Entity Framework Core best practices including NoTracking by default, query splitting for navigation collections, migration management, dedicated migration services, and common pitfalls to avoid.

SKILL.md•efcore-patterns

Entity Framework Core Patterns

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

Setting up EF Core in a new project
Optimizing query performance
Managing database migrations
Integrating EF Core with .NET Aspire
Debugging change tracking issues
Loading multiple navigation collections efficiently (query splitting)

Core Principles

NoTracking by Default - Most queries are read-only; opt-in to tracking
Never Edit Migrations Manually - Always use CLI commands
Dedicated Migration Service - Separate migration execution from application startup
ExecutionStrategy for Retries - Handle transient database failures
Explicit Updates - When NoTracking, explicitly mark entities for update

Pattern 1: NoTracking by Default

Configure your DbContext to disable change tracking by default. This improves performance for read-heavy workloads.

public class ApplicationDbContext : DbContext
{
    public ApplicationDbContext(DbContextOptions<ApplicationDbContext> options)
        : base(options)
    {
        // Disable change tracking by default for better performance on read-only queries
        // Use .AsTracking() explicitly for queries that need to track changes
        ChangeTracker.QueryTrackingBehavior = QueryTrackingBehavior.NoTracking;
    }

    public DbSet<Order> Orders => Set<Order>();
    public DbSet<Customer> Customers => Set<Customer>();
}

When NoTracking is Active

Read-only queries work normally:

// ✅ Fast read - no tracking overhead
var orders = await dbContext.Orders
    .Where(o => o.Status == OrderStatus.Pending)
    .ToListAsync();

Writes require explicit handling:

// ❌ WRONG - Entity not tracked, SaveChanges does nothing
var order = await dbContext.Orders.FirstOrDefaultAsync(o => o.Id == orderId);
order.Status = OrderStatus.Shipped;
await dbContext.SaveChangesAsync(); // Nothing happens!

// ✅ CORRECT - Explicitly mark entity for update
var order = await dbContext.Orders.FirstOrDefaultAsync(o => o.Id == orderId);
order.Status = OrderStatus.Shipped;
dbContext.Orders.Update(order); // Marks entire entity as modified
await dbContext.SaveChangesAsync();

// ✅ ALSO CORRECT - Use AsTracking() for the query
var order = await dbContext.Orders
    .AsTracking()
    .FirstOrDefaultAsync(o => o.Id == orderId);
order.Status = OrderStatus.Shipped;
await dbContext.SaveChangesAsync(); // Works!

When to Use Tracking

Scenario	Use Tracking?	Why
Display data in UI	No	Read-only, no updates
API GET endpoints	No	Returning data, no mutations
Update single entity	Yes or explicit Update()	Need to save changes
Complex update with navigation	Yes	Tracking handles relationships
Batch operations	No + ExecuteUpdate	More efficient

Explicit Add/Update Pattern

public class OrderService
{
    private readonly ApplicationDbContext _db;

    // CREATE - Always use Add (works regardless of tracking)
    public async Task<Order> CreateOrderAsync(Order order)
    {
        _db.Orders.Add(order);
        await _db.SaveChangesAsync();
        return order;
    }

    // UPDATE - Explicitly mark as modified
    public async Task UpdateOrderStatusAsync(Guid orderId, OrderStatus newStatus)
    {
        var order = await _db.Orders.FirstOrDefaultAsync(o => o.Id == orderId)
            ?? throw new NotFoundException($"Order {orderId} not found");

        order.Status = newStatus;
        order.UpdatedAt = DateTimeOffset.UtcNow;

        // Explicitly mark as modified since DbContext uses NoTracking by default
        _db.Orders.Update(order);
        await _db.SaveChangesAsync();
    }

    // DELETE - Attach and remove
    public async Task DeleteOrderAsync(Guid orderId)
    {
        var order = new Order { Id = orderId };
        _db.Orders.Remove(order);
        await _db.SaveChangesAsync();
    }
}

Pattern 2: Never Edit Migrations Manually

CRITICAL: Always use EF Core CLI commands to manage migrations. Never:

Manually edit migration files (except for custom SQL in Up()/Down())
Delete migration files directly
Rename migration files
Copy migrations between projects

Creating Migrations

# Create a new migration
dotnet ef migrations add AddCustomerTable \
    --project src/MyApp.Infrastructure \
    --startup-project src/MyApp.Api

