

Theme Customization

Make It Yours

AppoBase features a comprehensive theme customization system. Choose from beautiful preset color palettes or create your own custom themes for both light and dark modes.

Preset Color Palettes

Choose from carefully crafted preset themes designed for different preferences:

Light Mode Palettes

  • Default Blue - Clean and professional
  • Emerald - Fresh green accent
  • Violet - Elegant purple theme
  • Rose - Warm pink accent
  • Amber - Orange warmth
  • Teal - Cool cyan-green
  • Slate - Neutral gray

Dark Mode Palettes

  • Midnight - Deep navy (default)
  • Dracula - Popular developer theme
  • Nord - Arctic-inspired colors
  • Emerald Dark - Green accent
  • Violet Dark - Purple accent
  • Rose Dark - Pink accent
  • Amber Dark - Orange accent

Create Custom Themes

Not happy with presets? Create your own custom color palette:

  • Start from any preset as a base
  • Customize primary, background, accent, and more
  • Real-time preview as you adjust colors
  • Save your custom palette with a name
  • Independent themes for light and dark modes

Customizable Color Variables

Fine-tune every aspect of the interface:

PrimaryBackgroundForegroundAccentMutedCardBorderDestructiveFocus Ring

How to Access

  1. Open Settings from your profile menu
  2. Look for the "Theme Customization" card
  3. Click "Customize Theme" to open the editor
  4. Select a palette or click "Customize" to create your own
  5. Your theme syncs across all devices automatically

Document Detail Panel

View & Edit Documents

The Document Detail Panel opens when you select a document. It provides powerful tools to view, edit, search, and manage individual documents with a customizable toolbar.

Toolbar Styles

Choose from three toolbar styles to match your workflow. Change your preference in Settings → Customize UI → Document Detail.

Hybrid Default

Single row with all action icons visible. Icons automatically collapse into overflow menu as panel shrinks.

[Table][JSON] ― [Edit] [Copy] [Export] [Search] [Delete]

Compact

Space-efficient with secondary actions in overflow menu. Search collapses when panel is very narrow.

[Table][JSON] ― [Edit] [Search] [⋮ Menu]

Classic

Multi-row layout with full-width view toggle and separate actions row.

Row 1: [Table View] [JSON View]Row 2: [Edit] [Copy] [Export] [Search] [Delete]

View Modes

Switch between two view modes for document content:

Tree View

Displays fields in a hierarchical tree with color-coded type badges. Expand nested objects and arrays, view timestamps, GeoPoints, and DocumentReferences inline. Supports data change detection and inline editing.

JSON View

Advanced JSON viewer with syntax highlighting, Monaco-style line numbers, search navigation with auto-expand, copy buttons for values, and collapsible sections. Properly displays Timestamps, GeoPoints, and DocumentReferences.

Tree View Example

Here's how a document looks in Tree View with expandable nested fields and type indicators:

usersabc123
namestring"John Doe"
emailstring"john@example.com"
agenumber28
isActivebooleantrue
createdAttimestampFeb 9, 2026, 10:30 AM
addressObject(3)
citystring"San Francisco"
statestring"CA"
zipstring"94105"
tagsArray(2)

Special Data Types

AppoBase natively handles all special Firestore data types:

  • Timestamps: Displayed as readable dates, properly converted during edits
  • GeoPoints: Shown with latitude/longitude, editable with proper round-trip conversion
  • DocumentReferences: Display full path with linking, maintain references during saves
  • Data Change Detection: Visual indicator when document has unsaved changes

Responsive Overflow

The toolbar automatically adapts to panel width:

  • Wide panel: All icons visible
  • As panel shrinks: Icons progressively move to overflow menu
  • Overflow order: Delete → Export → Copy → Search
  • Smooth animations during resize
  • Works in both Hybrid and Compact modes

Search in Documents

Quickly find content within your document:

  • Click the search icon or press Ctrl+F / Cmd+F
  • Search bar slides in smoothly
  • Real-time highlighting of matches
  • Navigate between matches with arrow buttons
  • Shows match count (e.g., "3/10")
  • Press Escape to close search

Available Actions

Edit: Modify document fields with inline editing
Copy: Copy document data to clipboard
Export: Download document as JSON file
Delete: Remove document from collection

Expanded View

Focus on What Matters

Expand the Document Detail Panel to full width for a distraction-free view of complex documents. Perfect for large JSON objects, documents with many fields, or when you need maximum readability.

How It Works

Toggle between the default 3-panel layout and the expanded full-width detail panel. Try it below:

Click the button in the detail panel to toggle
AppoBase — My Firebase Project
Collections
users
orders
products
settings
users· 1,240
id
name
email
age
status
abc123
John Doe
john@example.com
28
active
def456
Jane Smith
jane@example.com
34
active
ghi789
Bob Wilson
bob@example.com
42
inactive
jkl012
Alice Chen
alice@example.com
26
active
abc123
users / abc123
name"John Doe"
email"john@example.com"
age28
isActivetrue
createdAtFeb 9, 2026
Default View — 3-panel layout

Using Expanded View

To Expand:

  1. Open any document (detail panel appears on the right)
  2. Click the Maximize icon (↗) in the detail panel header
  3. Collections sidebar and documents area smoothly collapse
  4. Detail panel expands to full width

To Collapse:

  1. Click the Minimize icon (↙) in the expanded panel header
  2. Panel returns to side view with smooth animation
  3. Collections and documents reappear

Benefits

More Space: Full width for complex documents
Better Readability: Large JSON objects easier to read
Focus Mode: No distractions from other panels
State Persists: Remembers your preference per tab

Managing Authentication

User Management

AppoBase provides a complete interface for managing Firebase Authentication users:

  • View all users with pagination support (500 users per page)
  • Search users by email, UID, name, or phone number
  • Sort users by creation date or last sign-in
  • Create new users with email, password, and display name
  • Update user properties (email, display name, phone, etc.)
  • Enable or disable user accounts
  • Delete users with confirmation

Custom Claims

Manage custom claims for role-based access control:

  • Set custom claims on user accounts
  • View existing custom claims in JSON format
  • Sync custom claims from Firestore documents
  • Update or remove custom claims

Cloud Storage

Storage Management

Browse and manage your Firebase Cloud Storage buckets with 4 view modes:

  • View all storage buckets
  • 4 View Modes: Folder, Tree, Grid, and Table views
  • Browse files and folders with dynamic sub-directory loading
  • Upload, download, copy, and move files
  • Delete files and folders
  • View detailed file metadata (size, content type, dates, MD5 hash)
  • Signed URLs: Generate temporary access URLs with configurable expiration
  • Image Preview: Preview images directly in the app with dimensions
  • Copy URL for quick access in tree and table views

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