Firebase is a Google-backed database optimized for synchronizing data to the cloud. It's a key player in the rush for distributed databases.

In acquiring Firebase, Google also hopes to raise the profile of its cloud computing services---at least in a small way.

Google Inc. acquired Firebase Inc., a provider of software tools that let engineers store and synchronize data across mobile applications and websites.

Firebase will still handle the data, and your servers can tap into this central repository in much the same way clients do. The service's primary aim is to simplify application development.