I am new to Libre and want to start a new database.
What is the difference between Firebird and HSQLDB?
Hello,
This is really not specific to LibreOffice as you could be asking about any database. As you state you are new to LO, you appear to be new to databases as well. And since LO now has available two embedded databases here is a bit on this.
HSQLDB embedded included with LO is v1.8.x which is many years old. It is good for testing and small jobs but has some history of potential problems (data loss) when dealing with larger amounts of data or images.
Firebird embedded is also included with LO (v3.0.x) and uses a much more recent standard and therefore allows more functionality. It is still undergoing development in LO and has some issues. Most of these issues can be gotten around and much is posted on this site - search Firebird.
Which database to use is always dependent upon your needs and there are many databases you can use in Base beside the two mentioned.
Firebird documentation → Firebird: Firebird RDBMS
HSQLDB v1.8 documentation → Hsqldb User Guide
LO Base manuals → https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Documentation/Publications#LibreOffice_Base_Handbook