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Building a Real-Time Notification System in Node.js with Firebase

Arjun Singh

Arjun Singh

Backend Lead

Jan 28, 2026
Building a Real-Time Notification System in Node.js with Firebase

Push notifications are essential for user retention. In this guide, we will set up a Node.js Express server that triggers Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) to send notifications.

Step 1: Setup Firebase Admin SDK

javascript
const admin = require("firebase-admin");
const serviceAccount = require("./serviceAccountKey.json");

admin.initializeApp({
  credential: admin.credential.cert(serviceAccount)
});

module.exports = admin;

Step 2: Sending the Notification

javascript
const sendNotification = async (token, title, body) => {
  try {
    const message = {
      notification: { title, body },
      token: token
    };
    
    const response = await admin.messaging().send(message);
    console.log("Successfully sent message:", response);
  } catch (error) {
    console.log("Error sending message:", error);
  }
};

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