> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://private-7c7dfe99-fix-nav-issues.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

> The engine allows querying and inserting into remote datasets via Apache Arrow Flight.

# ArrowFlight table engine

The ArrowFlight table engine enables ClickHouse to read from and write to remote datasets via the [Apache Arrow Flight](https://arrow.apache.org/docs/format/Flight.html) protocol.
This integration allows ClickHouse to interact with external Flight-enabled servers in a columnar Arrow format with high performance.

<h2 id="creating-a-table">
  Creating a Table
</h2>

```sql theme={null}
CREATE TABLE [IF NOT EXISTS] [db.]table_name (name1 [type1], name2 [type2], ...)
    ENGINE = ArrowFlight('host:port', 'dataset_name' [, 'username', 'password']);
```

**Engine Parameters**

* `host:port` — Address of the remote Arrow Flight server. If the port is omitted, the default port `8815` is used. [String](/reference/data-types/string).
* `dataset_name` — Identifier of the dataset on the Flight server (used as a PATH descriptor or in a `SELECT *` query depending on the `arrow_flight_request_descriptor_type` setting). [String](/reference/data-types/string).
* `username` — Username for basic HTTP authentication. [String](/reference/data-types/string).
* `password` — Password for basic HTTP authentication. [String](/reference/data-types/string).

If `username` and `password` are omitted, authentication is not used (this works only if the Arrow Flight server allows unauthenticated access).

The column list is optional — if omitted, the schema is inferred from the remote Arrow Flight server via `GetSchema`.

<h2 id="named-collections">
  Named Collections
</h2>

The engine supports [named collections](/concepts/features/configuration/server-config/named-collections) for storing connection parameters:

```sql theme={null}
CREATE TABLE remote_flight_data
    ENGINE = ArrowFlight(named_collection_name);
```

Named collection parameters:

| Parameter                  | Required        | Default | Description                                            |
| -------------------------- | --------------- | ------- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
| `host` or `hostname`       | No              | `""`    | Server hostname.                                       |
| `port`                     | Yes             | —       | Server port.                                           |
| `dataset`                  | Yes             | —       | Dataset name or descriptor.                            |
| `use_basic_authentication` | No              | `true`  | Enable basic authentication.                           |
| `user` or `username`       | If auth enabled | —       | Username for authentication.                           |
| `password`                 | No              | `""`    | Password for authentication.                           |
| `enable_ssl`               | No              | `false` | Enable TLS encryption.                                 |
| `ssl_ca`                   | No              | `""`    | Path to the CA certificate file for TLS verification.  |
| `ssl_override_hostname`    | No              | `""`    | Override the hostname checked during TLS verification. |

<h2 id="settings">
  Settings
</h2>

* `arrow_flight_request_descriptor_type` — Controls how the dataset name is sent to the Flight server. Possible values: `path` (default, sends as a PATH descriptor) or `command` (sends as a CMD descriptor with `SELECT * FROM <dataset>`). Use `command` for Flight servers that expect SQL commands (e.g., Dremio).

<h2 id="usage-example">
  Usage Example
</h2>

Reading data from a remote Arrow Flight server:

```sql theme={null}
CREATE TABLE remote_flight_data
(
    id UInt32,
    name String,
    value Float64
) ENGINE = ArrowFlight('127.0.0.1:9005', 'sample_dataset');

SELECT * FROM remote_flight_data ORDER BY id;
```

```text theme={null}
┌─id─┬─name────┬─value─┐
│  1 │ foo     │ 42.1  │
│  2 │ bar     │ 13.3  │
│  3 │ baz     │ 77.0  │
└────┴─────────┴───────┘
```

Inserting data into a remote Arrow Flight server:

```sql theme={null}
INSERT INTO remote_flight_data VALUES (4, 'qux', 99.9);
```

<h2 id="notes">
  Notes
</h2>

* If columns are specified in the `CREATE TABLE` statement, they must match the schema returned by the Flight server.
* If columns are omitted, the schema is inferred automatically from the remote server.
* Both reading (`SELECT`) and writing (`INSERT`) are supported.
* The `arrow_flight_request_descriptor_type` setting controls whether the dataset name is sent as a PATH descriptor or as a CMD descriptor wrapping a `SELECT *` query.

<h2 id="see-also">
  See Also
</h2>

* [arrowFlight table function](/reference/functions/table-functions/arrowflight)
* [Arrow Flight Interface](/concepts/features/interfaces/arrowflight)
* [Apache Arrow Flight SQL specification](https://arrow.apache.org/docs/format/FlightSql.html)
* [Arrow format in ClickHouse](/reference/formats/Arrow/Arrow)