alloydb vs IBM Db2 for i
alloydb is a plugin bundle for AI coding tools published by gemini-cli-extensions. Marketplaces we read that list it: 3 (Claude Code: claude-plugins-official, Claude Code: claude-plugins-community, Community GitHub marketplaces). IBM Db2 for i is an MCP server published by Strom-Capital. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Official MCP Registry). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-16. This pair was picked by a reader, not by our comparison rule, so search engines are asked not to index the page.
Where each is published
| Marketplace |  alloydb |  IBM Db2 for i |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code: claude-plugins-official | Listed Version: 0.2.0 Forks (GitHub): 6 Stars (GitHub): 24 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Claude Code: claude-plugins-community | Listed Version: 0.2.0 Forks (GitHub): 6 Stars (GitHub): 24 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Official MCP Registry | Not listed | Listed Version: 3.8.1 Downloads/month (npm): 5 459 Downloads/week (npm): 567 Forks (GitHub): 9 Stars (GitHub): 26 Not marked · First seen |
Each figure is the marketplace's own and is never added up across marketplaces. A marketplace that publishes no figure shows none: no number is not zero.
The facts side by side
| Fact | alloydb | IBM Db2 for i |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it (differs) | 3 (better) | 1 (worse) |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 42 (better) | 26 (worse) |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 7 (worse) | 9 (better) |
| Last release (differs) | Not published | 2026-10-15 |
| Where it runs (differs) | On your machine (@toolbox-sdk/server) | On your machine (mcp-server-db2i) |
| Transport (differs) | Not stated | stdio |
| Tools it declares | Not published | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for (differs) | 8, secrets among them: 1 | 10, secrets among them: 1 |
| Parts of the bundle (differs) | 8 | Not a bundle |
| Licence (differs) | Apache-2.0 | Not stated |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/gemini-cli-extensions/alloydb | github.com/strom-capital/mcp-server-db2i |
| Changes in the last 7 days (differs) | 14 | 2 |
| First seen | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-11 |
Lines where the two differ have a tinted background and bold values. Where the data itself says which value is better (more marketplaces, a larger figure of the same marketplace, a fresher release, a verified mark on a marketplace that lists both), the better one is also marked green with ▲ and the worse one red with ▼. Where it runs, the transport, the tools, the settings, hooks, the bundle's parts, the licence and the week's changes are marked only as different: more or fewer is not better in itself.
What each says it does
alloydb
Create, connect, and interact with an AlloyDB for PostgreSQL database and data.
IBM Db2 for i
Read-only SQL queries and schema inspection for IBM Db2 for i over ODBC, JT400 or Mapepire (SSH).
How to run each
alloydb As a Claude Code plugin
/plugin install alloydb@claude-plugins-officialIBM Db2 for i As a local MCP server: npm package
claude mcp add --env "DB2I_HOSTNAME=<YOUR_DB2I_HOSTNAME>" --env "DB2I_PASSWORD=<YOUR_DB2I_PASSWORD>" --env "DB2I_USERNAME=<YOUR_DB2I_USERNAME>" --transport stdio mcp-server-db2i -- npx -y mcp-server-db2iRequires: DB2I_HOSTNAME, DB2I_PASSWORD (secret), DB2I_USERNAME
Commands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Tools each declares
Neither one's marketplaces publish a list of tools, so there is nothing to compare.
Settings each asks for
Only alloydb asks for
ALLOYDB_POSTGRES_CLUSTERALLOYDB_POSTGRES_DATABASEALLOYDB_POSTGRES_INSTANCEALLOYDB_POSTGRES_IP_TYPEALLOYDB_POSTGRES_PASSWORD (secret)ALLOYDB_POSTGRES_PROJECTALLOYDB_POSTGRES_REGIONALLOYDB_POSTGRES_USERCLOUD_SQL_MSSQL_DATABASECLOUD_SQL_MSSQL_INSTANCECLOUD_SQL_MSSQL_IP_TYPECLOUD_SQL_MSSQL_PASSWORD (secret)
Show the remaining 31
CLOUD_SQL_MSSQL_PROJECTCLOUD_SQL_MSSQL_REGIONCLOUD_SQL_MSSQL_USERCLOUD_SQL_MYSQL_DATABASECLOUD_SQL_MYSQL_INSTANCECLOUD_SQL_MYSQL_IP_TYPECLOUD_SQL_MYSQL_PASSWORD (secret)CLOUD_SQL_MYSQL_PROJECTCLOUD_SQL_MYSQL_REGIONCLOUD_SQL_MYSQL_USERCLOUD_SQL_POSTGRES_DATABASECLOUD_SQL_POSTGRES_INSTANCECLOUD_SQL_POSTGRES_IP_TYPECLOUD_SQL_POSTGRES_PASSWORD (secret)CLOUD_SQL_POSTGRES_PROJECTCLOUD_SQL_POSTGRES_REGIONCLOUD_SQL_POSTGRES_USERDATAPLEX_PROJECTDATAPROC_PROJECTDATAPROC_REGIONFIRESTORE_DATABASEFIRESTORE_PROJECTORACLE_CONNECTION_STRINGORACLE_PASSWORD (secret)ORACLE_USERNAMEORACLE_USE_OCIORACLE_WALLETSPANNER_DATABASESPANNER_DIALECTSPANNER_INSTANCESPANNER_PROJECT
Only IBM Db2 for i asks for
DB2I_DRIVERDB2I_HOSTNAMEDB2I_JDBC_OPTIONSDB2I_MAPEPIRE_OPTIONSDB2I_ODBC_OPTIONSDB2I_PASSWORD (secret)DB2I_PROFILESDB2I_SCHEMADB2I_USERNAMEQUERY_ALLOWED_SCHEMAS
Settings as each marketplace publishes them. Asking for fewer is not better in itself.
What it can do: alloydb · What it can do: IBM Db2 for i · Compare two other plugins
Data comes from the public marketplace file https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-official/blob/HEAD/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json. Data comes from the public marketplace file https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community/blob/HEAD/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json. Data comes from public marketplace files in GitHub repositories of their authors. Data comes from the Official MCP Registry (registry.modelcontextprotocol.io), CC0 1.0. Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.