JDBC (Java Database Connectivity) provides a standard API for connecting to and interacting with relational databases. The key aspects are:
1) JDBC standardizes the connection establishment and query execution process but not the actual SQL syntax.
2) There are three main types of statements - regular statements, prepared statements, and callable statements - that allow executing SQL queries and commands.
3) The basic steps to use JDBC are: load the driver, define the connection URL, establish a connection, create a statement, execute queries, process results, and close the connection.
4) Transactions allow grouping statements together to commit or rollback as a single unit of work.