To Open or To Close: When Should You Manage Your Database Connection?

When to Open and Close a Database Connection

For applications requiring database connectivity, a dilemma arises: should the database connection remain open continuously or be opened and closed only as needed?

Closed Connections for Performance

Opening a database connection incurs a performance overhead. Therefore, keeping a connection open for extended periods can strain system resources. By contrast, opening and closing connections only when necessary minimizes performance penalties.

Example Code:

Pre-Java 7:

<code class="java">Connection con = null;
try {
    con = ... //retrieve the database connection
    //do your work...
} catch (SQLException e) {
    //handle the exception
} finally {
    try {
        if (con != null) {
            con.close();
        }
    } catch (SQLException shouldNotHandleMe) {
        //...
    }
}</code>

Java 7:

<code class="java">try (Connection con = ...) {
} catch (SQLException e) {
}
//no need to call Connection#close since now Connection interface extends Autocloseable</code>

Use Database Connection Pools for Efficiency

Manually opening and closing database connections can be cumbersome and costly. To optimize performance, consider using a connection pool. This pool maintains a pool of established connections, eliminating the need for costly connection establishment and termination. When you close a connection within a pool, it enters a "sleep" mode and remains available for future use.

Related Resources:

• Java Connection Pooling

• Database Connection Pooling Tools:

  • BoneCP
  • c3po
  • Apache Commons DBCP
  • HikariCP

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