A Java application using the JDBC API establishes a connection to a database by obtaining a Connection object.
The standard way to obtain a Connection object is to call the method DriverManager.getConnection, which takes a String containing a connection URL (uniform resource locator). A JDBC connection URL provides a way of identifying a database. It also allows you to perform a number of high-level tasks, such as creating a database or shutting down the system.
An application in an embedded environment uses a different connection URL from that used by applications using the Derby Network Server in a client/server environment. See the Derby Server and Administration Guide for more information on the Network Server.
However, all versions of the connection URL (which you can use for tasks besides connecting to a database) have common features:
An example use of the connection URL:
Connection conn=DriverManager.getConnection("jdbc:derby:sample");