When to Use Each of the 4 JDBC Driver Types

If you are accessing one type of database, such as Oracle, Sybase, or IBM, the preferred driver type is 4.

If your Java application is accessing multiple types of databases at the same time, type 3 is the preferred driver.

Type 2 drivers are useful in situations, where a type 3 or type 4 driver is not available yet for your database.

The type 1 driver is not considered a deployment-level driver, and is typically used for development and testing purposes only.