Hi! I’m developing a static website using Firebase App Hosting, built through the Firebase Studio prototype. The project is still in the testing phase and is only being accessed via the temporary production link — I haven’t linked a custom domain yet. The site is very basic, with no use of Genkit, AI, or any dynamic features — just HTML/CSS/JS and a direct database setup.
While developing, the project remained on the Spark plan (free). However, once I click “Publish”, Firebase requires linking a billing account, and doing so automatically upgrades the project to the Blaze plan. If I try to revert back to the Spark plan via the Firebase console, the site goes completely offline.
After publishing, I noticed a billing charge of US$1.12 in the Google Cloud billing dashboard. That amount was fully covered by credits, and the final charge shows as US$0.00.
Here’s what I’m trying to understand:
-
Is it expected behavior to see usage-based charges from Cloud Run even with minimal or no real traffic, just internal testing?
-
Since Firebase App Hosting uses Cloud Run under the hood, does it generate costs just by keeping the instance alive temporarily?
-
Is it really not possible to stay on the Spark plan after publishing? Does App Hosting require Blaze by default?
-
Why does reverting from Blaze to Spark take the site offline? Is this intended, or is there a workaround?
-
Are there any optimization tips (like adjustments to
apphosting.yaml) to minimize unnecessary usage or costs during this pre-launch stage?
I just want to confirm whether this behavior is normal and ensure my project is running efficiently before launching to real users. Any insights or clarifications are greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance!