Derby JDBC database connection URL

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:

The connection URL syntax is as follows:

jdbc:derby:[subsubprotocol:][databaseName][;attribute=value]*

Subsubprotocol, which is not typically specified, determines how Derby looks for a database: in a directory, in a class path, or in a jar file. Subsubprotocol is one of the following:

For detailed reference about connection URL attributes and values, see "Setting attributes for the database connection URL" in the Derby Reference Manual.

The following example shows the use of the connection URL:

Connection conn = DriverManager.getConnection("jdbc:derby:sample");
Related concepts
Derby JDBC driver
Derby system
A Derby database
Connecting to databases
Working with the database connection URL attributes
Connections
Using Derby with IDEs