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| |
| # ADBC: Arrow Database Connectivity |
| |
| [](https://github.com/apache/arrow-adbc/blob/master/LICENSE.txt) |
| |
| ADBC is an API standard (version 1.0.0) for database access libraries ("drivers") in C, Go, and Java that uses Arrow for result sets and query parameters. |
| Instead of writing code for each individual database, applications can build against the ADBC APIs, and link against drivers that implement the standard. |
| Additionally, a JDBC/ODBC-style driver manager is provided. This also implements the ADBC APIs, but dynamically loads drivers and dispatches calls to them. |
| |
| Like JDBC/ODBC, the goal is to provide a generic API for multiple databases, but ADBC is focused on Arrow-based data access for analytics use cases (bulk data retrieval/ingestion), and not the full spectrum of use cases that JDBC/ODBC drivers handle. |
| Hence, ADBC is complementary to those existing standards. |
| |
| Like [Arrow Flight SQL][flight-sql], ADBC is an Arrow-based database access API. |
| But Flight SQL also specifies the wire format and network transport (Flight RPC), while ADBC lets drivers make their own decisions. |
| Together, ADBC and Flight SQL offer a fully Arrow-native solution for clients and database vendors. |
| For context, see the [mailing list discussion][ml-discussion] and the original [proposal][proposal]. |
| |
| [flight-sql]: https://arrow.apache.org/docs/format/FlightSql.html |
| [ml-discussion]: https://lists.apache.org/thread/gnz1kz2rj3rb8rh8qz7l0mv8lvzq254w |
| [proposal]: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1t7NrC76SyxL_OffATmjzZs2xcj1owdUsIF2WKL_Zw1U/edit#heading=h.r6o6j2navi4c |
| |
| ## Installation |
| |
| A release has not yet been made. |
| (The standard is version 1.0.0, but packages themselves are still under development.) |
| Packages can currently be built and installed from source. |
| |
| ## Documentation |
| |
| The core API definitions can be read in `adbc.h`. |
| User documentation can be found at https://arrow.apache.org/adbc |
| |
| ## Building |
| |
| For detailed instructions, see CONTRIBUTING.md. |
