Tuesday, 22 July 2025

ASP.NET Core's Entity Framework Core

Leave a Comment

 Entity Framework (EF) Core is a lightweight, flexible, open-source, and cross-platform version of the popular Entity Framework data access technology. It functions as an Object-Relational Mapper (ORM), removing the requirement for the majority of the data-access code that developers typically write and allowing.NET developers to work with a database using.NET objects.

In this article, we will walk through the process of setting up EF Core in an ASP.NET Core web application and performing basic CRUD operations.

Why Entity Framework Core?
  • Productivity: Auto-generates SQL scripts and manages migrations.
  • Maintainability: Makes code cleaner and more maintainable.
  • Testability: Supports dependency injection and in-memory databases.
  • Cross-platform: Works across Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Prerequisites

  • Visual Studio 2022 or later (or VS Code with .NET SDK).
  • .NET 6 or .NET 8 SDK installed.
  • Basic knowledge of C# and ASP.NET Core MVC.
Step-by-Step Implementation

Step 1. Create an ASP.NET Core MVC Project

Create a new project in Visual Studio.

File > New > Project > ASP.NET Core Web App (Model-View-Controller)

Ensure .NET 6.0 or .NET 8.0 is selected.

Step 2. Install Entity Framework Core Packages

Using NuGet Package Manager Console.

Install-Package Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore
Install-Package Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.SqlServer
Install-Package Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Tools

Step 3: Define the Data Model

Create a model class under Models folder.

public class Student
{
    public int Id { get; set; }
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public string Course { get; set; }
    public int Age { get; set; }
}

Step 4: Configure DbContext

Create a class AppDbContext.cs:

using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore;
public class AppDbContext : DbContext
{
    public AppDbContext(DbContextOptions<AppDbContext> options)
        : base(options)
    {
    }
    public DbSet<Student> Students { get; set; }
}

Register this context in Program.cs

builder.Services.AddDbContext<AppDbContext>(options =>
    options.UseSqlServer(
        builder.Configuration.GetConnectionString("DefaultConnection")
    )
);

Add the connection string in appsettings.json.

{
  "ConnectionStrings": {
    "DefaultConnection": "Server=.;Database=StudentDB;Trusted_Connection=True;"
  }
}

Step 5: Add a Controller and Views

Use the scaffold tool to generate a controller and views.

Add > Controller > MVC Controller with views, using Entity Framework
SQL

Choose the Student model and AppDbContext.

Step 6: Run Migrations

Add-Migration InitialCreate
Update-Database

This creates the database and tables.

Best Practices

  • Always validate input models.
  • Use async methods for better performance.
  • Use Repository Pattern for complex systems.

Challenges Faced

  • Initial migration issues if connection strings are misconfigured.
  • Model-property mismatches can throw runtime errors.
  • Limited debugging options compared to raw SQL.

Future Scope

  • Integrate EF Core with Azure SQL Database.
  • Use EF Core with APIs and microservices.
  • Explore advanced features like Query Tags, Global Filters, and Stored Procedures.

Author Information

  • Name: Mohammed Altaf
  • Expertise: C#, ASP.NET Core, ML, Data Engineering

Best SQL 2022 Hosting Recommendation

One of the most important things when choosing a good SQL 2019 hosting is the feature and reliability. HostForLIFE is the leading provider of Windows hosting and affordable SQL 2019, their servers are optimized for PHP web applications. The performance and the uptime of the hosting service are excellent and the features of the web hosting plan are even greater than what many hosting providers ask you to pay for. 

At HostForLIFEASP.NET, customers can also experience fast SQL 2019 hosting. The company invested a lot of money to ensure the best and fastest performance of the datacenters, servers, network and other facilities. Its datacenters are equipped with the top equipments like cooling system, fire detection, high speed Internet connection, and so on. That is why HostForLIFEASP.NET guarantees 99.9% uptime for SQL 2019. And the engineers do regular maintenance and monitoring works to assure its Orchard hosting are security and always up.

0 comments:

Post a Comment