Entity Framework Core is an object-relational mapper for .NET that enables developers to work with databases using LINQ queries and strongly-typed C# objects instead of writing raw SQL.
The tool solves the impedance mismatch between object-oriented code and relational databases by mapping database tables to .NET classes and providing a query interface through LINQ. It handles change tracking to monitor modifications to objects, manages updates back to the database, and supports schema migrations to evolve database structure over time. The approach works through a provider plugin architecture, allowing the same API to target multiple database systems including SQL Server, Azure SQL Database, SQLite, Azure Cosmos DB, MariaDB, MySQL, and PostgreSQL.
Developers building .NET applications that need database persistence should consider this tool if they prefer working with objects and LINQ rather than writing SQL directly. It suits projects ranging from small applications using SQLite to large enterprise systems on SQL Server or cloud databases. The repository also includes Microsoft.Data.Sqlite, a lightweight ADO.NET provider for SQLite that can be used independently or with other data access libraries if you need lower-level database access without the full ORM abstraction.
The project maintains an active development cadence with daily builds available alongside stable releases, allowing early access to new features and bug fixes. Community contributions are actively welcomed through pull requests for bug fixes, enhancements, and documentation. The tool is maintained by Microsoft under the .NET Foundation and licensed under the MIT License, with support available through Stack Overflow for usage questions and GitHub issues for bug reports and feature requests.
