Hi Jacopo,
I think H2 could be a strong candidate to replace Derby for Apache OFBiz’s out-of-the-box/demo setup. A few reasons why I think H2 fits OFBiz well: - It is a pure Java database and fully JDBC compliant. - It supports both embedded mode and server mode, keeping the current developer experience very similar to Derby. - It is actively maintained and has a strong ecosystem in the Java world. - It is already widely used across modern Java ecosystems and frameworks, including Spring Boot and many testing/development environments. Because it is conceptually similar to Derby (an embedded Java DB with lightweight setup), it may offer the lowest migration friction compared to other alternatives. Another interesting real-world reference point is that Moqui has successfully used H2 as its embedded/demo database for years. Since Moqui shares many architectural similarities with Apache OFBiz (entity abstraction, service engine, transactions, async processing, etc.), this may provide a useful practical reference for evaluating H2 in the Apache OFBiz context. Of course, whichever option we choose, we should carefully validate: - Transaction handling - Concurrency behavior - Entity engine compatibility - Async services/scheduler behavior - Test suite compatibility especially because Apache OFBiz workloads are much heavier than a typical demo application. For the longer term, I also agree that a Docker-based approach probably makes sense strategically. Running Apache OFBiz with containerized PostgreSQL/MySQL aligns well with modern cloud-native and production-like development workflows. However, I think having an embedded database option still provides significant value for: - Quick demos - Contributor onboarding - Development environments - Tutorials - Automated tests So perhaps a balanced long-term direction could be to have H2 for lightweight/demo/dev usage and Dockerized PostgreSQL for production-style environments Just my thoughts. Interested to hear what others think. Thanks -- Divesh www.hotwaxsystems.com On Thu, May 7, 2026 at 1:20 PM Jacopo Cappellato < [email protected]> wrote: > > Hi all, > > Since Apache Derby is now retired, it will no longer receive updates for > bug fixes or security issues. > For that reason, I think we should consider replacing Derby with another > embedded database for OFBiz’s out-of-the-box/demo setup. > > Would anyone be willing to volunteer in either of these areas? > * researching and suggesting suitable alternative products that would fit > OFBiz well; > * implementing the switch once we agree on a direction. > > As an alternative, we could also consider no longer shipping a bundled > database at all, and instead relying on Docker images to make demo > instances easy to start. > That would be a more significant change for users, so perhaps not something > for immediate adoption, but I think it is probably the right direction to > keep in mind for the future. > > Thoughts? > > Best, > Jacopo > > > On Thu, Dec 4, 2025 at 9:43 AM Jacques Le Roux < [email protected]> > wrote: > > > Hi, > > > > FYI, not a problem IMO. It works as is. > > > > Jacques > > > > > > > > -------- Message transféré -------- > > Sujet : Apache Derby is now retired > > Date : Wed, 3 Dec 2025 09:38:15 -0800 > > De : Richard Hillegas <[email protected]> > > Répondre à : [email protected] > > Pour : [email protected] > > > > > > > > The DB PMC announces the retirement of its Derby sub-project, due to > > prolonged low activity. Derby is a small-footprint, pure-Java relational > > database. Derby runs embedded in a local application as well as > > client-server over a network. Databases can live on disk or in memory. > > Existing, > > official versions support JVMs from Java 1.3 up through Java 21. The > > development mainline builds and tests cleanly on Java 25. > > > > The project's resources remain available in a read-only state. This > > includes the website (https://db.apache.org/derby/), mailing lists, wiki > > (https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/DERBY/FrontPage), Subversion > > repository, and JIRA bug tracker. Official distributions remain available > > on > > an as-is basis at https://db.apache.org/derby/derby_downloads.html. > >