# With a specific DbContext (if you have multiple)
dotnet ef migrations add AddCustomerTable \
    --context ApplicationDbContext \
    --project src/MyApp.Infrastructure \
    --startup-project src/MyApp.Api

Removing Migrations

# Remove the last migration (if not yet applied)
dotnet ef migrations remove \
    --project src/MyApp.Infrastructure \
    --startup-project src/MyApp.Api

# NEVER do this:
# rm Migrations/20240101_AddCustomerTable.cs  # ❌ BAD!

Applying Migrations

# Apply all pending migrations
dotnet ef database update \
    --project src/MyApp.Infrastructure \
    --startup-project src/MyApp.Api

# Apply to a specific migration
dotnet ef database update AddCustomerTable \
    --project src/MyApp.Infrastructure \
    --startup-project src/MyApp.Api

# Rollback to a previous migration
dotnet ef database update PreviousMigrationName \
    --project src/MyApp.Infrastructure \
    --startup-project src/MyApp.Api

Generating SQL Scripts

# Generate SQL script for all migrations
dotnet ef migrations script \
    --project src/MyApp.Infrastructure \
    --startup-project src/MyApp.Api \
    --output migrations.sql

# Generate idempotent script (safe to run multiple times)
dotnet ef migrations script \
    --idempotent \
    --project src/MyApp.Infrastructure \
    --startup-project src/MyApp.Api

Pattern 3: Dedicated Migration Service with Aspire

Separate migration execution from your main application using a dedicated migration service. This ensures:

Migrations complete before the app starts
Clean separation of concerns
Controlled seeding in test environments

Project Structure

src/
├── MyApp.AppHost/           # Aspire orchestration
├── MyApp.Api/               # Main application
├── MyApp.Infrastructure/    # DbContext and migrations
└── MyApp.MigrationService/  # Dedicated migration runner

MigrationService Program.cs

using MyApp.Infrastructure.Data;
using MyApp.MigrationService;
using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore;

var builder = Host.CreateApplicationBuilder(args);

// Add Aspire service defaults
builder.AddServiceDefaults();

// Add PostgreSQL DbContext
var connectionString = builder.Configuration.GetConnectionString("appdb")
    ?? throw new InvalidOperationException("Connection string 'appdb' not found.");

builder.Services.AddDbContext<ApplicationDbContext>(options =>
    options.UseNpgsql(connectionString, npgsqlOptions =>
        npgsqlOptions.MigrationsAssembly("MyApp.Infrastructure")));

// Add the migration worker
builder.Services.AddHostedService<MigrationWorker>();

var host = builder.Build();
host.Run();

MigrationWorker.cs

public class MigrationWorker : BackgroundService
{
    private readonly IServiceProvider _serviceProvider;
    private readonly IHostApplicationLifetime _hostApplicationLifetime;
    private readonly ILogger<MigrationWorker> _logger;

    public MigrationWorker(
        IServiceProvider serviceProvider,
        IHostApplicationLifetime hostApplicationLifetime,
        ILogger<MigrationWorker> logger)
    {
        _serviceProvider = serviceProvider;
        _hostApplicationLifetime = hostApplicationLifetime;
        _logger = logger;
    }

    protected override async Task ExecuteAsync(CancellationToken stoppingToken)
    {
        _logger.LogInformation("Migration service starting...");

        try
        {
            using var scope = _serviceProvider.CreateScope();
            var dbContext = scope.ServiceProvider.GetRequiredService<ApplicationDbContext>();

            await RunMigrationsAsync(dbContext, stoppingToken);

            _logger.LogInformation("Migration service completed successfully.");
        }
        catch (Exception ex)
        {
            _logger.LogError(ex, "Migration service failed: {Error}", ex.Message);
            throw;
        }
        finally
        {
            // Stop the application after migrations complete
            _hostApplicationLifetime.StopApplication();
        }
    }

    private async Task RunMigrationsAsync(ApplicationDbContext dbContext, CancellationToken ct)
    {
        // Use execution strategy for transient failure handling
        var strategy = dbContext.Database.CreateExecutionStrategy();

        await strategy.ExecuteAsync(async () =>
        {
            var pendingMigrations = await dbContext.Database.GetPendingMigrationsAsync(ct);

            if (pendingMigrations.Any())
            {
                _logger.LogInformation("Applying {Count} pending migrations...",
                    pendingMigrations.Count());

                await dbContext.Database.MigrateAsync(ct);

