Spring + hibernate versus Spring Data JPA: Are they different?

Question

Although not novice, I am trying to learn spring framework (again!) in order to be sure that I really understand this. I have got fair idea on core Spring (DI). Now, I am focusi

Answer 1

Spring Data JPA is not a JPA provider. It is a library/framework that adds an extra layer of abstraction on the top of our JPA provider (like Hibernate).

So you can't use Spring Data without a JPA provider like Hibernate, EclipseLink, etc.