JDBC
Java Database Connectivity--a way to use SQL-based databases with Java
To use a database from a Java program, you’ll need to do (at least) these things:
- Identify a database host that you can connect to
- Set up your database tables in that database
- Set up your Java code to access that database
Identifying a database host that you can connect to
The easiest way, by far, to get started with using a SQL database is to use one called sqlite3.
The sqlite3 command is available on CSIL machines:
-bash-4.3$ sqlite3
SQLite version 3.11.0 2016-02-15 17:29:24
Enter ".help" for usage hints.
Connected to a transient in-memory database.
Use ".open FILENAME" to reopen on a persistent database.
sqlite>
Using sqlite3 has certain disadvantages, as you’ll discover.
Pros/cons of sqlite3 vs. other options
The main “pro” of sqlite3 is that it is easy to set up:
- It is “serverless”. Meaning that to use it, you either
- Use the command line tool sqlite3
- Access the database through some sqlite API, e.g. the JDBC API for Java
- It is already installed on CSIL
- It is relatively easy to install on Mac, Windows, Linux
Some disadvantages:
From http://talks.php.net/show/sqlite_jan/4:
- It’s Slow
- Locks whole file for writing.
- No caching mechanism of it’s own.
- Limited
- Database size restricted to 2GB in most cases.
- Not fully SQL92 compliant.
- Not very scalable.
But, for small applications in CMPSC56, it is likely that none of those things will matter.
Here are some links to other discussions of pros/cons of sqlite:
- https://www.sqlite.org/different.html
- https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/sqlite-vs-mysql-vs-postgresql-a-comparison-of-relational-database-management-systems
- https://www.sqlite.org/whentouse.html