# Connecting to Databases

> To perform operations on a database, an application connects to the database (creates a database handle) by creating a connection. The database must have been previously created, possibly in a different process if the database is in shared memory. The database connection is used in subsequent calls to database APIs.

> Note that all applications must create a separate connection for each thread (task) that accesses the database; database connections cannot be shared between different threads or tasks.

> The APIs and structures for creating database connections are specific to the programming language used. Please use the links below to view detailed explanations and examples for your development environment:

> C | Creating database connections in C
> C++ | Creating database connections in C++
> Java | Creating database connections in Java
> Python | Creating database connections in Python
> C# | Creating database connections in C#