<br />

To quickly test your updated Firebase Security Rules in the Firebase console, use
the Rules Playground.
| **Note:** To fully validate your app's behavior and verify your Firebase Security Rules  
| configurations, use the [Firebase Emulator](https://firebase.google.com/docs/rules/emulator-setup) to run and automate unit tests in a local environment.

The Rules Playground is a convenient tool to use as you're exploring
new behaviors or quickly validating rules as you write them. It displays a
message confirming that access was either allowed or denied according to the
parameters you set for the simulation.

## Use the Rules Playground

![](https://firebase.google.com/static/docs/firestore/images/playground-firestore.png)

1. Open the [Firebase console](https://console.firebase.google.com/) and select your project.
2. Then, from the product navigation, do one of the following:
   - Select **Realtime Database** , **Cloud Firestore** , or **Storage** , as appropriate, then click **Rules** to navigate to the Security Rules editor.
3. Once you've made your edits, click **Rules Playground** from the editor.
4. In the *Rules Playground* settings, select options for your test, including:
   - Testing reads or writes.
   - A specific **Location** in your database or storage bucket, as a path.
   - Authentication type --- unauthenticated, authenticated anonymous user, or a specific user ID.
   - Document-specific data that your rules specifically reference (for example, if your rules require the presence of a specific field before allowing a write).
5. Click **Run** and look for the results in the banner above the editor.

## Sample Rules Playground scenario

Test the Rules Playground behavior with the following sample scenario
and basic rules.  

### Cloud Firestore

    service cloud.firestore {
      match /databases/{database}/documents {
        // Allow only authenticated content owners access
        match /some_collection/{document} {
          allow read, write: if request.auth != null && request.auth.uid == request.resource.data.author_uid
          }
        }
      }

### Realtime Database

<br />

```scilab
 // These rules grant access to a node matching the authenticated
 // user's ID from the Firebase auth token
 {
   "rules": {
     "users": {
       "$uid": {
         ".read": "$uid === auth.uid",
         ".write": "$uid === auth.uid"
       }
     }
   }
 }
 
```

<br />

### Cloud Storage

    // Grants a user access to a node matching their user ID
    service firebase.storage {
      match /b/{bucket}/o {
        // Files look like: "user/&lt;UID&gt;/file.txt"
        match /user/{userId}/{fileName} {
          allow read, write: if request.auth != null && request.auth.uid == userId;
        }
      }
    }

- In the Security Rules editor, add the rule given.

- ![](https://firebase.google.com/static/docs/rules/images/playground-test.png)
  Select **get** from the **Simulation type** drop-down menu and enter a valid
  path in the **Location** field.

- Toggle on **Authentication** and select an authentication type from the
  **Provider** drop-down.

- Enter the user ID details and click **Run**.

The results of the simulation appear at the top of the editor. Depending on the
user ID details you entered, you should see a banner confirming the read
was either successfully allowed or denied.