---
id: sqlalchemy-firebird
version: "2.2.0"
license: Copyright 2005-2023 SQLAlchemy authors and contributors <see AUTHORS file>. Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation… (full text in the JSON record)
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# sqlalchemy-firebird — Firebird for SQLAlchemy

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 128.9K/mo

## What it is and what it does

sqlalchemy-firebird is a SQLAlchemy dialect that bridges the gap between SQLAlchemy's ORM and query API and Firebird databases. It uses the modern firebird-driver as its underlying DB-API 2.0 implementation, enabling developers to work with Firebird using familiar SQLAlchemy patterns—create_engine, declarative models, and query expressions—rather than raw SQL or lower-level driver calls.

The package targets SQLAlchemy 2.0+ and Firebird 3.0+, reflecting a focus on modern versions. Connection strings follow the standard SQLAlchemy URL format, with support for local, remote, and embedded server configurations. Query parameters allow fine-tuning of character sets and client library paths, making it adaptable to different Firebird deployments.

Use it for:

- Build a web application using SQLAlchemy ORM models against an existing Firebird database.
- Migrate data from Firebird to another database using SQLAlchemy's query and reflection APIs.
- Write database-agnostic Python code that can run against Firebird by swapping the connection string.
- Automate Firebird database operations (schema creation, bulk inserts) via SQLAlchemy's DDL and execution layers.
- Integrate Firebird as a backend for a Python web framework (Flask, FastAPI) that uses SQLAlchemy.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Provides a SQLAlchemy 2.0+ dialect for connecting to and querying Firebird 3.0+ databases using the firebird-driver DB-API 2.0 driver.

Yes, if you need to use Firebird with SQLAlchemy. The package is actively maintained, has low install friction, carries no known vulnerabilities, and is licensed permissively. It targets modern Python (3.11+) and current Firebird versions (3.0+). The main consideration is whether your Firebird deployment and client library setup can be configured to work with firebird-driver.

## Install

pip install sqlalchemy-firebird
uv add sqlalchemy-firebird
poetry add sqlalchemy-firebird

## Installing sqlalchemy-firebird

Before you install: Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel. The package is actively maintained (last commit 2026-05-21) and targets modern Python versions (3.11+). Dependencies on SQLAlchemy and firebird-driver are automatically installed.

License in practice: MIT license permits unrestricted use, modification, and distribution with minimal obligations—suitable for both open-source and proprietary projects.

Quickstart:

pip install sqlalchemy-firebird

from sqlalchemy import create_engine

db_uri = "firebird+firebird://sysdba:masterkey@localhost///home/me/databases/my_project.fdb?charset=UTF8"
engine = create_engine(db_uri, echo=True)
with engine.begin():
    pass

Requires Python 3.11 or newer. A Firebird 3.0+ server and firebird-driver must be available; the Firebird client library path may need to be specified via the fb_client_library query parameter.

Verify before relying:

- Completeness of SQLAlchemy 2.0 feature coverage (e.g., async support, ORM edge cases).
- Performance characteristics under high concurrency or large result sets.
- Compatibility with specific Firebird 3.x minor versions or known limitations.

## Package facts

- License: Copyright 2005-2023 SQLAlchemy authors and contributors <see AUTHORS file>. Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation… (full text in the JSON record) (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 128.9K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

sqlalchemy firebird dialect, firebird database orm, sqlalchemy firebird driver, firebird connection sqlalchemy, firebird db-api adapter, firebird, orm-dialect

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