ibatis

iBatis is a lightweight persistence framework for Java that maps SQL statements to Java objects. Unlike traditional object-relational mappers, iBatis gives developers direct control over SQL while relieving them of repetitive JDBC boilerplate. SQL statements, parameters, and result mappings are declared in configuration files (and can also be supplied via annotations), and the framework handles the execution and result hydration behind the scenes.

Key features include explicit SQL, flexible mapping of query results to domain objects, parameter mapping, dynamic SQL generation, and support for stored procedures and multiple result sets. iBatis emphasizes SQL-centric development, making it suitable for applications with complex queries or where fine-grained control over SQL is essential.

History and lineage: iBatis was originally developed as an open-source project by Clinton Begin in the early 2000s. It later became part of the Apache Software Foundation as Apache iBatis. In the following years, the community shifted focus toward the MyBatis project, which continued to evolve the iBatis concepts and introduced new features. Today, MyBatis is the actively maintained continuation of the iBatis lineage, and it is generally recommended for new projects seeking an SQL-centric persistence approach.

See also: MyBatis, JDBC, ORM.