FIREBIRD(8)

📦
version 4.0.7.3271.ds6 · 11 versions
, in ubuntu stonking

💖 FIREBIRD(8) — the Firebird server, explained by your unix bestie 💖

okay so real talk, this one lives in section 8 of the Firebird documentation manual, and it's literally the main character of the whole RDBMS situation. let's get into it 🦋

✨ NAME ✨

firebird — the Firebird server. that's her. that's the whole name. 👑

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

firebird [<option>...]

like, just run her and sprinkle options on top. no cap. ✨

💅 DESCRIPTION 💅

so firebird is the main process of the Firebird RDBMS server, and she's giving versatile because she has three modes of operation. pick your fighter:

  • single-process — this is the exact same thing as the superserver flavour of version 2.5 and before. it's a single listener process that handles all the connections, periodt. it is single-threaded, so it can only use one CPU bestie, one. all connections use shared cache for database pages (cute, communal, sharing is caring 🫶). but here's the tea: a crash in the code handling a connection brings down the whole server. 😭
  • standalone classic — this is the same as the superclassic flavour of the 2.5 version. a single listener process spawns a new thread for each connection, slay. it's capable of utilizing multiple CPUs 🔥. the database cache is not shared between connections. the inter-process communication is pretty fast because all the threads reside in the same process (they're roomies 💖). but again — a crash in the code handling a connection brings down the whole server. 💀
  • Internet "super-server" handler — this is the same as the classic flavour of version 2.5 and before. each connection is handled by a separate fireird process, spawned by the Internet super-server (e.g. inetd or xinetd). it's capable of utilizing multiple CPUs ⭐. the database cache is not shared, and the inter-process communication is slower than the other operational modes. but the glow-up? in this mode, a crash caused by one connection doesn't bring down the whole server — only the crashed instance. main character resilience. 👑

🎀 OPTIONS 🎀

  • -d — turn debugging on. she's loud now. 🗣️
  • -s — use standalone classic mode of operation.
  • -i — use single process mode of operation.
  • -p port — specify the listening port number, or a protocol name.
  • -h
  • -? — print short usage information.
  • -e dir — specify the path to the Firebird root directory.
  • -el dir — specify the path to the lock directory.
  • -em dir — specify the path to the directory containing the messages file.
  • -z — print version information and exit. bye bestie 💅
ngl some of these look similar (-e, -el, -em) — that is on purpose, they are not the same option, do not merge them in your head, i'm begging 😭

Copyright (C) 2009, 2010, Damyan Ivanov.

this manpage was written by Damyan Ivanov for the Debian project, but may be used by others, okay? permission is granted to use this document, with or without modifications, provided that this notice is retained. and fr fr, if we meet some day and you think this stuff is worth it, you can buy me a beer in return. 🍓🍻 iconic behavior honestly.

that's the whole vibe. go run your database, you absolute legend. 💜✨

Firebird 4.0 — dated 2026-06-28 — page FIREBIRD(8), signing off 🫶🌸

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