# Quack

> **TL;DR.** Quack is DuckDB's official client-server protocol, enabling two DuckDB instances to communicate over HTTP so one acts as server and the other as client.

- **Category:** Data Infrastructure / Developer Tools / Database
- **Stage:** emergent
- **Age:** 22 days
- **Origin date:** 2026-05-12
- **First detected:** 2026-05-13
- **Canonical URL:** https://earlyterms.com/term/quack
- **Sources:** 6 primary URLs

## Definition

Quack is DuckDB's official client-server protocol, enabling two DuckDB instances to communicate over HTTP so one acts as server and the other as client. It gives DuckDB native support for concurrent writers and remote access without abandoning its in-process, embeddable design philosophy.

DuckDB released Quack on [May 12, 2026](https://duckdb.org/2026/05/12/quack-remote-protocol) in beta with DuckDB v1.5.2, shipping as an extension from `core_nightly`. It outperforms Arrow Flight SQL and PostgreSQL protocol in benchmarks — 4.94 seconds to bulk-transfer 60 million rows versus 17.4 and 158 seconds respectively — with a production GA target of DuckDB v2.0 in autumn 2026.

## Analogy

Think of it as HTTP for DuckDB: simple, proven, and browser-native by design.

## Why it's emerging now

DuckDB shipped Quack on May 12, 2026 — its first official client-server protocol — unlocking concurrent multi-writer access for a database previously limited to in-process use. The HTTP-native design lets DuckDB-Wasm in browsers speak directly to remote servers, opening a new class of web-connected data applications.

## Related terms

- *parent:* DuckDB
- *competitor:* Arrow Flight SQL
- *competitor:* VGI (Vector Gateway Interface)
- *related:* MotherDuck
- *related:* DuckLake
- *competitor:* PostgreSQL wire protocol
- *related:* ggsql
- *related:* model-context-protocol
- *related:* dead-usb-protocol

## Sources

1. [DuckDB blog: Quack announcement (May 12, 2026)](https://duckdb.org/2026/05/12/quack-remote-protocol)
2. [Quack Remote Protocol — DuckDB documentation](https://duckdb.org/quack/)
3. [Hacker News: Quack launch thread (337 points, 71 comments)](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48111765)
4. [rusty.today: Quack and VGI — two RPC approaches for DuckDB](https://rusty.today/blog/quack-vgi-two-approaches-rpc-duckdb/)
5. [GitHub: quack-net — .NET client for Quack, created day-of-announcement](https://github.com/CurtHagenlocher/quack-net)
6. [GitHub: azquack — Quack on Azure experiment](https://github.com/MiguelElGallo/azquack)

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_Generated by EarlyTerms · https://earlyterms.com/term/quack_