If you learned Vertex AI in Firebase last year and came back in 2026 to find Firebase AI Logic, you’re not alone as I went through the same reset. I’d already shipped an Angular + Gemini demo, then spent days reconciling old blog posts, renamed Console menus, and SDK imports that no longer compiled. This article is the companion to my setup tutorial: not how to wire Angular, but what the rebrand actually means and what’s new compared to the original Vertex-only path. This is documented from the mistakes and migration work I did on a real project.
In May 2025, Firebase renamed and expanded it to Firebase AI Logic. The rename reflects a wider scope, not a different product category. Same client-side idea; more backends and features.
| Era | Name | What it meant |
|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | Vertex AI in Firebase (preview) | Client SDKs → Vertex AI Gemini API only |
| Oct 2024 | Vertex AI in Firebase (GA) | Production-ready Vertex path |
| May 2025+ | Firebase AI Logic | Agent Platform Gemini API or Gemini Developer API, new SDK, expanded platform support |
GoogleAIBackend)
The biggest addition. Prototype on the Spark (free) plan, then scale. Console: Build → AI Logic → Get started → Gemini Developer API. The original product only offered the enterprise Vertex/Agent Platform path.
Switch providers by changing initialization:
import { getAI, GoogleAIBackend, AgentPlatformBackend } from 'firebase/ai';
// Gemini Developer API — easiest way to get started (this guide uses this)
getAI(app, { backend: new GoogleAIBackend() });
// Agent Platform / enterprise (what Vertex AI in Firebase was built around)
getAI(app, { backend: new AgentPlatformBackend('global') });
You can enable both APIs in one Firebase project.
App Check can protect Developer API traffic, not just the enterprise backend. Required for production AI Logic on web; this guide wires it in Part 2.
Migrate from the deprecated path:
| Vertex AI in Firebase | Firebase AI Logic |
|---|---|
firebase/vertexai |
firebase/ai |
getVertexAI() |
getAI() + backend |
Firebase Console dashboards now cover client-side AI Logic requests (not only server-side Genkit).
Client-side AI Logic for games and Android XR.
Multimodal chat responses (text + image), beyond Imagen-only client access.
Gemini Nano on Chrome with prefer_on_device, falling back to cloud automatically.
Firebase AI Logic authorizes Developer API calls via a Google-managed service account, not a Gemini API key embedded in your app. Use your normal Firebase web apiKey + App Check; do not add Generative Language API to that key's allowlist (if it's still available as an option).
// BEFORE — Vertex AI in Firebase
import { getVertexAI, getGenerativeModel } from 'firebase/vertexai';
const vertexAI = getVertexAI(app);
const model = getGenerativeModel(vertexAI, { model: 'gemini-2.0-flash' });
// AFTER — Firebase AI Logic
import { getAI, getGenerativeModel, GoogleAIBackend } from 'firebase/ai';
const ai = getAI(app, { backend: new GoogleAIBackend() });
const model = getGenerativeModel(ai, { model: 'gemini-2.5-flash' });
Official references: May 2025 announcement, FAQ — why the name changed.