Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Hibernate ORM VS MyBATIS

Compare Hibernate ORM VS MyBATIS and see what are their differences

Hibernate ORM logo Hibernate ORM

Hibernate team account. Hibernate is a suite of open source projects around domain models. The flagship project is Hibernate ORM, the Object Relational Mapper.

MyBATIS logo MyBATIS

MyBatis is a top-rated SQL-based data mapping solution used by Programmers, Software Engineers, and Database Architects for developing object-oriented software applications.
  • Hibernate ORM Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-04-25
  • MyBATIS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-18

Hibernate ORM features and specs

  • Abstraction
    Hibernate provides a high level of abstraction around database operations, which allows developers to focus on business logic rather than database interactions. This leads to reduced boilerplate code and improved productivity.
  • Automatic Schema Generation
    It offers the ability to automatically generate database schemas based on the entity mappings, which simplifies the process of setting up and maintaining the database schema.
  • Caching
    Hibernate includes a robust caching mechanism which can significantly improve application performance by reducing the number of database queries needed.
  • Lazy Loading
    Hibernate supports lazy loading, meaning that data is only fetched from the database when it is actually needed, which can help optimize performance and reduce unnecessary data retrieval.
  • Database Independence
    With Hibernate, applications can be more easily adapted to work with different underlying databases, as it abstracts away vendor-specific SQL code, promoting portability.

Possible disadvantages of Hibernate ORM

  • Complexity
    Hibernate can introduce additional complexity, especially for developers unfamiliar with ORM concepts, requiring a steep learning curve to effectively implement and manage.
  • Performance Overhead
    The abstraction layer Hibernate provides can introduce some performance overhead compared to native SQL, particularly in complex queries requiring fine-tuned optimization.
  • Debugging and Profiling Challenges
    Since Hibernate abstracts the database interactions, it can make it more difficult to debug and profile applications, particularly in relation to understanding and optimizing the generated SQL queries.
  • Memory Consumption
    The use of caching and session management within Hibernate can result in increased memory consumption, which needs careful management, particularly in large-scale applications.
  • Schema Update Limitations
    Automatic schema generation has its limits, and complex database updates or custom table designs might require manual intervention, limiting the automation benefits.

MyBATIS features and specs

  • Simplicity
    MyBatis is easier to use compared to other ORM tools because it provides a simple and direct approach to database interaction using XML or annotations, making it accessible for developers familiar with SQL.
  • Flexibility in SQL
    It allows for complete control over SQL queries, enabling developers to write complex queries and use full SQL syntax without constraints, unlike automated ORM solutions.
  • Performance
    Since developers have direct control over SQL statements, the performance can be optimized for specific use cases, potentially reducing the overhead that automated ORM solutions might introduce.
  • Mapping
    Offers robust and customizable mapping capabilities between database tables and Java classes, helping in clearly defining how data should be transformed between the system and the data layer.
  • Lazy Loading
    Supports lazy loading of related objects, which can improve performance by delaying the fetching of data until it is specifically needed.

Possible disadvantages of MyBATIS

  • Manual SQL Management
    The need to manually write and maintain SQL can be cumbersome and error-prone, especially for complex applications with large numbers of queries.
  • Lack of Automated Associations
    MyBatis does not inherently manage relationships between entities like some other ORM tools, which requires developers to handle association mappings themselves.
  • Limited Abstraction
    Compared to full ORM frameworks, MyBatis offers less abstraction over the database layer, which means developers must handle more of the database logic manually.
  • Learning Curve for XML
    While not steep, there is a learning curve involved in configuring MyBatis using XML for those who are more accustomed to purely annotation-driven configuration or other ORM tools.
  • Reduced Portability
    Because SQL is database-specific, MyBatis applications might become less portable across different database platforms when relying extensively on custom SQL.

Hibernate ORM videos

No Hibernate ORM videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

MyBATIS videos

Screencast #18: Introduction to mybatis

More videos:

  • Demo - MyBatis Intro & Demo

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Hibernate ORM and MyBATIS)
Web Frameworks
51 51%
49% 49
Databases
100 100%
0% 0
Development
17 17%
83% 83
Backend Development
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using Hibernate ORM and MyBATIS. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Hibernate ORM and MyBATIS

Hibernate ORM Reviews

We have no reviews of Hibernate ORM yet.
Be the first one to post

MyBATIS Reviews

17 Popular Java Frameworks for 2023: Pros, cons, and more
MyBatis is somewhat similar to the Hibernate framework, as both facilitate communication between the application layer and the database. However, MyBatis doesn’t map Java objects to database tables like Hibernate does — instead, it links Java methods to SQL statements. As a result, SQL is visible when you’re working with the MyBatis framework, and you still have control over...
Source: raygun.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Hibernate ORM should be more popular than MyBATIS. It has been mentiond 10 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Hibernate ORM mentions (10)

  • Create a simple REST application using Quarkus
    This quick start guide gets you up and running with Quarkus on macOS, including necessary tools. You will build a basic database application using Quarkus, Java 17, PostgreSQL, and Hibernate ORM Panache. While Hibernate ORM is the standard, powerful Jakarta Persistence implementation capable of complex mappings, it doesn't always make the most common tasks trivial. Hibernate ORM with Panache is Quarkus's solution... - Source: dev.to / 16 days ago
  • How to Monitor SQL Performance in Spring Boot
    Slow SQL queries can cripple your Spring Boot application. Monitoring SQL performance is essential to keep your app running smoothly, and tools like Spring Boot Actuator, Hibernate Statistics, and Micrometer make it easier. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Let's write a simple microservice in Clojure
    Postgres-based persistence with a pretty straightforward mapping of SQL queries to Clojure functions. If you have ever used Java with Hibernate ORM for data persistence, you will feel relief after working with the database in Clojure with Hugsql. The model of the persistence layer is much simpler and easier to understand without the need for Session Cache, Application Level Cache and Query Cache. Debugging is... - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • MediatR and where to put the command classes
    This is so close to perfection. For me though application shouldn't have a coupling with entity framework. If you wanted to switch out EF to use hibernate (https://hibernate.org/orm/)? you're application is coupled to EF and would require a lot more work. Source: about 2 years ago
  • In One Minute : Hibernate
    Hibernate is the umbrella for a collection of libraries, most notably Hibernate ORM which provides Object/Relational Mapping for java domain objects. In addition to its own "native" API, Hibernate ORM is also an implementation of the Java Persistence API (jpa) specification. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
View more

MyBATIS mentions (2)

  • How do you guys go about the persistence layer?
    Other tools you can look at for the data layer are MyBatis (https://mybatis.org/mybatis-3/) and JOOQ (https://www.jooq.org) they put you a little closer to the database than JPA/Hibernate. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Do most established companies use ORMs?
    While its not as well known, have you ever glanced at mybatis? https://mybatis.org/mybatis-3/. Source: over 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Hibernate ORM and MyBATIS, you can also consider the following products

Eloquent ORM - [READ ONLY] Subtree split of the Illuminate Database component (see laravel/framework) - illuminate/database

Hibernate - Hibernate an open source Java persistence framework project.

DevExpress XPO - Free-of-Charge (without Technical Support), also see GitHub and Benchmarks.

Entity Framework - See Comparison of Entity Framework vs NHibernate.

Dapper - Dapper is a user-friendly object mapper for the .NET framework.

LLBLGen Pro - LLBLGen Pro: Using databases in your .NET code made easy. The entity modeling solution for Entity Framework, LLBLGen Pro Runtime Framework, NHibernate and Linq to SQL.