Get started with the Gemini API using the Vertex AI for Firebase SDKs


This guide shows you how to get started making calls to the Vertex AI Gemini API directly from your app using the Vertex AI for Firebase SDKs.

Prerequisites

This guide assumes that you're familiar with using Xcode to develop apps for Apple platforms (like iOS).

  • Make sure that your development environment and Apple platforms app meet the following requirements:

    • Xcode 15.0 or higher
    • Your app must target iOS 15 or higher, or macOS 12 or higher.

  • (Optional) Check out the sample app.

    Download the sample app

    You can try out the SDK quickly, see a complete implementation of various use cases, or use the sample app if don't have your own Apple platforms app. To use the sample app, you'll need to connect it to a Firebase project.

Step 1: Set up a Firebase project and connect your app to Firebase

If you already have a Firebase project and an app connected to Firebase

  1. In the Firebase console, go to the Build with Gemini page, and then click the second card to launch a workflow that helps you do the following tasks. If you see a tab in the console for Vertex AI, then these tasks are complete.

  2. Continue to the next step in this guide to add the SDK to your app.

If you do not already have a Firebase project and an app connected to Firebase


Step 2: Add the SDK

With your Firebase project set up and your app connected to Firebase (see previous step), you can now add the Vertex AI for Firebase SDK to your app.

The Vertex AI for Firebase library provides access to the Vertex AI Gemini API and is included as part of the Firebase SDK for Apple platforms (firebase-ios-sdk). For the Vertex AI for Firebase library, you must use Swift Package Manager to install and manage Firebase dependencies. Other package managers, such as CocoaPods, aren't currently supported.

  1. In Xcode, with your app project open, navigate to File > Add Packages.

  2. When prompted, add the Firebase Apple platforms SDK repository:

      https://github.com/firebase/firebase-ios-sdk

  3. Select the latest SDK version.

  4. Select the FirebaseVertexAI-Preview library.

    When finished, Xcode will automatically begin resolving and downloading your dependencies in the background.

Step 3: Initialize the Vertex AI service and the generative model

Before you can make any API calls, you need to initialize the Vertex AI service and the generative model.

  1. Import the FirebaseVertexAI module:

    import FirebaseVertexAI

  2. Initialize the Vertex AI service and the generative model:

    import FirebaseVertexAI

// Initialize the Vertex AI service
let vertex = VertexAI.vertexAI()

// Initialize the generative model with a model that supports your use case
// Gemini 1.5 models are versatile and can be used with all API capabilities
let model = vertex.generativeModel(modelName: "gemini-1.5-flash-preview-0514")

When you've finished the getting started guide, learn how to choose a Gemini model and (optionally) a location appropriate for your use case and app.

Step 4: Call the Vertex AI Gemini API

Now that you've connected your app to Firebase, added the SDK, and initialized the Vertex AI service and the generative model, you're ready to call the Vertex AI Gemini API.

You can use generateContent() to generate text from a text-only prompt request:

import FirebaseVertexAI

// Initialize the Vertex AI service
let vertex = VertexAI.vertexAI()

// Initialize the generative model with a model that supports your use case
// Gemini 1.5 models are versatile and can be used with all API capabilities
let model = vertex.generativeModel(modelName: "gemini-1.5-flash-preview-0514")

// Provide a prompt that contains text
let prompt = "Write a story about a magic backpack."

// To generate text output, call generateContent with the text input
let response = try await model.generateContent(prompt)
if let text = response.text {
  print(text)
}

What else can you do?

Learn more about the Gemini models

Learn about the models available for various use cases and their quotas and pricing.

Try out other capabilities of the Gemini API

Learn how to control content generation

You can also experiment with prompts and model configurations using Vertex AI Studio.


Give feedback about your experience with Vertex AI for Firebase