# Derby JDBC database connection URL

A Java application using the JDBC API establishes a connection to a database by obtaining a Connection object.

The standard way to obtain a Connection object is to call the method DriverManager.getConnection, which takes a String containing a connection URL (uniform resource locator). A JDBC connection URL provides a way of identifying a database. It also allows you to perform a number of high-level tasks, such as creating a database or shutting down the system.

The following example shows the use of the connection URL:

    Connection conn = DriverManager.getConnection("jdbc:derby:sample");

An application in an embedded environment uses a different connection URL from that used by applications using the Derby Network Server in a client/server environment. See "Accessing the Network Server by using the network client driver" in the Derby Server and Administration Guide for more information.

However, all versions of the connection URL (which you can use for tasks besides connecting to a database) have common features:

- You can specify the name of the database you want to connect to.
- You can specify a number of attributes and values that allow you to accomplish tasks.

For more information about what you can specify with the Derby connection URL, see Connecting to databases. For details on the connection URL syntax, see "Syntax of database connection URLs for applications with embedded databases" in the Derby Reference Manual. For detailed reference information on connection URL attributes and values, see "Setting attributes for the database connection URL" in the Derby Reference Manual.

Parent topic: Derby embedded basics
Related concepts
Derby JDBC driver
Derby system
A Derby database
Connecting to databases
Working with the database connection URL attributes
Connections
Using Derby with IDEs