It depends on your needs — but in modern, portable code, persist() is usually the better choice. Here’s why:
🔹 Why prefer persist()
✅ Standardized (JPA) — persist() is part of the JPA specification, so it’s portable across any JPA implementation (Hibernate, EclipseLink, etc.).
✅ Safer behavior — persist() requires an active transaction, ensuring you don’t accidentally “save” something without committing (which could silently fail with save()).
✅ Consistent semantics — guarantees the entity will become managed/persistent if the transaction commits.
🔹 When might you use save()
✅ If you specifically need the generated ID immediately, because save() returns it as a Serializable.
✅ If you’re writing Hibernate-specific code, and you don’t care about JPA portability.
✅ When you don’t mind that save() works outside transactions (but be careful: this can lead to inconsistent behavior).
🔹 Key differences summarized:
| Feature | save() | persist() |
|---|---|---|
| Returns ID? | Yes (Serializable) | No (void) |
| Requires transaction? | No (but recommended) | Yes (throws exception if missing) |
| JPA-compliant? | No (Hibernate-specific) | Yes (standard JPA) |
| Portability | Hibernate-only | Works with any JPA provider |
✅ Best practice:
Use persist() for new projects or whenever you want portable, JPA-compliant code.
Use save() only if you specifically need the returned ID and you’re OK with Hibernate-specific APIs.