Firebird for cloud use?

Question

I launched the POS system (point of sale), which will start as a regular intranet system (at the initial stage of beta testing), but I want to scale it back to a cloud offer. I will offer it as a hybrid solution.

I want him to use firebird because it is a simple deployment, minimal size and the ability to use the built-in multi-threaded server. However, I am worried if firebird can be used for a cloud service with fault tolerance, data replication, etc., to be reliable enough for small companies to invest in their business (similar to the fresh book service).

Another option is to use Postgress, but I have no experience with it.

Is the FB sufficient to be used as a SAAS server? Any successful implementation?

PD: I'm thinking of deploying to GoGrid or Rackspace ...

Answer 1

FB is a great option, it can process large data sets and has the ability to distribute db to multiple files. I used it in several web projects most recently at inmobiapp.com. But the only thing that I see is replication, while the only solution I used is called ibpreplicator, it is a very good rep. tool, if configured correctly. You can try it for free, but you must buy a license.

Also consider driver support for the programming language you will be using. The last time I tested FB on Rails support, this is not so good, on the other hand, PHP has a lot of support for FB.

Answer 2

You must encode your POS application without any knowledge of the SQL backend. Thus, you can switch servers at any time. It is also beneficial that the application code does not understand the inside of the persistence code, otherwise you have a level violation.

A common way to do this is to use a relational object mapping (ORM) library. This Firebird FAQ recommends several ORMs that work with Firebird.

Answer 3

Sorry I'm a little harsh here, but the hybrid is shit. I like the idea of ​​SaaS POS, but don’t spoil the fun for yourself by going down the long and windy path of supporting software support on the site.

No service on the site is the single most attractive reason for the SaaS solution for both the client and you!

Make it a clean SaaS application from the very beginning with full browser support in full screen mode, simplified usability and SSL encryption. Also think about competitors, especially Square, because your system is more likely to attract small traders, and Square on them.

If you do not do this locally, first send the right web infrastructure and ORM from the very beginning. You can optimize things later when you have a reason and experience for this.

Now this is just my opinion, but think about what I just said, and especially think about it not only from a technological point of view.

Answer 4

Firebird is a good DBMS, but, unfortunately, it is not very widespread either in web applications or in hosting companies.

Personally, I like the FB software, but I'm not too keen on the community around it.

And forcing UTF8 to work with a region case-insensitive order ... It made me abandon it.

I would recommend postgres, mysql (or mariadb).

Some people still think mysql is unstable, I never had any problems, but did not work with data larger than 1 GB.

Whatever you choose, plan backups.

UPDATE Someone refused my answer. Sharing my bad experience with the FB Foundation, and, to be precise, H. Borry does not make this answer "not useful." If the attitude has improved from doctors, I sincerely congratulate FB.