Hibernate is a tool for object-relational mapping (ORM) for the Java platform (and also available for. NET with NHibernate name) that facilitates the mapping of attributes between a base of traditional relational database and object model application through declarative (XML) files or annotations in the beans of the entities that establish these relationships.

Like all tools of its kind, Hibernate seeks to solve the problem of the difference between the two models of concurrent data in an application: used in computer memory (OO) and used in databases (model relational). To achieve this allows the developer detailing how your data model, what relationships exist and how have. With this information Hibernate allows the application to manipulate data in the database to operate on objects, with all the features of OOP. Hibernate converts the data between the types used by Java and SQL defined. Hibernate generates SQL statements and frees the developer from manual handling of data resulting from the execution of those judgments, maintaining portability across all database engines with a slight increase in run time.

Hibernate is designed to be flexible in the table schema used to suit your application on the basis of existing data. It also has the ability to create the database from the information available.

Hibernate offers a query language called HQL data (Hibernate Query Language), while an API to programmatically build queries (known as "criteria").

Java Hibernate for Java can be used in standalone applications or Java EE applications using Hibernate Annotations component that implements the JPA standard, which is part of this platform.