The latest articles on DEV Community by D (@d_p). https://dev.to/d_p https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3702606%2F96ddad1f-be82-42e3-bd56-5d086edb9913.png https://dev.to/d_p en D Tue, 18 Aug 2026 12:04:24 +0000 https://dev.to/d_p/i-built-my-own-ai-chatbot-with-firebase-what-i-learned-along-the-way-4gll https://dev.to/d_p/i-built-my-own-ai-chatbot-with-firebase-what-i-learned-along-the-way-4gll <h1> I Built My Own AI Chatbot with Firebase — What I Learned Along the Way </h1> <p>I’ve always been interested in AI and web development, so I decided to build something of my own instead of only using existing AI tools.</p> <p>That project became <strong>NOVA AI</strong>, an AI chatbot designed to help users with questions, learning, coding, brainstorming, and supported image/file tasks.</p> <p>👉 Try NOVA AI: <a href="https://nova-ai-2f71d.web.app/" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://nova-ai-2f71d.web.app/</a></p> <ul> <li> </li> </ul> <h2> Why I Started Building It </h2> <p>I wanted to understand what actually goes into building a real AI-powered web application.</p> <p>Instead of focusing only on the AI response itself, I wanted to learn about the other parts of a real application:</p> <ul> <li>User authentication</li> <li>Chat history</li> <li>Database storage</li> <li>File/image uploads</li> <li>Account management</li> <li>Security</li> <li>Hosting</li> <li>Responsive UI</li> </ul> <p>Building the project helped me understand that an AI application is much more than just connecting an API.</p> <h2> Firebase Authentication </h2> <p>I used Firebase Authentication to handle user accounts.</p> <p>The application supports features such as:</p> <ul> <li>Email/password authentication</li> <li>Email verification</li> <li>Password reset</li> <li>Google sign-in</li> <li>Account management</li> </ul> <p>One important thing I learned is that passwords should never be stored directly in Firestore.</p> <p>Firebase Authentication handles the authentication layer while the application uses the authenticated user's UID to associate data with the correct account.</p> <h2> Storing Chat History </h2> <p>A major feature I wanted was persistent chat history.</p> <p>The basic idea is:</p> <div class="highlight js-code-highlight"> <pre class="highlight plaintext"><code> text User ↓ Firebase Authentication UID ↓ Firestore ↓ Conversations ↓ Messages </code></pre> </div> ai webdev tutorial api