                _logger.LogInformation("Migrations applied successfully.");
            }
            else
            {
                _logger.LogInformation("No pending migrations. Database is up to date.");
            }
        });
    }
}

AppHost Configuration

var builder = DistributedApplication.CreateBuilder(args);

var postgres = builder.AddPostgres("postgres");
var db = postgres.AddDatabase("appdb");

// Migrations run first, then exit
var migrations = builder.AddProject<Projects.MyApp_MigrationService>("migrations")
    .WaitFor(db)
    .WithReference(db);

// API waits for migrations to complete
var api = builder.AddProject<Projects.MyApp_Api>("api")
    .WaitForCompletion(migrations)  // Key: waits for migrations to finish
    .WithReference(db);

Pattern 4: ExecutionStrategy for Transient Failures

Always use CreateExecutionStrategy() for operations that might fail transiently:

public async Task UpdateWithRetryAsync(Guid id, Action<Order> update)
{
    var strategy = _dbContext.Database.CreateExecutionStrategy();

    await strategy.ExecuteAsync(async () =>
    {
        var order = await _dbContext.Orders
            .AsTracking()
            .FirstOrDefaultAsync(o => o.Id == id);

        if (order is null) return;

        update(order);
        await _dbContext.SaveChangesAsync();
    });
}

Important: You cannot use CreateExecutionStrategy() with user-initiated transactions. If you need transactions with retry:

var strategy = _dbContext.Database.CreateExecutionStrategy();

await strategy.ExecuteAsync(async () =>
{
    // Transaction must be INSIDE the strategy callback
    await using var transaction = await _dbContext.Database.BeginTransactionAsync();

    try
    {
        // ... your operations ...
        await _dbContext.SaveChangesAsync();
        await transaction.CommitAsync();
    }
    catch
    {
        await transaction.RollbackAsync();
        throw;
    }
});

Pattern 5: Bulk Operations with ExecuteUpdate/ExecuteDelete

For bulk operations, use EF Core 7+ ExecuteUpdateAsync and ExecuteDeleteAsync instead of loading entities:

// ❌ SLOW - Loads all entities into memory
var expiredOrders = await _db.Orders
    .Where(o => o.ExpiresAt < DateTimeOffset.UtcNow)
    .ToListAsync();

foreach (var order in expiredOrders)
{
    order.Status = OrderStatus.Expired;
}
await _db.SaveChangesAsync();

// ✅ FAST - Single SQL UPDATE statement
await _db.Orders
    .Where(o => o.ExpiresAt < DateTimeOffset.UtcNow)
    .ExecuteUpdateAsync(setters => setters
        .SetProperty(o => o.Status, OrderStatus.Expired)
        .SetProperty(o => o.UpdatedAt, DateTimeOffset.UtcNow));

// ✅ FAST - Single SQL DELETE statement
await _db.Orders
    .Where(o => o.Status == OrderStatus.Cancelled && o.CreatedAt < cutoffDate)
    .ExecuteDeleteAsync();

Common Pitfalls

1. Forgetting to Update When NoTracking

// ❌ Silent failure - entity not tracked
var customer = await _db.Customers.FindAsync(id);
customer.Name = "New Name";
await _db.SaveChangesAsync(); // Does nothing!

// ✅ Explicit update
var customer = await _db.Customers.FindAsync(id);
customer.Name = "New Name";
_db.Customers.Update(customer);
await _db.SaveChangesAsync();

2. N+1 Query Problem

// ❌ N+1 queries - one query per order
var customers = await _db.Customers.ToListAsync();
foreach (var customer in customers)
{
    var orders = customer.Orders; // Lazy load triggers query
}

// ✅ Eager loading - single query
var customers = await _db.Customers
    .Include(c => c.Orders)
    .ToListAsync();

3. Tracking Conflicts with Multiple DbContext Instances

// ❌ Tracking conflict - entity tracked by different context
var order1 = await _db1.Orders.AsTracking().FindAsync(id);
var order2 = await _db2.Orders.AsTracking().FindAsync(id);
order2.Status = OrderStatus.Shipped;
await _db2.SaveChangesAsync(); // May throw or behave unexpectedly

