JDBC Drivers Explained

JDBC drivers bridge Java applications and databases. Modern development almost exclusively uses Type 4 (thin/ pure Java) drivers for performance and portability.

Four JDBC Driver Types

Type 1 — JDBC-ODBC Bridge (deprecated, avoid).
Type 2 — Native-API driver (uses DB client libraries).
Type 3 — Network protocol driver (middleware server).
Type 4 — Thin driver (pure Java, direct to DB — recommended).

Popular Type 4 Drivers

MySQL

com.mysql.cj.jdbc.Driver — mysql-connector-j artifact.

PostgreSQL

org.postgresql.Driver — postgresql artifact.

Oracle

oracle.jdbc.OracleDriver — ojdbc11 artifact.

SQL Server

com.microsoft.sqlserver.jdbc.SQLServerDriver.

Maven Dependency Example

<!-- MySQL -->
<dependency>
  <groupId>com.mysql</groupId>
  <artifactId>mysql-connector-j</artifactId>
  <version>8.3.0</version>
</dependency>

Frequently Asked Questions

Which driver type should I use?▼

Always use Type 4 thin drivers for new projects. They are pure Java, easy to deploy, and perform well without native dependencies.