Canonical: https://molo17.com/solutions/informix-cdc/ Markdown mirror: https://molo17.com/solutions/informix-cdc/index.md Title: Informix CDC and replication with Gluesync | MOLO17 Description: Informix CDC from the native change stream, with a dedicated agent. Replicate to warehouses, lakes, and streams in real time with Gluesync. Start a trial. [Solutions](/solutions/) Informix CDC SOLUTION · INFORMIX CDC # IBM Informix change data capture and real-time data replication **Real-time Informix CDC from the native change stream, without a hand-built reader to run and restart.** Gluesync by MOLO17 provides IBM Informix CDC through a dedicated Informix agent. The agent reads the Informix CDC API change stream over the built-in JDBC driver, and target agents deliver each change to the databases, warehouses, lakes, and event streams your teams already use. Manage every pipeline from the Core Hub web UI, the Gluesync control plane. [Start a Gluesync trial](/get-gluesync/) [Talk to us](/contacts/) WHO THIS IS FOR ## Informix teams moving data out of a long-lived system of record - Informix DBAs who must approve CDC on a 12.10 or 14.10 instance and want the steps in writing: the `syscdcv1` database, full row logging, `DB_LOCALE`, and a dedicated Gluesync user - Data platform leads feeding warehouses, lakes, and event streams from Informix, who want one Core Hub for every source and target instead of a separate tool for each - Architects planning a move off Informix or offloading reads from it, who need the source kept in sync with the new platform until cutover, without a single big-bang switch - Engineers who wrote their own reader on the Informix change stream and now own restarts, checkpoints, and monitoring for a pipeline the business treats as infrastructure THE PROBLEM ## Informix data that moves in batches goes stale while production carries the load Informix often runs the transactional system of record. Scheduled extracts and timestamp polls leave analytics and newer applications working from a copy that is already behind, and the polls compete with production for CPU and I/O. Buyers searching for Informix CDC or Informix replication usually compare three options: the engine's own replication features, commercial CDC suites, or a reader they build on the change stream themselves. Gluesync addresses that pattern with **per-agent CDC**. The Informix agent reads the Informix change stream on the source, target agents write to the destination you choose, and Core Hub runs both under one control plane. HOW IT WORKS ## How Gluesync does Informix CDC ### Native change stream through the Informix CDC API Gluesync uses the `ifx-changestream-client` to capture data changes from Informix. The client provides a stream with one event per modification, and the agent connects through the built-in JDBC driver. Events are processed and replicated sequentially, so updates are applied one at a time on the target. - **Operations captured:** INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE - **Initial load:** full snapshots for initial synchronization ### What your DBA enables first Capture depends on the CDC API being set up in the database. These are the documented steps. 1. Turn on full row logging with the `cdc_set_fullrowlogging()` function, for example `EXECUTE FUNCTION cdc_set_fullrowlogging('demo:informix.articles', 1);` 2. Run `syscdcv1.sql` as user `informix` from `$INFORMIXDIR/etc`, for example `dbaccess demo $INFORMIXDIR/etc/syscdcv1.sql` 3. Confirm the `syscdcv1` database accepts a connection as user `informix` 4. Set `DB_LOCALE` to the locale of the database you capture from 5. Create a dedicated user for Gluesync that connects to `syscdcv1` and has read access to the source tables ### Connectivity, TLS, and topology - **Port:** defaults to 9088 - **TLS:** the REST setup accepts `enableTls` and `certificatePath` ### Restart-safe reader state and snapshot tuning The source-side cache is a local ArenaCache, so a Core Hub restart or a short network outage does not force a resynchronization. The reader position is persisted in Core Hub, so an agent move or restart does not reset the reader. Snapshot concurrency and query parallelism are configurable. Checkpoint metrics report the Informix position as `InformixCdcCheckpoint`. ### Architecture around Core Hub Agents sit next to your systems and capture or write data. Core Hub orchestrates pipelines, coordinates snapshots and writes, and hosts the web UI and REST API. Core Hub and agents deploy with Docker, Docker Compose, or Kubernetes. [Explore the general CDC streaming architecture →](/solutions/cdc-streaming/) CAPTURE OPTIONS ## One Informix agent for both roles One Informix agent runs as a CDC source and as a write target under the same Core Hub pipelines, so the gate is the DBA setup, not the choice of agent. | Agent | Capture technique | Versions | Best for | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Informix agent ↗](https://docs.molo17.com/gluesync/latest/agents/informix-intro.html) | Informix CDC API change stream (`ifx-changestream-client`) over the built-in JDBC driver | Informix 12.10 and 14.10 | Informix 12.10 or 14.10 systems where a DBA can run the CDC API setup, and you need Informix as a source, a target, or both under one Core Hub. The DBA prerequisites are the main gate. | TARGETS AND TOPOLOGIES ## Keep Informix in service while modernizing destinations Use the [integrations directory](/integrations/?source=Informix#integration-finder) to pair Informix as a source or target with relational engines, NoSQL stores, cloud warehouses, object and lake storage, or event streams, subject to each agent's documented source and target role. Informix is also a write target. The target agent writes through the built-in JDBC