Java 8 has reached end of support
and will be
deprecated
on January 31, 2026. After deprecation, you won't be able to deploy Java 8
applications, even if your organization previously used an organization policy to
re-enable deployments of legacy runtimes. Your existing Java
8 applications will continue to run and receive traffic after their
deprecation date. We recommend that
you
migrate to the latest supported version of Java.
Using Cloud Firestore in Datastore Mode
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Firestore is a NoSQL document database built for automatic scaling,
high performance, and ease of application development. It is the newest version
of Datastore and introduces several improvements over
Datastore.
Because Firestore in Datastore mode
is optimized for server use cases and for
App Engine, we recommend using Firestore in
Datastore mode for databases that will be used primarily by
App Engine apps. Firestore in Native mode is most useful for
mobile and real-time notification use cases. For more information about
Firestore modes, see Choosing between Native Mode and
Datastore mode.
Using Datastore mode with App Engine
To use Datastore mode with App Engine:
If you haven't already done so,
create a database
and choose Firestore in Datastore mode.
You can use existing Datastore databases with App Engine
apps. These existing databases will be automatically upgraded to
Firestore in Datastore
mode.
In your app, declare Datastore as a dependency
by adding the library to your app's dependencies
file.
Use the Google Cloud Client Library to
read and write entities
and to query data.
Configuring indexes
Datastore mode uses
indexes
for every query your application makes. The indexes are updated whenever an
entity changes, so the results can be returned quickly when the app makes a
query.
Datastore mode automatically creates single-property indexes for use with
simple types of queries. For complex queries that include multiple properties,
you'll need to configure composite indexes in your app's index.yaml file.
The App Engine development server will update your index.yaml file
with the composite indexes needed to run your tests. Similarly, the
Datastore mode emulator can generate indexes
when you run tests.
You can also add the indexes to your app's
index.yaml file manually if you do not run local
tests or your tests do not include complex queries.
Setting database permissions
By default, your app has all the permissions required to read and write to
Datastore mode and Firestore databases in your
Google Cloud project.
To manage these permissions, each App Engine app uses a default service
account
that gives full read and write access to Datastore mode
and Firestore databases in the same project as the app. You can
change the permissions of the default service
account,
but your app may lose access unless you assign an IAM role with the
required permissions.
For information about allowing other users, apps, or projects to access a database, see
Accessing your database.
Using the Datastore mode emulator for local testing
The Google Cloud CLI for Java includes a local development
server for testing your
application on your computer. The local development server emulates the
App Engine Java runtime environment and all of its services, including
Datastore mode.
The development server generates configuration for Datastore mode
indexes needed by your application, determined from the queries it performs
while you are testing it.
Pricing, quotas, and limits
Datastore mode offers a free quota with daily limits. Paid
accounts offer unlimited storage, read, and write operations. More information
is available on the Datastore Quotas page.
Except as otherwise noted, the content of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License, and code samples are licensed under the Apache 2.0 License. For details, see the Google Developers Site Policies. Java is a registered trademark of Oracle and/or its affiliates.
