fdb
Legacy Python driver for Firebird 2.5
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, but only if you are locked into Firebird 2.5 or have a specific legacy integration requirement. The package is stable and has no known vulnerabilities, but it is not actively maintained and development has stalled. If you have any flexibility to upgrade to Firebird 3 or newer, use the official firebird-driver instead. For new projects, do not choose this package.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Firebird 2.5 or 3.0 database engine must be installed and accessible at the DSN path; the driver does not include the database server itself.
- Installation is straightforward with no runtime dependencies.
- However, the package is aging—last release was 388 days ago—and the maintainers explicitly state that development is not active and maintenance is very limited.
License · maintenance · safety
permissive license (permissive) — FDB is distributed under a permissive license (MIT per the description excerpt, though classifiers list BSD). You can use, modify, and distribute the software freely for any purpose without fee or royalty, provided copyright notices are retained.
last release 2025-07-22 (388 days) · last repo commit 2025-07-22 · 63 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 249,755 downloads/mo, #8,647 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install fdb
import fdb
conn = fdb.connect(dsn='localhost:/path/to/database.fdb',
user='sysdba', password='masterkey')
cur = conn.cursor()
cur.execute('SELECT * FROM my_table')
for row in cur.fetchall():
print(row)
conn.close()- Whether Firebird 2.5 or 3.0 is actually installed and accessible on the target system (FDB does not bundle the database engine)
- Exact scope of Firebird 3.0 support limitations beyond the stated 'limited' qualifier
- Whether the package works reliably with modern Python versions despite classifiers listing only up to 3.6
What it is and what it does
FDB is a legacy Python driver that implements the DB API 2.0 standard for Firebird 2.5 databases. It provides connection pooling, query execution, and transaction management for Python applications that need to interact with older Firebird installations. The package has no external runtime dependencies and installs as a pure Python wheel, making it lightweight to add to an existing project.
The maintainers are explicit that this is a legacy driver no longer under active development. It offers limited support for Firebird 3.0 and does not support Firebird 4 or newer. If you are working with Firebird 3 or later, the official firebird-driver package is the recommended alternative. FDB is appropriate only for maintaining or extending existing applications tied to Firebird 2.5 or for legacy system integration where upgrading the database is not an option.
Use it for
- Maintain or extend legacy Python applications that connect to existing Firebird 2.5 databases without upgrading the database engine
- Integrate Firebird 2.5 data sources into Python ETL pipelines or reporting tools where the database cannot be migrated
- Port older Python code written against Firebird to modern Python versions while keeping the database unchanged
- Query Firebird 2.5 databases from Python scripts in environments where the official driver is not available or compatible
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, but only if you are locked into Firebird 2.5 or have a specific legacy integration requirement.
The package is stable and has no known vulnerabilities, but it is not actively maintained and development has stalled. If you have any flexibility to upgrade to Firebird 3 or newer, use the official firebird-driver instead. For new projects, do not choose this package.
Install
fdb on PyPI
Before you install
Installation is straightforward with no runtime dependencies. However, the package is aging—last release was 388 days ago—and the maintainers explicitly state that development is not active and maintenance is very limited. For Firebird 3 or newer, the official firebird-driver is recommended instead.
Firebird 2.5 or 3.0 database engine must be installed and accessible at the DSN path; the driver does not include the database server itself.
License in practice
FDB is distributed under a permissive license (MIT per the description excerpt, though classifiers list BSD). You can use, modify, and distribute the software freely for any purpose without fee or royalty, provided copyright notices are retained.
Quickstart
pip install fdb
import fdb
conn = fdb.connect(dsn='localhost:/path/to/database.fdb',
user='sysdba', password='masterkey')
cur = conn.cursor()
cur.execute('SELECT * FROM my_table')
for row in cur.fetchall():
print(row)
conn.close()Verify before relying
- Whether Firebird 2.5 or 3.0 is actually installed and accessible on the target system (FDB does not bundle the database engine)
- Exact scope of Firebird 3.0 support limitations beyond the stated 'limited' qualifier
- Whether the package works reliably with modern Python versions despite classifiers listing only up to 3.6
Package facts
| License | permissive license permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release !=3.0.*,!=3.1.*,!=3.2.*,!=3.3.*,<4,>=2.7 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Aging 388 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 249,755 / month, #8,647 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: BSD LicenseOperating System :: MacOSOperating System :: Microsoft :: WindowsOperating System :: POSIX :: LinuxProgramming Language :: Python :: 2Programming Language :: Python :: 2.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.4Programming Language :: Python :: 3.5Programming Language :: Python :: 3.6Topic :: DatabaseTopic :: Software Development |
Evidence: fdb-2.0.4-py2.py3-none-any.whl
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See also firebird-driver · firebird-base · sqlalchemy-firebird · aerospike · mariadb · pyodbc · ydb · mysql-connector-python-rf · sqlalchemy-vertica · adbc-driver-flightsql