What is the IB file format?
.ib is the database file extension for Embarcadero InterBase, a commercial relational database management system with origins tracing back to 1984. Originally developed by Groton Database Systems, InterBase was acquired by Borland in 1991 and later by Embarcadero Technologies in 2008.
An .ib file is a binary page-based database stored in InterBase's proprietary On-Disk-Structure (ODS) format. The file is divided into fixed-size pages - 1,024, 2,048, 4,096, 8,192, or 16,384 bytes - chosen at database creation time. Page 0 is the header page, recording the ODS major version, page size, and current transaction state; subsequent pages hold data, indexes, BLOBs, and pointer chains. ODS 17 corresponds to InterBase 2020.
InterBase shares its foundational ODS page layout with Firebird, the open-source fork released in 2000 from the InterBase 6 source code. The two diverge structurally from ODS 12 onward. Older InterBase databases used the .gdb extension; .ib is the current convention, though the engine does not enforce it.
Optional database-level encryption is available from InterBase 2009 onward as a licensed add-on. InterBase ToGo and IBLite variants support embedded deployment on Android and other platforms. Backup files use the .ibk extension.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWIB database files are passive data containers; they cannot execute code on the host OS. Risk is data exposure if the file is shared without protection - InterBase 2009+ encryption helps. Backup (.ibk) files carry the same data sensitivity.
Format details
in a nutshell- Firebird Database File - Firebird (open-source InterBase fork) uses .fdb by convention but can use .ib; shares the same ODS page format up to ODS 11.
Programs that open IB files
Windows3 apps
FlameRobin
Open-source File → Register Existing Database; works with InterBase-compatible databases. 
Linux1 app
Android1 app
InterBase ToGo / IBLite
Paid Embed IBLite in your app to access .ib database file directly on the device. Technical details
deep spec| Byte order | Primarily little-endian; some metadata fields big-endian in older ODS versions |
| Page sizes supported | 1024, 2048, 4096, 8192, or 16384 bytes per page (fixed at database creation) |
| ODS version location | Header page (page 0) at offset 0x12-0x13 |
| ODS version mapping | ODS 10 = IB 6 / FB 1.0; ODS 11 = FB 2.x; ODS 12 = FB 3.0; ODS 17 = InterBase 2020 |
| Header page contents | Page 0: ODS version, page size, transaction state, allocation bitmaps |
| Page types | Header, data, index (B-tree), blob, pointer, transaction inventory pages |
| Encryption | Optional AES database encryption (InterBase 2009+, licensed add-on) |
| Multi-file support | Primary .ib file plus secondary extension files for databases exceeding single-file limits |
| Page-level integrity | Optional CRC checksum via hdr_flags; ACID compliance enforced via transaction journal |
| Legacy extension | .gdb was the common extension in older InterBase versions |
| Mobile/embedded variant | InterBase ToGo / IBLite - embedded deployment for Android and IoT platforms |
| Firebird fork compatibility | Shares ODS layout through ODS 11; structurally diverges from ODS 12 onward |
| Backup file extension | .ibk (InterBase database backup files) |
| Released | 1984 (InterBase 1.0 by Groton Database Systems) |
| Latest version | InterBase 2020 Update 7 (ODS 17) |
| Specification | docwiki.embarcadero.com |
IB conversions
Community Q&A
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