Client- and Server-Side JDBC Drivers

The IBM Informix JDBC Driver exists in two versions: a client-side driver and a server-side driver. The client-side driver is intended for client Java applications accessing an Informix database server. The client-side driver includes ifxjdbc.jar and ifxjdbcx.jar plus several support .jar files, as described in the section, Files in IBM Informix JDBC Driver.

The server-side driver is installed as part of the database server and includes jdbc.jar. Because jdbc.jar is derived from ifxjdbc.jar, the two drivers share many features.

This guide is primarily concerned with the client-side driver; however information for shared features applies to both the server-side and client-side versions.

The IBM Informix: J/Foundation Developer's Guide describes the interfaces and subprotocols that the IBM Informix JDBC Driver provides specifically for server-side JDBC applications, as well as restrictions that apply to server-side JDBC applications.