Library

Firebird Connection Strings Cheat Sheet

General URL-Style Pattern

[<protocol>://[<hostname>[:<port>]/]]<database_file_path_or_alias>

TCP/IP Connections (INET)

Remote Client Examples

Traditional

servername/port:database_path

URL-Style

INET://servername:port/database_path

# Traditional
serverlinux/13050:employee
serverwindows:c:\data\mydatabase.fdb

# URL-Style
INET://serverlinux:13050/employee
INET://serverwindows:d:/data/db.fdb

Local Client Examples

# Traditional
127.0.0.1:d:\data\db.fdb
localhost:/opt/data/db.fdb

# URL-Style
INET://d:\data\db.fdb
INET:///opt/data/db.fdb

IPv6 & IPv4

  • Use INET6:// to force IPv6

  • Use INET4:// to force IPv4

  • Default INET will use IPv6 if configured

Windows Named Pipes (WNET) - deprecated

Pattern

Traditional

servername[@service_name]\\database_path

URL-Style

WNET://\\servername[:service]/database_path

# Traditional
\\serverwindows\c:\data\db.fdb
\\.\c:\data\db.fdb  # Local connection
\\serverwindows@MyService\c:\data\db.fdb

# URL-Style
WNET://serverwindows/d:/data/db.fdb
WNET://serverwindows:myservice/d:/data/db.fdb

Windows Local Protocol (XNET)

Pattern

Traditional

database_path

URL-Style

XNET://database_path

# Traditional
d:\data\db.fdb

# URL-Style
XNET://d:/data/db.fdb
XNET://MyDB  # Using alias

Recommendations

  • TCP/IP is recommended for all platforms

  • WNET (Windows Named Pipes) is deprecated, better don’t use it

  • XNET is Windows-only, provides slightly better performance than INET/WNET for local connections. Better don’t use it.

  • Forward slashes work for Windows paths except in WNET servername, use them as universal delimeter

  • Database aliases can be used in place of full paths

Embedded Protocol

Key Characteristics

  • No server process required

  • Direct database file access

  • No authentication needed

  • Available on all platforms

  • Can connect to databases already running in Classic/Superclassic mode

Connection Pattern

Always

Just the database path

# Direct path connection
/path/to/db.fdb
C:\path\to\db.fdb

# Using alias
mydb

Important Notes

  • Requires Engine12+ provider to be available

  • No password check is performed, but username is processed

  • Username comes from:

    • Connection request

    • ISC_USER environment variable

  • Cannot connect if database is opened exclusively by:

    • Stand-alone server with SuperServer architecture

    • Another embedded engine process