What is a DAO in Java?

In Java, the DAO (Data Access Object) is a design pattern that is used to separate data access logic from business logic. The DAO layer typically includes methods for interacting with a database, such as querying, inserting, updating, and deleting data. It is responsible for handling data persistence and retrieval, as well as the details of interacting with the database in order to provide a simple, consistent, and reliable data access interface to the higher-level application. By separating data access logic from business logic, the DAO pattern provides better maintainability, scalability, and testability.