4D
activeby 4D SAS · since 1987 · also known as 4th Dimension, 4D Server, 4D v21
French integrated database and app-development platform for desktop, client/server and web apps.
Overview
4D (originally 4th Dimension) is a long-running platform from 4D SAS that bundles a relational database engine, a programming language, a form designer and an application server, so a small team can ship a complete desktop, client/server or web business application. Modern versions add ORDA (an object-relational data API), a REST server, project-mode source files suitable for Git, encryption and an AI kit with semantic ranking and local AI writing aids. It follows a yearly LTS plus quarterly feature-release model: 21 LTS arrived in January 2026 and 21 R4 in October 2026. It has a loyal ISV following, especially in Europe, but a small global community.
Strengths & trade-offs
Strengths
- +Database, language, UI builder and app server in one product for small teams
- +Native macOS and Windows clients from one codebase, plus a REST/web server
- +ORDA gives an object API over relational tables
- +Predictable LTS plus quarterly feature-release cadence
- +Project mode stores code as text files that work with Git
Trade-offs
- −Small developer community and job market
- −Proprietary language and runtime create lock-in
- −Not designed for horizontally scaled or high-traffic web services
Great for
- +Vertical ISV business applications for SMBs
- +Desktop client/server apps on mixed Mac and Windows fleets
- +Internal line-of-business tools with REST integrations
Think twice for
- −Large-scale web or mobile back ends
- −Analytics workloads
- −Teams wanting mainstream languages and frameworks
Capabilities
Native or official first-party support · 10 of 25 tracked
Scale & consistency
- Comfortable data size
- Small · ≤ 100 GB
- Horizontal scaling
- None
- Multi-region
- No
- Transactions
- Full ACID
- Consistency
- Strong
- Schema
- Strict
- Architecture
- Client server, Embedded
- Query languages
- 4D language, ORDA queries, SQL
Single 4D Server with many clients; backup/mirroring for availability.
Deployment
Ecosystem
Alternatives to 4D
Low-code database app builder for Mac, Windows, iPad and web, owned by Apple's Claris.
4d vs filemaker →Desktop database and forms builder bundled with Microsoft 365; still everywhere in back offices.
4d vs microsoft-access →Integrated RDBMS plus ABL 4GL application platform behind thousands of ERP and vertical business apps.
4d vs progress-openedge →Microsoft's flagship RDBMS: T-SQL, columnstore, Always On, and now native vectors and JSON.
4d vs sql-server →Open-source Postgres backend platform: database, auth, storage, realtime and edge functions in one project.
4d vs supabase →Lightweight, MVCC relational database from the InterBase lineage, embeddable or client-server.
4d vs firebird →4D FAQ
What is 4D?
4D is a relational database by 4D SAS, first released in 1987. 4D (originally 4th Dimension) is a long-running platform from 4D SAS that bundles a relational database engine, a programming language, a form designer and an application server, so a small team can ship a complete desktop, client/server or web business application. Modern versions add ORDA (an object-relational data API), a REST server, project-mode source files suitable for Git, encryption and an AI kit with semantic ranking and local AI writing aids. It follows a yearly LTS plus quarterly feature-release model: 21 LTS arrived in January 2026 and 21 R4 in October 2026. It has a loyal ISV following, especially in Europe, but a small global community.
Is 4D open source?
No. 4D is proprietary, closed-source software.
Does 4D support ACID transactions?
Yes. 4D supports full ACID transactions, with strong consistency.
Does 4D scale horizontally?
4D does not scale horizontally; it runs on a single node, so you scale it up rather than out. It is comfortable at small scale (≤ 100 GB).
How can I run 4D?
You can self-host it and embed it in your application.
What is 4D best for?
4D is a strong fit for vertical ISV business applications for SMBs; desktop client/server apps on mixed Mac and Windows fleets; and internal line-of-business tools with REST integrations. Think twice for large-scale web or mobile back ends.
What are the best alternatives to 4D?
Common alternatives to 4D include Claris FileMaker, Microsoft Access, Progress OpenEdge, Microsoft SQL Server and Supabase. The right choice depends on your workload, scale and hosting; WhichDB's smart match ranks them against your requirements.
How popular is 4D?
4D ranks #261 of 844 databases on the WhichDB Score (12.8/100), and #81 among relational databases. The score combines public adoption signals such as package downloads, GitHub activity, job posts and developer discussion.