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spring-data-jdbc

Spring Data JDBC for simple, lightweight database access without JPA complexity. Covers aggregates, repositories, custom queries, and DDD patterns. USE WHEN: user mentions "spring data jdbc", "simple database access", "no JPA", "aggregate roots", "DDD with JDBC", "lightweight ORM", "@MappedCollection" DO NOT USE FOR: JPA/Hibernate features - use `spring-data-jpa` instead, reactive database - use `spring-r2dbc` instead, NoSQL - use respective skills

personAuthor: jakexiaohubgithub

Spring Data JDBC - Quick Reference

Full Reference: See advanced.md for custom row mappers, ID generation, auditing, event listeners, and Testcontainers integration.

Deep Knowledge: Use mcp__documentation__fetch_docs with technology: spring-data-jdbc for comprehensive documentation.

Why Spring Data JDBC over JPA?

| Spring Data JDBC | Spring Data JPA | |------------------|-----------------| | No lazy loading | Lazy loading | | No dirty checking | Auto dirty checking | | No session/cache | First-level cache | | Explicit SQL | Generated SQL | | Fast startup | Slower startup |

Dependencies

<dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-boot-starter-data-jdbc</artifactId>
</dependency>

Entity Mapping

@Table("users")
public class User {
    @Id
    private Long id;
    private String username;
    private String email;

    @Column("created_at")
    private LocalDateTime createdAt;
}

Aggregate Design

@Table("orders")
public class Order {
    @Id
    private Long id;
    private Long customerId;  // Reference by ID, not entity
    private OrderStatus status;

    @MappedCollection(idColumn = "order_id")
    private Set<OrderItem> items = new HashSet<>();

    public void addItem(Long productId, int quantity, BigDecimal price) {
        items.add(new OrderItem(productId, quantity, price));
    }

    public BigDecimal getTotal() {
        return items.stream()
            .map(OrderItem::getSubtotal)
            .reduce(BigDecimal.ZERO, BigDecimal::add);
    }
}

// Aggregate member (no @Id - lifecycle managed by root)
public class OrderItem {
    private Long productId;
    private int quantity;
    private BigDecimal unitPrice;

    public BigDecimal getSubtotal() {
        return unitPrice.multiply(BigDecimal.valueOf(quantity));
    }
}

Repository Pattern

public interface OrderRepository extends CrudRepository<Order, Long> {

    List<Order> findByCustomerId(Long customerId);
    List<Order> findByStatus(OrderStatus status);

    @Query("SELECT * FROM orders WHERE status = :status ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT :limit")
    List<Order> findRecentByStatus(OrderStatus status, int limit);

    @Modifying
    @Query("UPDATE orders SET status = :newStatus WHERE status = :oldStatus AND created_at < :before")
    int updateOldOrders(OrderStatus oldStatus, OrderStatus newStatus, LocalDateTime before);

    boolean existsByCustomerIdAndStatus(Long customerId, OrderStatus status);
}

Schema

CREATE TABLE orders (
    id BIGSERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
    customer_id BIGINT NOT NULL,
    status VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL
);

CREATE TABLE order_item (
    order_id BIGINT NOT NULL REFERENCES orders(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
    product_id BIGINT NOT NULL,
    quantity INT NOT NULL,
    unit_price DECIMAL(10, 2) NOT NULL
);

When NOT to Use This Skill

  • Need lazy loading - Use spring-data-jpa for complex entity graphs
  • Reactive applications - Use spring-r2dbc for non-blocking access
  • Complex ORM features - Use JPA for second-level cache, dirty checking

Anti-Patterns

| Anti-Pattern | Problem | Solution | |--------------|---------|----------| | JPA-style entity graphs | Not supported | Design proper aggregates | | Embedding other aggregates | Coupling | Reference by ID only | | Large aggregates | Performance issues | Keep aggregates small | | Missing CASCADE on FK | Orphan records | Add ON DELETE CASCADE |

Quick Troubleshooting

| Problem | Diagnostic | Fix | |---------|------------|-----| | Entity not saved | Check @Id generation | Configure ID callback or auto-increment | | Children not persisted | Check @MappedCollection | Add idColumn properly | | Column not mapped | Check naming | Use @Column for custom names | | Transaction not working | Check @Transactional | Ensure Spring proxy |

Best Practices

| Do | Don't | |----|-------| | Design proper aggregates | Use JPA-style entity graphs | | Reference other aggregates by ID | Embed other aggregate roots | | Keep aggregates small | Create huge aggregate graphs | | Use immutable value objects | Mutate embedded objects directly |

Production Checklist

  • [ ] Aggregate boundaries defined
  • [ ] Schema matches entity mapping
  • [ ] Indexes on query columns
  • [ ] Foreign keys with CASCADE
  • [ ] Transaction boundaries clear
  • [ ] Connection pool configured

Reference Documentation