MyBatis vs Quarkus: What are the differences?

Introduction

This document provides a comparison of the key differences between MyBatis and Quarkus. Both frameworks are popular in the software development industry and serve different purposes. Understanding their differences will help developers to choose the most suitable framework for their projects.

1. Flexibility: MyBatis is a data persistence framework that gives developers complete control over SQL statement generation. It provides dynamic SQL queries and allows fine-tuning of the database interactions. On the other hand, Quarkus is a cloud-native, full-stack framework that supports multiple programming languages and offers a flexible development experience with its plugin ecosystem and dev mode.

2. Application Type: MyBatis is mainly used for building Java applications that require direct control over SQL queries and want to maintain explicit mapping between Java objects and database tables. It is commonly used in monolithic applications. In contrast, Quarkus is designed for building microservices and cloud-native applications using modern frameworks and containerization technologies like Docker and Kubernetes. It promotes lightweight, fast-booting applications optimized for serverless and cloud deployments.

3. Performance: MyBatis is known for its high performance and efficiency in handling large datasets. It provides caching mechanisms, batch operations, and customizable statement execution, resulting in optimized database access performance. Quarkus, on the other hand, focuses on fast startup time and low memory consumption. It achieves this through features like ahead-of-time compilation, reactive programming model, and native image generation. It is designed to deliver highly responsive and scalable applications.

4. Integration: MyBatis integrates seamlessly with existing legacy systems and third-party libraries. It supports various SQL databases and can easily adapt to different database providers. Quarkus, on the other hand, promotes a wide range of integrations through its extension ecosystem. It offers pre-packaged extensions for popular frameworks, databases, messaging systems, and cloud providers, enabling developers to quickly incorporate these services into their applications.

5. Development Speed: MyBatis requires manual configuration and explicit SQL mapping, which can be time-consuming, especially when dealing with complex database schemas. Quarkus, on the other hand, emphasizes speed and developer productivity by providing a highly streamlined development experience. It offers built-in defaults, auto-configuration, and live reload capabilities, allowing developers to focus more on business logic rather than infrastructure concerns.

6. Community and Support: MyBatis has been around since 2003 and has a mature and active community. It has a vast number of contributors, extensive documentation, and wide adoption in the industry. Quarkus, although relatively new, has gained significant popularity due to its innovative approach to cloud-native development. It has a growing community and strong support from Red Hat, the company behind the framework.

In summary, MyBatis is a powerful data persistence framework that provides control over SQL queries and is commonly used in monolithic Java applications. Quarkus, on the other hand, is a modern cloud-native framework designed for building microservices and optimized for performance, flexibility, and developer productivity.