Entity Framework Core Best Practices

When to Use

• Designing or restructuring a DbContext, entities, or relationships
• Writing LINQ queries against EF Core, or troubleshooting N+1 / performance issues
• Creating, naming, or reviewing EF Core migrations
• Implementing concurrency control, repository patterns, or change tracking strategies
• Setting up EF Core tests with SQLite in-memory or Testcontainers

Core Principles

The non-negotiables. Each is stated in full, with the reasoning and the edge cases, in the reference named beside it — load that file when the work touches its area.