Thanks Jacopo and Divesh!
I recommend to switch over to another embedded database like H2 as
Divesh suggested.
A "throw away" database is perfect for demos and quick tests/test
integration. It would be a loss if it will be removed.
Thanks and regards,
Michael Brohl
ecomify GmbH - www.ecomify.de
Am 07.05.26 um 11:11 schrieb Divesh Dutta:
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.
