What is JDBC Driver?

JDBC Driver is a software component that enables java application to interact with the database. There are 4 types of JDBC drivers: JDBC-ODBC bridge driver Native-API driver (partially java driver) Network Protocol driver (fully java driver) Thin driver (fully java driver)

1) JDBC-ODBC bridge driver

The JDBC-ODBC bridge driver uses ODBC driver to connect to the database. The JDBC-ODBC bridge driver converts JDBC method calls into the ODBC function calls. This is now discouraged because of thin driver.

In Java 8, the JDBC-ODBC Bridge has been removed.

Oracle does not support the JDBC-ODBC Bridge from Java 8. Oracle recommends that you use JDBC drivers provided by the vendor of your database instead of the JDBC-ODBC Bridge.

Advantages:

• easy to use.
• can be easily connected to any database.

Disadvantages:

• Performance degraded because JDBC method call is converted into the ODBC function calls.
• The ODBC driver needs to be installed on the client machine.

2) Native-API driver

The Native API driver uses the client-side libraries of the database. The driver converts JDBC method calls into native calls of the database API. It is not written entirely in java.

Advantage:

• performance upgraded than JDBC-ODBC bridge driver.

Disadvantage:

• The Native driver needs to be installed on the each client machine.
• The Vendor client library needs to be installed on client machine.

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3) Network Protocol driver

The Network Protocol driver uses middleware (application server) that converts JDBC calls directly or indirectly into the vendor-specific database protocol. It is fully written in java.

Advantage:

• No client side library is required because of application server that can perform many tasks like auditing, load balancing, logging etc.

Disadvantages:

• Network support is required on client machine.
• Requires database-specific coding to be done in the middle tier.
• Maintenance of Network Protocol driver becomes costly because it requires database-specific coding to be done in the middle tier.

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4) Thin driver

The thin driver converts JDBC calls directly into the vendor-specific database protocol. That is why it is known as thin driver. It is fully written in Java language.

Advantage:

• Better performance than all other drivers.
• No software is required at client side or server side.

Disadvantage:

• Drivers depend on the Database.