---
name: "freetds.conf"
section: "5"
platform: "linux"
package: "freetds"
version: "1.5.20-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/freetds.conf"
---

# freetds.conf(5)

configuration file for FreeTDS

## NAME

**freetds.conf** – configuration file for FreeTDS

## SYNOPSIS

The  *freetds.conf* file describes Sybase and Microsoft database servers to the FreeTDS library.  It comprises sections headed by a servername, followed by a list of connection properties denoted as name-value pairs.  Defaults are defined via a \[global\] section.  This file supersedes the  *interfaces* file that Sybase defines for the same purpose, although the latter is still supported.

## DESCRIPTION

A section begins with a servername — the name of the server — in square brackets. The servername is chosen at the client's descretion. (One exception: with Sybase ASA the servername must match the database name to be used.)

Sections contain properties, one per line, in the form

```
name = value
```

where *name* is the connection property to be described.  Servernames and properties are not case sensitive.  Values are case-preserving i.e., copied literally. Comments begin with either a semicolon (‘;’) or pound sign (‘#’) and continue to end of line.  Blank lines are ignored.  Whitespace surrounding the ‘=’ is ignored.

## PROPERTIES

- client charset

  encoding of client data; overrides [locale(1)](/locale/1.md) settings

  - Domain:

    iconv character set names

  - Default:

    ISO-8859-1

- connect timeout

  seconds to wait for response from connect request

  - Domain:

    0 to MAX\_INT

  - Default:

    none

- debug flags

  logging granularity

  - Domain:

    32-bit integer

  - Default:

    0x4fff

- dump file

  specifies location of a logfile and turns on logging

  - Domain:

    valid file name

  - Default:

    none

- dump file append

  log data appended to file instead of re-writing for each connection

  - Domain:

    yes/no

  - Default:

    no

- emulate little endian

  forces big endian machines to act as little endian to communicate with Microsoft Servers

  - Domain:

    yes/no

  - Default:

    no

- encryption

  - *off*

    disables encryption

  - *request*

    use if available (default when tds version greater than 7.0)

  - *required*

    allow encrypted connections only

- host

  Name of the host the server is running on.

  - Domain:

    host name or IP address

  - Default:

    SYBASE

- initial block size

  maximum size of a protocol block

  - Domain:

    multiple of 512

  - Default:

    512

- instance

  name of Microsoft SQL Server instance to connect to (supersedes *port*)

  - Domain:

    instance name

  - Default:

    none

- port

  port number that the server is listening to

  - Domain:

    any valid port

  - Default:

    TDS 5.0, 5000; TDS 7.0 and up, 1433

- tds version

  TDS protocol version to use

  - Domain:

    4\.2, 5.0, 7.0, 7.1, 7.2

  - Default:

    **--with-tdsver** value (5.0 if unspecified)

- text size

  default value of TEXTSIZE, in bytes

  - Domain:

    0 to 4,294,967,295

  - Default:

    4,294,967,295

- timeout

  seconds to wait for response to a query

  - Domain:

    0 to MAX\_INT

  - Default:

    none (wait forever)

Do not define both  *port* and*instance* .  One implies the other.

Boolean property values may be denoted as on/off, true/false, or 1/0.

### DEBUG FLAGS

The log's granularity can be controlled with the  *debug* *flags* property.

| | |
| --- | --- |
| **Value** | **Meaning** |
| 0x02 severe error |
| 0x04 error |
| 0x08 warning |
| 0x10 network |
| 0x20 information level 1 |
| 0x40 information level 2 |
| 0x80 function trace and info |
| 0x1000 show pid |
| 0x2000 show time |
| 0x4000 show source level info (source file and line) |
| 0x8000 thread id (not implemented). |

## NAMES AND LOCATIONS

The file is normally named */etc/freetds.conf* or *${HOME}/.freetds.conf*. That name can be overridden with the FREETDSCONF environment variable.

FreeTDS will search conf files for a servername in the following order:

1. a filename set programmatically via dbsetifile() that is in .conf format

2. a filename in the environment variable FREETDSCONF that is in .conf format

3. *${HOME}/.freetds.conf* if extant

4. */etc/freetds/freetds.conf*

The search stops with the first file containing the servername.

If no conf file is found, FreeTDS searches for an *interfaces* file in the following order:

1. a filename set programmatically via dbsetifile() that is in *interfaces* format

2. *${HOME}/.interfaces*

3. *$SYBASE/interfaces* (where $SYBASE is an environment variable)

If the requested servername is not found in any configuration file, the fallback mechanism is:

1. attempt to convert the name to an IP address with [inet\_addr(3)](/inet_addr/3.md), else

2. attempt to convert the name to an IP address with [gethostbyname(3)](/gethostbyname/3.md), else

3. attempt to look up the literal name “SYBASE”

## ENVIRONMENT

- FREETDSCONF

  overrides name and location of the system-wide conf file

- TDSDUMP

  overrides the name and location of the FreeTDS log file

- TDSDUMPCONFIG

  specifies a name and location of a file that logs the search of configuration files

- TDSHOST

  overrides the host property

- TDSPORT

  overrides the port property

- TDSQUERY

  synonym for DSQUERY, the default servername

- TDSVER

  overrides the version specified in the freetds.conf

The environment variables TDSVER, TDSDUMP, TDSPORT, TDSQUERY, and TDSHOST override values set by a .conf or *interfaces* file.

## FILES

*/etc/freetds/freetds.conf*, *${HOME}/.freetds.conf*

## SEE ALSO

## HISTORY

.conf files first appeared with version 0.53 of FreeTDS.