What Data Types Can Be Stored in a FlutterFlow Database?

String stores text: names, email addresses, descriptions, status values ('active', 'pending', 'cancelled'), and URL strings. Maximum field size: 1MB (a single field), but keep fields under 1KB for performance. Integer stores whole numbers without decimal points: counts (likeCount, viewCount, quantity), ages, item counts, and sequential numbering. Supports range queries (count > 100), arithmetic, and ordering. Double stores decimal numbers: prices (29.99), coordinates (latitude: 37.7749), percentages (0.85), and measurements. IMPORTANT: always use Double for prices, never String. In FlutterFlow's Firestore panel, click the field type dropdown and select String, Integer, or Double when creating the field. String fields bind to Text widgets, Integer and Double bind to Text widgets with Custom Function formatting.

Boolean stores true/false values: isActive, isVerified, isPremium, hasCompletedOnboarding, isFeatured. In FlutterFlow, Boolean fields bind to Switch and Checkbox widgets. Use Boolean fields in Backend Query conditions for filtering (isActive == true). Timestamp stores date and time values in UTC. ALWAYS use Timestamp for any date-related field — not String, not Integer (Unix epoch is acceptable but less readable). Timestamps support range queries (createdAt > yesterday's timestamp), date arithmetic in Cloud Functions, and proper ordering. In FlutterFlow, Timestamp fields bind to DateTimePicker widgets and display via Custom Functions that format them as human-readable strings. Set the value using Current Date Time in action flows or FieldValue.serverTimestamp() for write-time precision.

1// Custom Function: formatTimestamp
2// Converts a Firestore Timestamp to a readable string
3// Parameters: timestamp (DateTime in FlutterFlow)
4String formatTimestamp(DateTime timestamp) {
5  final now = DateTime.now();
6  final diff = now.difference(timestamp);
7
8  if (diff.inMinutes < 1) return 'just now';
9  if (diff.inMinutes < 60)
10    return '${diff.inMinutes}m ago';
11  if (diff.inHours < 24)
12    return '${diff.inHours}h ago';
13  if (diff.inDays < 7)
14    return '${diff.inDays}d ago';
15
16  // Fallback to date string
17  return '${timestamp.day}/${timestamp.month}'
18         '/${timestamp.year}';
19}

GeoPoint stores a geographic coordinate as a latitude/longitude pair. Use it for user locations, store addresses, delivery points, and any map-related data. In FlutterFlow, GeoPoint fields provide latitude and longitude as separate Double values that you can use as inputs to FlutterFlowGoogleMap markers. Firestore does not support native geospatial queries (no 'find all points within 5km') — use the geoflutterfire2 package or the GeoHash pattern for proximity queries. DocumentReference stores a pointer (reference) to another Firestore document. This is how you create relationships between documents: an order document has a userId field of type DocumentReference pointing to the user document. In FlutterFlow, DocumentReference fields enable document lookup — you can fetch the referenced document in a Backend Query. Use DocumentReference for one-to-many relationships (order → user, comment → post).

Array stores an ordered list of values, all of the same type: a list of tag strings, a list of UIDs for liked users, a list of product IDs in a wishlist. Firestore supports arrayContains and arrayContainsAny filter operators for arrays. Maximum array size: bounded by the 1MB document limit (avoid unbounded arrays, use subcollections for growing lists). In FlutterFlow, Array fields appear as List variables — iterate them with Generate Dynamic Children on a ListView. Map stores a nested object (key-value pairs) inside a document field: an address Map with street, city, state, zip keys; a metadata Map with version, source, processedAt keys. Map fields do not support direct querying in Firestore (you cannot WHERE address.city == 'NYC') — use top-level fields for frequently queried data. In FlutterFlow, access Map fields using field.key notation.

If your app has complex relational needs, Supabase (PostgreSQL) is available as an alternative backend in FlutterFlow via Settings → Integrations → Supabase. PostgreSQL types map roughly as: TEXT (like String), INTEGER / BIGINT (like Integer), FLOAT8 / NUMERIC (like Double), BOOLEAN (like Boolean), TIMESTAMPTZ (like Timestamp with timezone), POINT (like GeoPoint but with native spatial queries via PostGIS), UUID (like String but for IDs), JSONB (like Map but queryable with ->> operator), TEXT[] or INTEGER[] (like Array but supports JOINs via ANY()). Key Supabase advantages over Firestore for type handling: SQL supports SUM, AVG, COUNT on numeric fields (Firestore cannot), NUMERIC type prevents floating-point rounding errors in financial calculations, TIMESTAMPTZ handles timezone-aware date math correctly, and FOREIGN KEY enforces DocumentReference-style relationships at the database level.