A Comparison Between Hibernate vs JDBC: Which Is Better?
Organizations belonging to the software industry are now focusing on weaving websites that define dynamism; websites that can interact with users and keep them engaged for longer. To achieve this, businesses are actively investing in the power of server-side languages like Java – one of the most promising and popular languages today. Server-side languages are the need of the hour given that they have the unique ability to communicate with the databases.
When it comes to Java, two of the best ways of connecting to the database happen to be (i.e.) JDBC and Hibernate. Both these tools can come in handy when building exceptional web applications. However, to make the most of them, developers first have to understand their nuances and the key differences between the two. If you are a developer who has been tangled in the dilemma of Hibernate vs. JDBC, then this blog will serve as the ideal guide.
Let’s first start with studying both the tools individually, along with their primary features, and then move on to discover the differences between them.
What Is Hibernate In Java?
Hibernate is a popular lightweight, open-source Java framework. It is essentially an object-relational mapping (ORM) treatment for Java environments. It is a tool that is designed primarily to simplify the development of Java applications. Companies like IBM and Dell have used the Hibernate framework for their web applications. Its expertise lies in the implementation of JPA (Java Persistence API) for data persistence.
It is one of the frameworks in Java that comes with an abstraction layer. It also expertly handles the implementations internally; including – writing a query for CRUD operations or establishing a connection with the databases, and such. This framework is also popular for its ability to overcome the database dependency faced in the JDBC. Moreover, it does not have to implement API interfaces or extend from API classes since the classes of Hibernate application development are lightly coupled. Hibernate can work with multiple technologies at once, but it can function just as well on its own.
Key Features:
- Open-source and lightweight
- Allows for strong data manipulation with little coding
- High productivity and portability
- Enables automatic table creation
- Provides query statistics and database status
What Is JDBC In Java?
JDBC stands for Java Database Connectivity. It is an open-source Java Application Programming Interface that is designed and developed as an alternative to the C-based ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) API. The main objective of JDBC is to act as a solid bridge between the Java programming language and a wide range of databases. To put it simply, the API created a connection between the two, making it possible for developers to send data from Java code, store it in the database, and use it when required.
The now popular API was one of the first components developed for the Java persistence layer. It was first created as a client-side API to help a Java client interact with data sources. Then came JDCB 2.0 which included an optional package supporting server-side JDBC connections. Since then, every new JDBC release has featured updates to both the client-side package (java.sql) and the server-side package (javax.sql).
Key Features:
- Provides excellent portability
- Gives access to any query from the database
- Compatible with Java applications like Java Applets, Java Servlets, Java Server Pages (JSPs). Enterprise JavaBeans (EJBs)
- Supports advanced data types such as BLOB, CLOB, etc.
- Sending multiple updates to the database (batch updating) is easy
Hibernate vs. JDBC Performance: Know The Differences
| Hibernate | JDBC |
| Hibernate is a Java framework. | JDBC is a database connectivity tool. |
| Hibernate can perform automatic object mapping. It maps the object model’s data to the schema of the database itself with the help of annotations. | In JDBC, one needs to write code to map the object model’s data representation to the schema of the relational model. |
| Hibernate manages exceptions itself by marking them as unchecked. | JDBC code needs to be written in a try-catch block as it throws checked exceptions. |
| Hibernate uses HQL (Hibernate Query Language), similar to SQL, but additionally understands object-oriented concepts like inheritance, association, and such. | Developers can easily create queries and update data to a relational database using the Structured Query Language (SQL). |
| Whereas Hibernate is database independent and the same code can work for many databases with minor changes. | JDBC is database-dependent, meaning that developers are required to write different codes for different databases. |
| With Hibernate, associations like one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-one, and many-to-many can be acquired easily with the help of annotations. | Creating associations between relations is not an easy task to manage in JDBC. |
| Hibernate provides good support for lazy loading. | JDBC does not support lazy loading. |
| All the transaction management is handled solely by Hibernate. | Precise database connections and transactions have to be maintained when working with JDBC. |
| More often than not, Hibernate developers have to wait for a reply after posting questions to a forum to get help on any issues. | Since JDBC is developed by the Oracle Corporation, developers have easy access to dedicated customer service teams who can help with any queries. |
JDBC vs. Hibernate: Example
The world of software development is a technical one. The best way to decipher and master its many concepts is to browse through viable examples. They help bring more clarity on the purpose, features, benefits, and key differences between multiple tools and techniques. Here are two examples to help you better understand the difference between Hibernate and JDBC:
Hibernate Connection Example:
@Entity
public class User {
@Id
Integer id;
String name;
public Integer getId() {
return id;
}
public void setId(Integer id) {
this.id = id;
}
public String getName() {
return name;
}
public void setName(String name) {
this.name = name;
}
}
import org.hibernate.Session;
import org.hibernate.SessionFactory;
import org.hibernate.Transaction;
import com.journaldev.hibernate.util.HibernateUtil;
public class HibernateConnectionExample {
public static void main(String[] args) {
//get session factory to start transcation
SessionFactory sessionFactory = HibernateUtil.getSessionFactory();
Session session = sessionFactory.openSession();
Transaction tx = session.beginTransaction();
User user = (User) session.get(User.class, new Integer(2));
System.out.println(“User ID= “+user.getId());
System.out.println(“User Name= “+user.getName());
//Close resources
tx.commit();
sessionFactory.close();
}
}
JDBC Connection Example:
class JDBCConnectionExample {
public static void main(String a[]) {
String url = “jdbc:oracle:thin:@localhost:1521:local”;
String user = “sys”;
String password = “abc123”;
String sql = “select * from user”;
Connection con=null;
try {
DriverManager.registerDriver(new oracle.jdbc.OracleDriver());
//Reference to connection interface
con = DriverManager.getConnection(url,user,password);
Statement st = con.createStatement();
int respCode = st.executeUpdate(sql);
con.close();
}
catch(Exception ex) {
System.err.println(ex);
}
}
}
Hibernate & JDBC – both these tools are designed to facilitate accessing relational tables using Java code. Hibernate is a more efficient & object-oriented approach for accessing a database. However, when it comes to overall performance, it tends to fall a little behind as compared to JDBC. Ultimately, the right choice between the two heavily depends on specific project requirements.
Now that there is enough clarity on how both these Java tools serve different purposes and bring a treasure trove of benefits in terms of database communication, it is time for you to take on the tools and leverage them to climb the ladder of success.
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