Introduction

Spring Boot with Spring Data JDBC is a powerful combination for building applications that interact with relational databases using a simple and clean approach. This guide will explore how to integrate Spring Boot with Spring Data JDBC, understand the basics of JDBC-based data access, and provide sample code with explanations for its implementation.

Why Use JDBC with Spring Boot?

Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) is a well-established and reliable technology for interacting with relational databases. Spring Data JDBC simplifies database access with Spring Boot, offering benefits such as:

• Lightweight: Spring Data JDBC provides a minimalist and efficient way to work with databases without the complexity of full-fledged ORM frameworks.
• Native SQL Queries: It allows you to write native SQL queries when needed, giving you full control over database interactions.
• Automatic Mapping: Spring Data JDBC can automatically map your domain objects to database tables, reducing boilerplate code.

Getting Started with Spring Data JDBC

To start using Spring Boot with Spring Data JDBC, follow these steps:

1. Create a Spring Boot project using the Spring Initializr or your preferred IDE.
2. Add the Spring Data JDBC dependency to your project's pom.xml (Maven) or build.gradle (Gradle) file:

<!-- Maven -->
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-boot-starter-data-jpa</artifactId>
</dependency>
        

// Gradle
dependencies {
    implementation 'org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-starter-data-jpa'
}
        

3. Configure your database connection in your application's properties file:

# application.properties
spring.datasource.url=jdbc:mysql://localhost:3306/mydb
spring.datasource.username=myuser
spring.datasource.password=mypassword
spring.datasource.driver-class-name=com.mysql.cj.jdbc.Driver
        

4. Create an entity class representing your database table:

import org.springframework.data.annotation.Id;
import org.springframework.data.relational.core.mapping.Table;
@Table("products")
public class Product {
    @Id
    private Long id;
    private String name;
    private double price;
    // Getters and setters
}
        

5. Create a repository interface for your entities:

import org.springframework.data.repository.CrudRepository;
public interface ProductRepository extends CrudRepository<Product, Long> {
}
        

6. Use the repository to perform CRUD operations on your database data, including creating, reading, updating, and deleting records.

@Service
public class ProductService {
    private final ProductRepository productRepository;
    @Autowired
    public ProductService(ProductRepository productRepository) {
        this.productRepository = productRepository;
    }
    public Product saveProduct(Product product) {
        return productRepository.save(product);
    }
    public Product getProduct(Long id) {
        return productRepository.findById(id).orElse(null);
    }
    public void deleteProduct(Long id) {
        productRepository.deleteById(id);
    }
}
        

In this example, the ProductService uses the ProductRepository to interact with the database and perform operations on Product records.

Conclusion

Spring Boot with Spring Data JDBC provides a straightforward way to work with relational databases. This guide introduced the integration, key benefits, and provided sample code for working with JDBC in a Spring Boot application. As you explore this combination further, you'll find it invaluable for building applications that rely on traditional relational databases.