Idea - firebird Database

[F4KEPOWERS]

Hi,
I really like your project.

Are you planning to add support for FireBird? There is no such tool for backing up FireBird databases on the market yet.

https://www.firebirdsql.org/

Thanks.

[KillianLarcher]

Hi @F4KEPOWERS,

Thanks for your interest in the project!

Firebird support isn’t planned for now, mainly because we weren’t aware of this database yet. That said, we’re open to suggestions and want to shape the project around real community needs.

Could you briefly share your use case (why FirebirdSQL instead of MySQL/MariaDB or PostgreSQL) and how you currently handle backups (built-in tools, scripts, etc.)? This would help us evaluate whether Firebird support could make sense in the future and how complex it might be to integrate.

[F4KEPOWERS]

Firebird is often chosen in scenarios where:

You want a lightweight, low‑maintenance SQL database with almost zero DBA overhead.

You need a full‑featured relational engine (ACID, triggers, stored procedures, referential integrity) but on limited hardware or in embedded/on‑premise deployments.

You’re building desktop or on‑premise business apps (ERP, accounting, production planning, POS, healthcare, libraries, etc.) and want to ship a database that “just works” without external dependencies or licensing costs.

Some typical real‑world use cases:

ERP and accounting systems (e.g., many small‑to‑midsize ERP/finance apps bundle Firebird as the backend).

• Manufacturing and production control systems (data from machines, quality control, planning).
• Healthcare and lab information systems (patient records, lab results, device data).
• POS and retail systems, where each store runs its own Firebird instance and syncs data to a central server.

Embedded applications (e.g., industrial devices, kiosks, desktop tools) that need a real SQL engine in a small footprint.

In many of these cases, Firebird is preferred over MySQL/MariaDB or PostgreSQL because:

• It’s very easy to install and embed (single .fdb file, minimal configuration).
• It’s open source and free for commercial use, with no licensing surprises.
• It’s “zero‑admin”‑ish: once set up, it can run for years without constant tuning.

How backups currently work in Firebird
Firebird has two main backup mechanisms:

gbak – logical backup/restore

Creates a portable backup file (.fbk) that can be restored on different platforms and Firebird versions.

Used via command line, for example:

bash
gbak -b -v -user SYSDBA -password "masterkey" /path/to/db.fdb /path/to/backup.fbk

To restore:

bash
gbak -c -user SYSDBA -password "masterkey" /path/to/backup.fbk /path/to/restored.fdb
This is the most common way and is usually called from scripts, cron jobs, or scheduled tasks.

nbackup – physical backup (incremental)

Works directly on the .fdb file and supports incremental backups (only changed pages since last backup).

Faster and more efficient for large databases, but less portable (same platform/Firebird version).

In practice, many Firebird users:

• Run daily gbak backups via cron/Task Scheduler.
• Store backups on local disk + external/NAS + cloud (e.g., via rsync, rclone, or simple scripts).
• Sometimes combine nbackup for frequent incremental snapshots and gbak for full, portable backups.

If Firebird support were added to your project, it would likely integrate via:

Calling gbak (or nbackup) from the tool, similar to how you handle MySQL dumps or PostgreSQL pg_dump.

Supporting .fbk files as a backup format and providing a way to schedule/monitor Firebird backups.

If you’d like, I can also outline a concrete integration idea (e.g., how a Firebird “backup job” would look from the user’s perspective).

Ref:

• Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa): Germany's largest press agency (Hamburg); Firebird for worldwide distribution of news to newspapers, TV, and radio.

• British Rail: National network of British railways; Firebird for timetables, reservations, accounting, and information systems.

• U.S. Navy: Management and logistics systems.

• General Motors: Among users according to customer lists (along with Northrop Grumman, DEA).

• UnitedHealth Group: Health insurance company (USA, >100k employees).

• Distributel (Canada): Telecommunications services for 500 users; Firebird for billing, customer service, real-time call data with "five nines" (99.999%) availability.

• Star Airlines (France): Airline; Firebird in ERP for budgeting, aircraft/crew planning, logistics, invoicing (125 users + 300 mobile).

• Streamsoft (Poland): STREAMSOFT Prestiz ERP system for >5000 companies; 100 GB database, 4000 documents/day.

• ProfitMed (Russia): ERP for >7,000 pharmacies; Firebird 2.5, 400 users, 75 GB.

• Baucenter (Russia): Retail network (9 large stores); Firebird in ERP for all business processes.