Introduction to Entity Framework Core (EF Core)

What is EF Core?

Entity Framework Core (EF Core) is Microsoft’s modern, lightweight, and open-source Object-Relational Mapper (ORM) for .NET applications. It allows you to interact with your database using .NET objects, eliminating most of the need for raw SQL queries.

In short:

EF Core lets you query and save data to a database using C# instead of SQL.

Why Use EF Core?

1. Productivity

With EF Core, you can:

• Generate database schema from C# classes (Code-First)

• Create and apply migrations easily

• Avoid boilerplate SQL code

public class Product
{
    public int Id { get; set; }
    public string Name { get; set; }
}

With just a few lines of code, EF Core can create tables, relationships, and constraints automatically.

2. Cross-Platform Support

EF Core works with:

• Windows, Linux, macOS

• .NET 6/7/8, ASP.NET Core, Blazor, etc.

• Multiple databases (SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, etc.)

3. LINQ Support

EF Core allows you to use LINQ queries directly in C#:

var products = await dbContext.Products
    .Where(p => p.Name.Contains("Laptop"))
    .ToListAsync();

No need to write complex SQL for most queries.

4. Change Tracking

EF Core automatically keeps track of changes in your objects and knows what needs to be updated in the database during SaveChanges().

5. Migrations

You can version your database using migrations:

dotnet ef migrations add InitialCreate
dotnet ef database update

This makes schema changes safe, repeatable, and trackable in source control.

When to Use EF Core

• Building new applications in .NET 6/7/8

• Projects needing rapid development and prototyping

• Applications with moderate to complex data access logic

When Not to Use EF Core

• Extremely performance-sensitive applications with complex raw SQL

• Projects needing full control over every SQL operation

Final Thoughts

EF Core is an ideal choice for most modern .NET applications. It reduces boilerplate, improves maintainability, and makes working with databases more intuitive.

Whether you're building a small web API or a large enterprise system, EF Core helps you write clean, maintainable, and testable data access code.