The Java Hibernate Framework Tutorial guides you through the Hibernate Framework from beginning to end, including advanced concepts such as second level caching.
Hibernate is a non-invasive open source framework for creating a data access layer in Java applications. Hibernate acts as a bridge between Java and the database, allowing data to be transferred in the form of objects.
Data production, data manipulation, and data access are all made easier using an ORM tool. It’s a programming approach for mapping things to database data.
Table of Contents
What is Object-Relational Mapping (ORM)?
ORM stands for Object-Relational Mapping, and it helps programmers and developers to create applications that incorporate data that persists beyond the application’s lifespan. When used with relational databases, Hibernate, being an ORM framework, is tightly tied to data persistence (via JDBC).
Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) is a method for retrieving and manipulating data from a database that employs an object-oriented programming paradigm.
ORMs connect Java classes to tables or stored procedures, allowing you to interface with the database using object methods and attributes rather than SQL queries.
What are the key advantages of Hibernate?
The following are some of the advantages of the Hibernate framework:
- Hibernate is open source software that comes with a free product licence.
- It is a developer-friendly framework that is simple to understand and use.
- Hibernate queries are faster than JDBC queries.
- Hibernate has its own query language, which is known as HQL. This query language is both more powerful and object-oriented than SQL. SQL does not support advanced HQL capabilities like pagination or dynamic profiling.
- Hibernate’s database independence is regarded as one of its most significant features. It creates queries that are not dependent on a database. It can connect to a variety of databases, including Oracle, MySQL, Sybase, and DB2, to mention a few.
- Both first-level and second-level caching techniques are supported by Hibernate. The Session object, which is used by default, is connected with the first level. The SessionFactory object is the focus of the second level.
- Lazy loading is a useful feature that boosts efficiency by only loading the components that are absolutely necessary for a program to run.’
- Hibernate prevents multiple threads from changing the same database record.
Limitations of using Hibernate
- Hibernate is slower than using the JDBC driver API directly.
- Batch processing is not possible with Hibernate.
- Hibernate isn’t a good choice for a tiny project.
- Even basic searches need a significant amount of setting.
How many databases does Hibernate support?
Hibernate supports almost every major RDBMS. The databases that Hibernate supports are listed below:
Informix Dynamic Server, Microsoft SQL Server Database, MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL, Sybase SQL Server, DB2/NT, HSQL Database Engine etc.
Difference between JDBC and Hibernate in Java
JDBC is a database connection and interaction framework for Java applications and its objects. Hibernate, on the other hand, is a Java-based framework that helps application objects communicate with databases, but in a very different way.
| # | JDBC | Hibernate |
| 1 | JDBC stands for Java Database Connectivity. | Hibernate is a framework. |
| 2 | JDBC is a technique for data persistence. | Hibernate is a framework for persistence. |
| 3 | Because all JDBC exceptions are checked, you must wrap every JDBC code in the inconvenient try-catch block or throws exception. | Because all Hibernate exceptions are unchecked, no code has to be written inside the try-catch block. |
| 4 | Lazy loading is not supported by JDBC. | Lazy loading is supported by Hibernate. |
| 5 | JDBC is a database-dependent programming language. For each database, different code must be written. | The Hibernate database is independent, and the same code may be used to update multiple databases with small modifications. |
| 6 | There is a security issue with JDBC. | Hibernate has not much security issues. |
| 7 | If a table does not exist in the database, you must manually create it in JDBC. | You won’t have to manually build a table since Hibernate will do it for you. |
| 8 | To implement caching, you’ll need to write code. | Hibernates provides two types of caching : First level Cache, Second level cache |
| 9 | By default, JDBC does not have a connection pooling functionality. This will be done with Java or third-party libraries. | Connection pooling is only possible with Hibernate if you add dependencies to your application build file and configure them in the Hibernate configuration file. |
Click here to understand the difference between HQL and SQL.
Conclusion of Java Hibernate Framework Tutorial
In conclusion, I hope that the Java Hibernate Framework Tutorial article has helped you understand what Hibernate Framework is, what its advantages and limitations are, and what the differences are between JDBC and Hibernate.
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