driver, uses a staging table and a bulk SQL generator for bulk load, and honors the TRUNCATE before snapshot setting. Gluesync keeps pace with your change volume at any scale. [MOLO17 Professional Services](/solutions/professional-services/) can size the deployment with your team. Target agents write in optimized batches, never row by row, and switch to native bulk load for both snapshots and CDC on targets such as [Snowflake](/solutions/replicate-to-snowflake/), [Google BigQuery](/solutions/replicate-to-bigquery/), [Amazon Redshift](/solutions/replicate-to-redshift/), [Microsoft SQL Server](/solutions/replicate-to-sql-server/), and [PostgreSQL](/solutions/replicate-to-postgresql/). - Offload reads from Informix to another database: see [database offload](/solutions/database-offload/) - Feed a cloud warehouse or data lake continuously: see [warehouse sync](/solutions/warehouse-sync/) - Publish Informix changes to an event-streaming platform, if the target agent you choose supports that role - Move Informix data to a new platform with a snapshot and CDC until cutover: see [cloud migration](/solutions/cloud-migration/) FAIR, HIGH-LEVEL COMPARISON ## Where Gluesync fits among Informix CDC approaches | Approach | What buyers usually get | Where Gluesync fits | | --- | --- | --- | | Informix native replication (Enterprise Replication, HDR) | Built into the Informix server. Fit depends on which target platforms you need to reach. | Gluesync uses the same Informix CDC API from a separate agent and delivers to the targets you choose, so Informix does not have to be the destination. | | Commercial CDC suites (IBM InfoSphere, Qlik Replicate, Precisely, Syniti) | Mature replication portfolios. Informix support and versions vary by product, so confirm each one against your version. | Agent-based CDC under Core Hub for Informix 12.10 and 14.10. If Syniti is your current tool, see the [Syniti migration hub](/from-syniti-replicate-to-gluesync/). | | Debezium plus Kafka | Open-source connectors that you run on Kafka Connect, including upgrades and offsets. | Agents with Core Hub operations and [best-in-class MOLO17 enterprise support (rated 4.9/5 by customers)](/support/#customer-ratings), instead of a Connect cluster to run. See the [Debezium alternative](/solutions/debezium-alternative/) comparison. | | DIY reader on the change stream, or scheduled extracts | Full control, and you own restarts, checkpoints, schema changes, and monitoring. Scheduled extracts leave the target behind between runs. | A productized agent with the reader position persisted in Core Hub, checkpoint metrics, and snapshot plus CDC pipelines under one control plane. | RELATED CONTENT ## Informix CDC research and implementation detail - [Informix Agent for Gluesync: real-time data integration with Informix databases](/blog/informix-agent-for-gluesync-unlock-real-time-data-integration-with-informix-databases/) - [CDC streaming without source overhead](/solutions/cdc-streaming/) - [IBM i (AS/400) CDC with Gluesync](/solutions/ibm-i-cdc/) - [Informix Agent overview ↗](https://docs.molo17.com/gluesync/latest/agents/informix-intro.html) - [Informix CDC setup ↗](https://docs.molo17.com/gluesync/latest/agents/informix-change-data-capture.html) - [Informix target setup ↗](https://docs.molo17.com/gluesync/latest/agents/informix-target.html) FAQ ## Informix CDC questions What is IBM Informix CDC with Gluesync? Change data capture from IBM Informix through the Informix CDC API. A dedicated Informix agent reads the change stream with the ifx-changestream-client and delivers inserts, updates, and deletes to configured targets through Core Hub. Which Informix versions does the agent support? Informix 12.10 and 14.10 are supported, and the same agent covers the source and target roles. What does the DBA have to enable before Gluesync can capture? Full row logging with cdc\_set\_fullrowlogging(), the syscdcv1 database created by running syscdcv1.sql as user informix, a test connection to syscdcv1, the DB\_LOCALE variable set to the database locale, and a dedicated Gluesync user that connects to syscdcv1 with read access to the source tables. Can Gluesync capture from Informix on a managed cloud service? Yes. Informix on managed database services from AWS, Azure, and OCI is supported when the CDC API is enabled. Can Informix be a target as well as a source? Yes. The agent writes to Informix through the built-in JDBC driver, with bulk load through a staging table. It honors the Core Hub TRUNCATE before snapshot setting when it is enabled. What happens when the agent restarts or moves to another host? The source cache is a local ArenaCache, and the reader position is persisted in Core Hub. An agent move or restart does not reset the reader, and a short Core Hub or network outage does not force a resynchronization. CDC BY SOURCE DATABASE ## Other sources Gluesync captures from - [Cosmos DB CDC](/solutions/cosmos-db-cdc/) - [Couchbase CDC](/solutions/couchbase-cdc/) - [Db2 LUW CDC](/solutions/db2-luw-cdc/) - [DynamoDB CDC](/solutions/dynamodb-cdc/) - [IBM i CDC](/solutions/ibm-i-cdc/) - [MariaDB CDC](/solutions/mariadb-cdc/) - [MongoDB CDC](/solutions/mongodb-cdc/) - [MySQL CDC](/solutions/mysql-cdc/) - [Oracle CDC](/solutions/oracle-cdc/) - [PostgreSQL CDC](/solutions/postgresql-cdc/) - [SAP ASE (Sybase) CDC](/solutions/sap-ase-cdc/) - [SAP HANA CDC](/solutions/sap-hana-cdc/) - [ScyllaDB CDC](/solutions/scylladb-cdc/) - [SQL Server CDC](/solutions/sql-server-cdc/) - [YugabyteDB CDC](/solutions/yugabytedb-cdc/) ## Evaluate Gluesync with your Informix change stream Start a trial on your infrastructure, or talk to MOLO17 about your Informix version, DBA prerequisites, and targets. [Start a Gluesync trial](/get-gluesync/) [Talk to MOLO17](/contacts/)