Download Firebird JDBC Driver

Download the Firebird JDBC driver, copy the JDBC URL into DbSchema, and start designing schemas with ER diagrams — free Community Edition.

About the Firebird JDBC driver

A JDBC driver is a Java .jar library that lets applications connect to Firebird. DbSchema uses JDBC to reverse engineer schemas, run SQL, and generate documentation. Driver files are usually published by the database vendor or an open-source project.

JDBC URL format

Host, port, database name, and SSL options are passed in a URL starting with jdbc:. Each Firebird driver uses its own syntax — see the connection details below.

The Firebird JDBC driver

Firebird is an open-source relational database that offers full ACID compliance, stored procedures, triggers, and multi-generational architecture (MGA) for concurrent access. It is widely used in desktop and embedded applications where a lightweight, zero-administration server is needed.

The Firebird JDBC URL

• Required File(s): jaybird-full-xxx.jar
• Java Driver Class: org.firebirdsql.jdbc.FBDriver
• JDBC URL: jdbc:firebirdsql://HOST:PORT/FILE
• Website: Firebird

Download Firebird JDBC Driver

The driver archive is a zip file. Extract it and load the .jar files using DbSchema's Driver Manager.

Connecting to a Remote Firebird Server

One detail causes most Firebird connection failures: the database in the URL is a path on the server, not on your own machine. A path that exists locally is meaningless to the server, and the error mentions only the file.

1. Prefer an alias to a path. Firebird lets the administrator map a name to a file in databases.conf, so the URL can say employee instead of a full path. Aliases survive the database being moved and avoid the path-separator confusion that Windows paths cause in a URL.
2. Use port 3050 unless it was changed. That is the default; the port may be omitted from the URL entirely when it applies.
3. Match the driver to the server version. Firebird 3 introduced a new authentication scheme and wire encryption. An old Jaybird against a new server, or the reverse, fails during the handshake rather than at the password — update Jaybird before suspecting the credentials.
4. Open port 3050 in the server's firewall. The database listens on port 3050 unless it was installed with a different one. A host firewall on the server blocks incoming connections on that port until a rule allows them. The firewall guide has the commands for Windows, ufw, firewalld and iptables.
5. Connect from DbSchema. In the Connection Dialog choose Remote computer or custom port, fill in the server host and the port, then press Test Connection to check that the server answers before you connect.

An embedded Firebird database is a different mode: the file is opened directly, with no server and no port, and one process at a time holds it.

DbSchema and Firebird

DbSchema connects to Firebird using the Jaybird JDBC driver and renders Firebird's domain types, generators, and trigger definitions as part of the schema diagram. Use the Schema Synchronization feature to compare Firebird database schemas across versions.