In order to connect a Java application with a MySQL database, you can use JDBC (Java Database Connectivity), which is a standard Java API for database-independent connectivity between the Java programming language and a wide range of databases. Here are the steps you need to follow: 1. Add JDBC Library: First, you need to add the MySQL connector (JDBC driver) in your Java project. You can download it from the MySQL official site and add it to your project's classpath. ```java //Example import java.sql.*; 2. Load Driver: You need to load the MySQL JDBC driver using forName() method of the class named Class. ```java //Example Class.forName("com.mysql.jdbc.Driver"); ``` 3. Establish Connection: Now you can connect to your MySQL database using the method getConnection() from DriverManager class with the MySQL URL and your database credentials (username, password). ```java //Example Connection connection = DriverManager.getConnection( "jdbc:mysql://localhost:3306/yourDatabaseName", "yourUsername", "yourPassword"); ``` 4. Execute Queries: Now, you can execute SQL queries (select, insert, update, etc.) using Statement or PreparedStatement. ```java //Example Statement stmt = connection.createStatement(); ResultSet rs = stmt.executeQuery("SELECT * FROM your_table_name"); While(rs.next()) { System.out.println(rs.getString("your_column_name")); } ``` 5. Close Connection: Finally, remember to close the connection to the database once you're done. ```java //Example connection.close(); ``` This is a simplified representation. In production-level code, it would be a good practice to handle SQL exceptions and any errors associated with database interactions. You can also use a connection pool, utility classes or frameworks like Hibernate to simplify database operations. Remember, it's not advisable to hard-code sensitive data like your username and password. Consider storing them in a configuration file or environment variables.