Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) is a standard application programming interface (API) that allows different software applications to access and manipulate data from various database management systems (DBMS). It provides a uniform way for applications to communicate with databases, regardless of the underlying database technology. ODBC works by using a driver that translates the application's data queries into commands that the specific database can understand. This enables developers to write code that can interact with multiple databases without needing to change the core logic, promoting flexibility and interoperability in data management.