Hibernate is a popular open-source Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) framework for Java. It simplifies database interactions by mapping Java classes to database tables, allowing developers to work with data using objects instead of complex SQL queries.
Key features include:
- Automatic SQL generation
- Support for transactions and caching
- Database independence
- Handling of associations, inheritance, and lazy loading
Hibernate helps reduce boilerplate code, improves productivity, and makes applications more scalable and maintainable.