Last updated 2025-08-29 UTC.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Hard to understand","hardToUnderstand","thumb-down"],["Incorrect information or sample code","incorrectInformationOrSampleCode","thumb-down"],["Missing the information/samples I need","missingTheInformationSamplesINeed","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-08-29 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eFirestore is a NoSQL document database designed for automatic scaling, high performance, and ease of development, with improvements over its predecessor, Datastore.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eFirestore offers two modes: Datastore mode, which is optimized for server use cases and App Engine, and Native mode, which is designed for mobile and real-time notifications.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eDatastore mode utilizes indexes for each query, automatically generating single-property indexes and requiring composite indexes for complex queries, which can be managed via the \u003ccode\u003eindex.yaml\u003c/code\u003e file.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eApp Engine apps using Datastore mode have default permissions to read and write to the database, managed by a service account, but these permissions can be modified, though it could cause access issues if the proper role isn't assigned.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eDatastore mode offers a free quota with daily limits, with paid accounts providing unlimited storage and read/write operations.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],[],null,["# Using Cloud Firestore in Datastore Mode\n\nFirestore is a NoSQL document database built for automatic scaling,\nhigh performance, and ease of application development. It is the newest version\nof Datastore and introduces several improvements over\nDatastore.\n\nBecause Firestore in [Datastore mode](/datastore/docs)\nis optimized for server use cases and for\nApp Engine, we recommend using Firestore in\nDatastore mode for databases that will be used primarily by\nApp Engine apps. Firestore in Native mode is most useful for\nmobile and real-time notification use cases. For more information about\nFirestore modes, see [Choosing between Native Mode and\nDatastore mode](/datastore/docs/firestore-or-datastore).\n\nUsing Datastore mode with App Engine\n------------------------------------\n\nTo use Datastore mode with App Engine:\n\n1. If you haven't already done so,\n [create a database](/datastore/docs/store-query-data#create_a_database)\n and choose Firestore in Datastore mode.\n\n You can use existing Datastore databases with App Engine\n apps. These existing databases [will be automatically upgraded to\n Firestore in Datastore\n mode](/datastore/docs/upgrade-to-firestore).\n\n\n 1. In your app, declare Datastore as a dependency\n\n by [adding the library to your app's dependencies\n file](/datastore/docs/reference/libraries#client-libraries-install-java).\n\n \u003cbr /\u003e\n\n 2. Use the Google Cloud Client Library to\n [read and write entities](/datastore/docs/concepts/entities)\n and to [query data](/datastore/docs/concepts/queries).\n\n Configuring indexes\n -------------------\n\n Datastore mode uses\n [indexes](/datastore/docs/concepts/indexes)\n for every query your application makes. The indexes are updated whenever an\n entity changes, so the results can be returned quickly when the app makes a\n query.\n\n Datastore mode automatically creates single-property indexes for use with\n simple types of queries. For complex queries that include multiple properties,\n you'll need to configure composite indexes in your app's `index.yaml` file.\n\n The App Engine development server will update your `index.yaml` file\n with the composite indexes needed to run your tests. Similarly, the\n [Datastore mode emulator can generate indexes](/datastore/docs/tools)\n when you run tests.\n\n You can also add the indexes to your app's\n `index.yaml` file [manually](/appengine/docs/legacy/standard/java/configuring-datastore-indexes-with-index-yaml) if you do not run local\n tests or your tests do not include complex queries.\n\n Setting database permissions\n ----------------------------\n\n By default, your app has all the permissions required to read and write to\n Datastore mode and Firestore databases in your\n Google Cloud project.\n\n To manage these permissions, each App Engine app uses a [default service\n account](/appengine/docs/legacy/standard/java/service-account)\n that gives full read and write access to Datastore mode\n and Firestore databases in the same project as the app. You can\n [change the permissions of the default service\n account](/appengine/docs/legacy/standard/java/access-control#modify-service-account),\n but your app may lose access unless you assign an IAM role with the\n [required permissions](/datastore/docs/access/iam#required_permissions).\n\n For information about allowing other users, apps, or projects to access a database, see\n [Accessing your database](/datastore/docs/activate).\n\n Using the Datastore mode emulator for local testing\n ---------------------------------------------------\n\n The Google Cloud CLI for Java includes a [local development\n server](/appengine/docs/legacy/standard/java/tools/using-local-server) for testing your application on your computer. The local development server emulates the App Engine Java runtime environment and all of its services, including Datastore mode.\n\n \u003cbr /\u003e\n\n The development server generates configuration for Datastore mode\n indexes needed by your application, determined from the queries it performs\n while you are testing it.\n\n Pricing, quotas, and limits\n ---------------------------\n\n Datastore mode offers a free quota with daily limits. Paid\n accounts offer unlimited storage, read, and write operations. More information\n is available on the [Datastore Quotas](/appengine/docs/legacy/standard/java/quotas#Datastore) page."]]
