Transaction management in Java is a process of managing the transactional behavior of applications using programming constructs provided by Java. A transaction can be defined as a sequence of database operations that are logically grouped together, such as inserting, updating, and deleting records in a database. Transaction management is important in ensuring that database operations are performed reliably, ensuring that changes are not lost due to errors or system failures.

In Java, transaction management is typically handled by a Transaction Manager, which is responsible for managing the various components involved in the transaction process, such as resource managers (e.g. databases) and transactional objects. The Transaction Manager ensures that all transactional objects are registered with the appropriate resource manager, and that the appropriate locks are acquired and released during the transaction.

To work with transactions in Java, there are various technologies and frameworks available, such as Java Transaction API (JTA), Java Persistence API (JPA), and Spring Framework. These tools provide developers with APIs and libraries to manage transactions in a programmatic and declarative manner, simplifying the process of managing complex transactions across multiple resources.

In summary, transaction management is a critical aspect of developing reliable and robust applications in Java programming. By using transaction management frameworks and tools, developers can ensure that transactions are managed effectively and efficiently, reducing the risk of data loss or inconsistency resulting from errors or system failures.