Dapper vs Entity framework

Hi Soheb Ahmad,

Dapper and Entity Framework (EF) are .NET libraries for data access.

Dapper:

It is micro ORM (Object Relational Mapper).
It's performance is extremely fast and lightweight, with performance close to raw ADO.NET.
It is used to write SQL queries by hand. It simply maps query results to your C# objects.
It provides minimal abstraction through giving direct control over SQL.
There is no change tracking, caching, or migration support.
There is no LINQ-to-SQL and need to use raw SQL or stored procedures.
It is best option for high performance scenarios, applications where you want full control over your SQL, simple data access layers.

Entity Framework (EF Core):

It is full fledged ORM.
It's performance is slower than Dapper due to extra abstraction, change tracking, LINQ parsing, but very productive for many apps.
It is used to work with strongly-typed C# classes and LINQ queries, and EF generates SQL automatically.
It supports change tracking, caching and lazy loading.
It automatic database generation and schema migrations.
It is LINQ-to-Entities for strongly typed, database-agnostic queries.
It supports multiple database providers (SQL Server, PostgreSQL, etc.)
it is best for applications with complex domain models, need for rapid development, maintainable code, and database schema evolution.

Summary

Dapper is best option when one wants to speed and hand-crafted SQL with minimal overhead.
Entity Framework is recommended for most enterprise apps where productivity, maintainability, and features like migrations and change tracking matter more than raw performance.

Glad to help! Please mark this answer as the accepted answer if it helped you out!

1 Reply

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Pankajkumar Patel3mo ago
Accepted answer
Hi Soheb Ahmad,
Dapper and Entity Framework (EF) are .NET libraries for data access.
Dapper:
- It is micro ORM (Object Relational Mapper).
- It's performance is extremely fast and lightweight, with performance close to raw ADO.NET.
- It is used to write SQL queries by hand. It simply maps query results to your C# objects.
- It provides minimal abstraction through giving direct control over SQL.
- There is no change tracking, caching, or migration support.
- There is no LINQ-to-SQL and need to use raw SQL or stored procedures.
- It is best option for high performance scenarios, applications where you want full control over your SQL, simple data access layers.
Entity Framework (EF Core):
- It is full fledged ORM.
- It's performance is slower than Dapper due to extra abstraction, change tracking, LINQ parsing, but very productive for many apps.
- It is used to work with strongly-typed C# classes and LINQ queries, and EF generates SQL automatically.
- It supports change tracking, caching and lazy loading.
- It automatic database generation and schema migrations.
- It is LINQ-to-Entities for strongly typed, database-agnostic queries.
- It supports multiple database providers (SQL Server, PostgreSQL, etc.)
- it is best for applications with complex domain models, need for rapid development, maintainable code, and database schema evolution.
Summary
- Dapper is best option when one wants to speed and hand-crafted SQL with minimal overhead.
- Entity Framework is recommended for most enterprise apps where productivity, maintainability, and features like migrations and change tracking matter more than raw performance.
Glad to help! Please mark this answer as the accepted answer if it helped you out!
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