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Enterprise Intermediate

JDBC versus jOOQ

Replace raw JDBC string-based SQL with jOOQ's type-safe, fluent SQL DSL.

Code Comparison
โœ• Raw JDBC 
String sql = "SELECT id, name, email FROM users "
           + "WHERE department = ? AND salary > ?";
try (Connection con = ds.getConnection();
     PreparedStatement ps =
             con.prepareStatement(sql)) {
    ps.setString(1, department);
    ps.setBigDecimal(2, minSalary);
    ResultSet rs = ps.executeQuery();
    List<User> result = new ArrayList<>();
    while (rs.next()) {
        result.add(new User(
            rs.getLong("id"),
            rs.getString("name"),
            rs.getString("email")));
    }
    return result;
}
โœ“ jOOQ 
DSLContext dsl = DSL.using(ds, SQLDialect.POSTGRES);

return dsl
    .select(USERS.ID, USERS.NAME, USERS.EMAIL)
    .from(USERS)
    .where(USERS.DEPARTMENT.eq(department)
        .and(USERS.SALARY.gt(minSalary)))
    .fetchInto(User.class);
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Why the modern way wins
๐Ÿ”’

Type-safe columns

Column names are generated Java constants โ€” typos and type mismatches become compiler errors instead of runtime failures.

๐Ÿ“–

SQL fluency

The jOOQ DSL mirrors SQL syntax closely, so complex JOINs, subqueries, and CTEs stay readable.

๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ

Injection-free by design

Parameters are always bound safely โ€” no string concatenation means no SQL injection risk.

Old Approach
Raw JDBC
Modern Approach
jOOQ SQL DSL
Since JDK
11
Difficulty
Intermediate
JDK Support
JDBC versus jOOQ
Available

jOOQ open-source edition supports all major open-source databases; older commercial databases require a paid license

How it works

jOOQ (Java Object Oriented Querying) generates Java code from your database schema, turning table and column names into type-safe Java constants. The fluent DSL mirrors SQL syntax so queries are readable and composable. All parameters are bound automatically, eliminating SQL injection risk. Unlike JPA/JPQL, jOOQ embraces SQL fully โ€” window functions, CTEs, RETURNING clauses, and vendor-specific extensions are all first-class.

Related Documentation
jOOQ โ€” Getting Started โ†— jOOQ โ€” DSL API Reference โ†—
Related patterns
Enterprise Intermediate

JDBC versus JPA

Java EE
String sql = "SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = ?";
try (Connection con = dataSource.getConnection();
     PreparedStatement ps =
             con.prepareStatement(sql)) {
    ps.setLong(1, id);
    ResultSet rs = ps.executeQuery();
    if (rs.next()) {
        User u = new User();
        u.setId(rs.getLong("id"));
        u.setName(rs.getString("name"));
    }
}
Jakarta EE 8+
@PersistenceContext
EntityManager em;

public User findUser(Long id) {
    return em.find(User.class, id);
}

public List<User> findByName(String name) {
    return em.createQuery(
        "SELECT u FROM User u WHERE u.name = :name",
        User.class)
        .setParameter("name", name)
        .getResultList();
}
Hover to see modern โžœ
JDK 11+ โ†’
Enterprise Advanced

JDBC ResultSet Mapping vs JPA Criteria API

Java EE
String sql = "SELECT * FROM users"
    + " WHERE status = ? AND age > ?";
try (Connection con = ds.getConnection();
     PreparedStatement ps =
             con.prepareStatement(sql)) {
    ps.setString(1, status);
    ps.setInt(2, minAge);
    ResultSet rs = ps.executeQuery();
    List<User> users = new ArrayList<>();
    while (rs.next()) {
        User u = new User();
        u.setId(rs.getLong("id"));
        u.setName(rs.getString("name"));
        u.setAge(rs.getInt("age"));
        users.add(u);
    }
}
Jakarta EE 8+
@PersistenceContext
EntityManager em;

public List<User> findActiveAboveAge(
        String status, int minAge) {
    var cb = em.getCriteriaBuilder();
    var cq =
        cb.createQuery(User.class);
    var root = cq.from(User.class);
    cq.select(root).where(
        cb.equal(root.get("status"), status),
        cb.greaterThan(root.get("age"), minAge));
    return em.createQuery(cq).getResultList();
}
Hover to see modern โžœ
JDK 11+ โ†’
Enterprise Intermediate

Manual JPA Transaction vs Declarative @Transactional

Java EE
@PersistenceContext
EntityManager em;

public void transferFunds(Long from, Long to,
                          BigDecimal amount) {
    EntityTransaction tx = em.getTransaction();
    tx.begin();
    try {
        Account src = em.find(Account.class, from);
        Account dst = em.find(Account.class, to);
        src.debit(amount);
        dst.credit(amount);
        tx.commit();
    } catch (Exception e) {
        tx.rollback();
        throw e;
    }
}
Jakarta EE 8+
@ApplicationScoped
public class AccountService {
    @PersistenceContext
    EntityManager em;

    @Transactional
    public void transferFunds(Long from, Long to,
                              BigDecimal amount) {
        var src = em.find(Account.class, from);
        var dst = em.find(Account.class, to);
        src.debit(amount);
        dst.credit(amount);
    }
}
Hover to see modern โžœ
JDK 11+ โ†’
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