Entity Framework Core Best Practices

Use when configuring entities, optimizing queries, or implementing multi-tenant data access with EF Core.

When to use

• Configuring entity mappings, indexes, relationships, and value objects
• Optimizing read queries (AsNoTracking, projections) or preventing N+1 problems
• Adding row version concurrency tokens or handling conflicts
• Applying global tenant filters or implementing repositories

Core principles

• Prefer Fluent API over data annotations; keep entities clean with private setters
• Use AsNoTracking for reads; Include/split queries to avoid N+1; project to DTOs when possible
• Index tenant columns and frequent filter combinations; create unique composites for business rules
• Add RowVersion for optimistic concurrency; catch DbUpdateConcurrencyException
• Apply global query filters for multi-tenancy; bypass with IgnoreQueryFilters when needed
• Encapsulate in repositories or inject DbContext directly into services