What is the Difference Between First-Level Cache and Second-Level Cache in Hibernate?

One of the key concepts in Hibernate performance optimization is the difference between first-level cache and second-level cache.

First-level cache is associated with the Hibernate Session object and is used to store the entities that have been recently accessed within a single Hibernate session. It is enabled by default and helps in reducing the number of SQL queries sent to the database by caching the objects at the session level.

Second-level cache, on the other hand, is a shared cache that is available across different sessions and can store objects across multiple transactions. It helps in improving performance by reducing the database load and decreasing the overall response time by caching data at a higher level.

It is important to note that while first-level cache is limited to a single session and is cleared when the session is closed, second-level cache persists data across sessions and transactions, providing a more comprehensive caching solution for improved performance.

Understanding the distinction between these two types of caches in Hibernate is crucial for optimizing the application performance and database interactions.