// ✅ Use single context or detach first
_db1.Entry(order1).State = EntityState.Detached;

4. Not Using Async Consistently

// ❌ Blocking call in async context
var orders = _db.Orders.ToList(); // Blocks thread

// ✅ Async all the way
var orders = await _db.Orders.ToListAsync();

5. Querying Inside Loops

// ❌ Query per iteration
foreach (var orderId in orderIds)
{
    var order = await _db.Orders.FindAsync(orderId);
    // process order
}

// ✅ Single query
var orders = await _db.Orders
    .Where(o => orderIds.Contains(o.Id))
    .ToListAsync();

DbContext Lifetime in DI

ASP.NET Core (Scoped by Default)

// Scoped = one instance per HTTP request
builder.Services.AddDbContext<ApplicationDbContext>(options =>
    options.UseNpgsql(connectionString));

Background Services (Create Scope)

public class MyBackgroundService : BackgroundService
{
    private readonly IServiceProvider _serviceProvider;

    protected override async Task ExecuteAsync(CancellationToken stoppingToken)
    {
        // ✅ Create scope for each unit of work
        using var scope = _serviceProvider.CreateScope();
        var dbContext = scope.ServiceProvider.GetRequiredService<ApplicationDbContext>();

        // ... use dbContext ...
    }
}

Actors / Long-Lived Objects (Factory Pattern)

public class OrderActor : ReceiveActor
{
    private readonly IDbContextFactory<ApplicationDbContext> _dbFactory;

    public OrderActor(IDbContextFactory<ApplicationDbContext> dbFactory)
    {
        _dbFactory = dbFactory;

        ReceiveAsync<GetOrder>(async msg =>
        {
            // Create fresh context for each operation
            await using var db = await _dbFactory.CreateDbContextAsync();
            var order = await db.Orders.FindAsync(msg.OrderId);
            Sender.Tell(order);
        });
    }
}

// Registration
builder.Services.AddDbContextFactory<ApplicationDbContext>(options =>
    options.UseNpgsql(connectionString));

Pattern 6: Query Splitting to Prevent Cartesian Explosion

When you load multiple navigation collections via Include(), EF Core generates a single query that can cause cartesian explosion. If you have 10 orders with 10 items each, you get 100 rows instead of 10 + 10.

Global Configuration (Recommended for Most Cases)

Enable query splitting globally in your DbContext configuration:

services.AddDbContext<ApplicationDbContext>(options =>
    options.UseNpgsql(connectionString, npgsqlOptions =>
        {
            npgsqlOptions.UseQuerySplittingBehavior(QuerySplittingBehavior.SplitQuery);
        }));

Per-Query Override

Use single query when you know it's more efficient:

// Use single query when you know the structure is well-understood
var orders = await dbContext.Orders
    .Include(o => o.Items)
    .Include(o => o.Payments)
    .AsSingleQuery()  // Override global split behavior
    .ToListAsync();

Trade-offs

Behavior	Pros	Cons
SplitQuery	No cartesian explosion, better for large collections	Multiple round-trips, potential consistency issues
SingleQuery	Single round-trip, transactional consistency	Cartesian explosion with multiple collections

Recommendation: Default to SplitQuery globally, override with AsSingleQuery() for specific queries where single-query is known to be better.

When to Prefer SingleQuery

Small, well-understood navigation graphs (2-3 levels)
Queries where all related data is always needed
Performance-critical paths where round-trip cost is lower than cartesian explosion

When to Prefer SplitQuery

Large or unpredictable navigation graphs
Many-to-many relationships
Queries loading collections that may not all be needed

Testing with EF Core

In-Memory Provider (Unit Tests Only)

// Only for simple unit tests - doesn't match real database behavior
var options = new DbContextOptionsBuilder<ApplicationDbContext>()
    .UseInMemoryDatabase(databaseName: Guid.NewGuid().ToString())
    .Options;

using var context = new ApplicationDbContext(options);

Real Database with TestContainers (Integration Tests)

See the testcontainers-integration-tests skill for proper database testing.

// Use real PostgreSQL in container
var container = new PostgreSqlBuilder()
    .WithImage("postgres:16-alpine")
    .Build();

await container.StartAsync();

var options = new DbContextOptionsBuilder<ApplicationDbContext>()
    .UseNpgsql(container.GetConnectionString())
    .Options;

> efcore-patterns