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HQbird (Vendor: IBSurgeon)

HQbird is an enterprise Firebird DBMS distribution from IBSurgeon that improves performance for large and highly loaded databases, and includes a comprehensive set of tools for managing a full cycle of database maintenance without a DBA, including performance optimization, monitoring, local and cloud backups, and failure recovery. HQbird is 100% compatible with versions 5.0, 4.0, 3.0, 2.5.

Download and documentation

• Windows 64-bit installer for HQbird (Firebird 5.0, 4.0, 3.0, and 2.5) (~310mb, 30 days trial).
• Linux Universal HQbird installer (5.0, 4.0, 3.0, 2.5) (~500mb, 30 days trial).
• HQbird User Guide:  HQbird User Guide, PDF

Scenarios: Enterprise and SaaS

Enterprise with Large Databases

Typical problems that HQbird resolves for large Firebird databases:

1. General slow performance or performance degradation over time. HQbird includes a lot of performance optimizations at the engine level, like optimizer improvements, BLOB operations optimization, smart sweep and maintenance to clean old garbage versions and keep databases fast. It also eliminates the necessity to perform frequent backup-restore operations.
2. Complex maintenance requirements. Performs complete maintenance: gbak and incremental backups, restores, safe backup-restore, (re-)initialization of replication, and index statistics recalculations. HQbird uses multi-thread operations in Firebird 2.5, 3.0, 4.0 to perform backup, restore, and sweep 3-6 times faster than vanilla versions. HQbird can send backups and replicas to clouds or remote locations.
3. Performance monitoring challenges. HQbird identifies performance bottlenecks and functioning problems with a combination of all Firebird means: trace, MON$, lock table, transactions, and temporary files analysis. See video review of HQbird advanced monitoring here.
4. Lack of proactive alerting. HQbird sends alerts about potential and actual problems by email and web-hook, for example, potential lack of space to complete backup. HQbird supports integration with HQCenter, which can show statuses for hundreds of servers on the single page, and significantly reduces time to identify and fix problems

SaaS

The SaaS scenario means that a single server hosts hundreds of smaller databases, typically following a database-per-client model.
HQbird simplifies mass maintenance through group jobs: DBAs can specify database locations, define inclusion masks for processing, and schedule all necessary maintenance operations. Backups and replicas for hundreds of databases can be organized in the same manner.
HQbird includes extensions that display connection counts across multiple databases, identify high-load databases, and pinpoint specific queries causing performance bottlenecks.
If you are struggling with performance bottlenecks and high expenses while running your SaaS in Amazon, Azure, Oracle Cloud, or similar, HQbird can help to improve performance and reduce expenses.

Other important features

HQbird also implements the following features:

• Streaming of changes to Kafka and similar platforms - from version 3.0 and above.
• Encryption plugin - AES256 with support for middleware - from version 3.0.
• Full Text Search integration through IBSurgeon Full Text Search UDR (based on Lucene C++) - from v3.0.
• Plugins to access other databases: MySQL and ODBC - from v3.0
• Replacement of queries "on the fly" - all versions.
• HQbird has REST API to integrate with enterprise systems like Ansible, enabling automated database management workflows - all versions.
• Active Directory integration for Linux - version 5

Frequently asked questions

How is Firebird related to HQbird?

To put it simply, HQbird is an enterprise version of the open-source Firebird DBMS. In keeping with the tradition of open-source projects, we call Firebird the “vanilla” version: in the same way, there is a “vanilla” version of PostgreSQL and commercial versions of EnterpriseDB, PostgresPro, etc.
HQbird is not a “different” database in terms of compatibility with Firebird: there is no need to make a backup-restore when switching between HQbird and Firebird, no need to rewrite SQLs or change client applications.

Is Firebird compatible with HQbird?

Yes. You can install HQbird and the vanilla version of Firebird in parallel on the same server, work with the database file using HQbird, then switch to the vanilla Firebird, and vice versa. HQbird's 100% compatibility with vanilla Firebird is the most important feature of HQbird.

When features from HQbird appear in vanilla Firebird?

Almost all functions that are developed for HQbird end up in Firebird within 1-2 versions: for example, replication appeared in HQbird for version 2.5, and it appeared in vanilla version 4.0, external connection pooling was developed in HQbird 3.0, and appeared in Firebird 4.0, multi-threaded backup, restore, sweep capabilities appeared starting with HQbird 2.5, and became available in vanilla Firebird 5.0, etc.

How does purchasing HQbird in the FirebirdSQL shop help to develop vanilla Firebird?

When you purchase HQbird through the FirebirdSQL shop, the Firebird Foundation receives a commission that directly funds the development of free open source Firebird, its drivers, and related infrastructure.

Video materials

Remember that purchasing services and products in Firebird SQL shop directly funds the development of free open source Firebird SQL.