Simple PHP contact form with Firebase hosting

Question

I'm trying to test out if PHP works from my Firebase hosting using the following:

(index.html)

<form action="welcome.php" method="post">
   <input type="submit">
</form>

(welcome.php)

<?php

   $to = "[email protected]";
   $subject = "My subject";
   $txt = "Hello world!";
   $headers = "From: [email protected]";

   mail($to,$subject,$txt,$headers);

?>

Every time I try this the browser keeps on attempting to open the PHP file rather than processing it. Is simple PHP enabled on the Firebase server hosting to process a simple form like this? If I can get it to work this way, I will be building the form out correctly including validation etc.

Thanks,

Answer 1

From the Firebase Hosting site (emphasis mine):

We deliver all of your static content (html, js, images, etc.) over a secure SSL connection and serve it on a CDN.

Firebase Hosting is for hosting static assets. Firebase currently doesn't offer any way to execute your code on Firebase's servers.

Update (2018-08-08): You can now run Node.js/JavaScript code but connecting your Firebase Hosting project to Cloud Functions + Firebase Hosting. But that still won't allow you to run PHP code.

Answer 2

As per the latest update firebase has started using Cloud Functions

Cloud Functions for Firebase lets you run mobile backend code that automatically responds to events triggered by Firebase features and HTTPS requests. Your code is stored in Google’s cloud and runs in a managed environment. There's no need to manage and scale your own servers.

For more : https://firebase.google.com/docs/functions/

Answer 3

There is no PHP but nodeJS available for server-side scripting ...

Google Cloud Functions are written in JavaScript, and execute in a Node.js runtime.

Mandrill also supports nodeJS and it features a Webhooks API. Therefore, one can require that node module within these "cloud functions" and "web hooks" ...and then post with a HTML form onto them.

There would need to be a few HTTP cloud functions defined on the Firebase Console, in order to let them subscribe, unsubscribe and manage their subscriptions. One could even generate the HTML markup for the input form with cloud functions and then attach it. As an example, not tested and no guarantee included:

const functions = require('firebase-functions');
const mandrill = require('mandrill-api/mandrill');
var client = new mandrill.Mandrill('YOUR_API_KEY');

/* TODO: add the user on Firebase, respond through the API */
exports.user_add = functions.https.onRequest((req, res) => {

});

/* TODO: change subscription settings on Firebase, respond through the API */
exports.user_edit = functions.https.onRequest((req, res) => {

});

/* TODO: remove the user on Firebase, respond through the API */
exports.user_remove = functions.https.onRequest((req, res) => {

});

/* optional: generate the HTML markup of the form, send HTTP response */
exports.markup = functions.https.onRequest((req, res) => {

});

One can bind the events of Firebase Auth, to keep two user databases in in-sync (this is not required for Mandrill, but required for MailChimp - no matter whether using the PHP or nodeJS wrapper):

exports.on_user_create = functions.auth.user().onCreate(event => {
   const user = event.data;
});

exports.on_user_delete = functions.auth.user().onDelete(event => {
   const user = event.data;
});

Firebase on Websites explains it, while there is a Local Emulator for Cloud Functions.