Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Firebird VS SQLite

Compare Firebird VS SQLite and see what are their differences

Firebird logo Firebird

Relational database offering many ANSI SQL standard features that runs on Linux, Windows, and a variety of Unix platform

SQLite logo SQLite

SQLite Home Page
  • Firebird Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-14
  • SQLite Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-21

Firebird features and specs

  • Open Source
    Firebird is an open-source database management system, which means it is free to use, often leading to lower total cost of ownership compared to proprietary solutions.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    Firebird runs on multiple operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and MacOS, making it a versatile choice for various development environments.
  • Low Resource Consumption
    Firebird is known for its low resource requirements, making it highly efficient and suitable for both small and large-scale applications.
  • Advanced SQL Support
    Firebird supports a broad range of SQL standards and advanced features, including stored procedures, triggers, and full ACID-compliant transactions.
  • User Security
    Firebird offers robust user authentication and security features to manage database access and ensure data integrity.

Possible disadvantages of Firebird

  • Relative Popularity
    Firebird is less popular compared to other database systems like MySQL and PostgreSQL, which can result in a smaller community and fewer third-party tools or extensions.
  • Limited Documentation
    While there is official documentation available, some users may find it less comprehensive compared to the documentation of more popular databases.
  • Learning Curve
    New users who are not familiar with Firebird might encounter a steep learning curve, especially if they are used to working with other database management systems.
  • Limited Cloud Integration
    Firebird does not have the same level of support and optimization for cloud services as some other databases, potentially complicating cloud deployment.
  • Community Support
    While there is a community, the support response time might not be as fast or as comprehensive as databases with larger user bases.

SQLite features and specs

  • Zero Configuration
    SQLite does not require any server setup or configuration, allowing for easy integration and deployment in applications.
  • Lightweight
    It is extremely lightweight, with a small footprint, making it ideal for embedded systems and mobile applications.
  • Self-Contained
    SQLite is self-contained, meaning it has minimal external dependencies, which simplifies its distribution and usage.
  • File-Based Storage
    Data is stored in a single file, which makes it easy to manage and transfer databases as simple files.
  • ACID Compliance
    SQLite supports Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, and Durability (ACID) properties, ensuring reliable transactions.
  • Cross-Platform
    SQLite is available on numerous platforms, including Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, providing a broad compatibility range.
  • Public Domain
    SQLite operates under the public domain, allowing for unrestricted use in commercial and non-commercial applications.

Possible disadvantages of SQLite

  • Limited Scalability
    SQLite is not designed to handle high levels of concurrency and large-scale databases, making it less suitable for large, high-traffic applications.
  • Write Performance
    Write operations can be slower compared to server-based databases, especially under heavy write loads.
  • Lack of Certain Features
    SQLite lacks some advanced features offered by other RDBMS like stored procedures, user-defined functions, and full-text search indexing.
  • Security
    As SQLite is file-based, it might lack some of the security features present in server-based databases, such as sophisticated access control.
  • Concurrency
    SQLite uses a locking mechanism to control access to the database, which can lead to contention and performance bottlenecks in highly concurrent environments.
  • Backup and Restore
    While it's straightforward to copy SQLite database files, it lacks the advanced backup and restore features found in more complex RDBMS.

Firebird videos

The Best Budget Drag Car Ever! Pontiac Firebird TransAm Review!

More videos:

  • Review - 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am | Retro Review
  • Review - Firebird Review Six Flags America Former Apocalypse Roller Coaster

SQLite videos

SQLite | What, Why , Where

More videos:

  • Review - W20 PROG1442 3.3 UWP sqLite Review
  • Tutorial - How To Create SQLite Databases From Scratch For Beginners - Full Tutorial

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Firebird and SQLite)
Databases
27 27%
73% 73
NoSQL Databases
30 30%
70% 70
Relational Databases
17 17%
83% 83
Development
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using Firebird and SQLite. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Firebird and SQLite

Firebird Reviews

Top 10 free database tools for sys admins 2019 Update
DBeaver is an open source universal database tool for developers and database administrators that has a low memory footprint. It supports JDBC compliant databases such as MySQL, Oracle, IBM DB2, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Firebird, SQLite, and Sybase. Its main features include the ability to browse and edit databases, create and execute SQL scripts, export data, transaction...

SQLite Reviews

We have no reviews of SQLite yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, SQLite should be more popular than Firebird. It has been mentiond 18 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Firebird mentions (3)

  • GitHub - neondatabase/neon: The serverless open source alternative to AWS Aurora Postgres - Written in Rust
    Y'know, this situation is why Firefox bounced off the names Phoenix and Firebird before settling. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Leaving MySQL
    Another big open source DB I'd like to hear about more often is Firebird (https://firebirdsql.org/) which was forked from the Interbase code released by Borland (don't remember how they were called at the time). Four choices of connection model (process-by-connection, thread-by-connection, some weird mix, and in-process), full ANSI SQL, runs on all major platforms, and uses single file databases. Seems to be the... - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago
  • Any RBDMS that supports in-memory and multi-threaded writes?
    For C/C++ Firebird could be an option, although that isn't really "in memory" as it persists all data to disk. Source: about 4 years ago

SQLite mentions (18)

  • Can I have my Lightroom catalogue pointing at two sources...?
    Yes. A Lightroom catalog file is, after all, just a SQLite database. (Srsly, make a copy of your catalog file, rename it whatever.sqlite and use your favorite SQLite GUI to rip it open and look at the tables and fields). It's just storing the pathame to the RAW file for that file's record in the database. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Building a database to search Excel files
    I use visidata with a playback script I recorded to open the sheet to a specific Excel tab, add a column, save the sheet as a csv file. Then I have a sqlite script that takes the csv file and puts it in a database, partitioned by monthYear. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Saw this on my friends Snapchat story, this hurts my heart
    Use the most-used database in the world: https://sqlite.org/index.html. Source: about 2 years ago
  • "Managing" a SQLite Database with J (Part 2)
    With this in mind, I wrote a few versions of this post, but I hated them all. Then I realized that jodliterate PDF documents mostly do what I want. So, instead of rewriting MirrorXref.pdf, I will make a few comments about jodliterate group documents in general. If you're interested in using SQLite with J, download the self-contained GitHub files MirrorXref.ijs and MirrorXref.pdf and have a look. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • "Managing" a SQLite Database with J (Part 1)
    SQLite, by many estimates, is the most widely deployed SQL database system on Earth. It's everywhere. It's in your phone, your laptop, your cameras, your car, your cloud, and your breakfast cereal. SQLite's global triumph is a gratifying testament to the virtues of technical excellence and the philosophy of "less is more.". - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Firebird and SQLite, you can also consider the following products

MongoDB - MongoDB (from "humongous") is a scalable, high-performance NoSQL database.

PostgreSQL - PostgreSQL is a powerful, open source object-relational database system.

Microsoft SQL Server - Microsoft Azure is an open, flexible, enterprise-grade cloud computing platform. Move faster, do more, and save money with IaaS + PaaS. Try for FREE.

MySQL - The world's most popular open source database

CouchBase - Document-Oriented NoSQL Database

Microsoft SQL - Microsoft SQL is a best in class relational database management software that facilitates the database server to provide you a primary function to store and retrieve data.