Firebase is a widely used backend solution that offers real-time database synchronization and straightforward authentication APIs, making it simple to integrate social logins into apps. The process of adding GitHub authentication to an Ionic app involves setting up Firebase for social login by enabling GitHub authentication in the Firebase dashboard and obtaining necessary keys from GitHub. Developers create a GitHub application, configure its settings, and insert the client ID and secret into Firebase. Using AngularFire and Cordova's InAppBrowser plugin, a basic Ionic app is built, injecting Firebase as a dependency and creating a factory for authentication. The app's controller handles user login via OAuth, using redirects and popups for authentication, and displays user data such as profile picture and username upon successful login. This method is adaptable for other social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Google.