Firebird 5.0 released as the latest major version of this relational database

The Firebird team has officially launched Firebird 5.0, the most recent major version of their relational database, more than two years after the 4.0 version. This release is available across a variety of platforms, including Windows, Linux, macOS, and Android.

Firebird 5.0 brings a host of improvements to the table, while maintaining the same architecture and operation. Notable enhancements include parallel operation for backup/restore, sweep, and index creation, as well as the introduction of partial indices. The new version also introduces the SKIP LOCKED clause for SELECT WITH LOCK, UPDATE, and DELETE statements.

Additional features include an inline minor ODS upgrade, a compiled statement cache, and a PSQL and SQL profiler. Firebird 5.0 also supports the WHEN NOT MATCHED BY SOURCE clause for the MERGE statement, and allows multiple rows for DML RETURNING.

New built-in functions and packages have been added, along with denser record-level compression and network support for scrollable cursors.

In terms of the On-Disk Structure (ODS), version 13.1 is now in use. This minor ODS upgrade allows databases in ODS 13.0, created by Firebird 4.0, to be opened with a Firebird 5.0 server. However, certain new features may not be available and databases in older ODS cannot be opened.

The engine library retains its previous names: engine13.dll for Windows and libEngine13.so for POSIX. The security database is now named security5.fdb. The binaries layout and configuration remain the same as they were in Firebird 4.0.