Dapper vs. Entity Framework Core: A Comparison

When it comes to data access in .NET, two names are mentioned more than any others: Entity Framework Core and Dapper. While both help you get data from your database into your .NET objects, they do so with very different philosophies and trade-offs.

Let's compare these two popular data access tools.

What is Entity Framework Core?

Entity Framework (EF) Core is a full-featured Object-Relational Mapper (ORM) developed by Microsoft. It's the standard, recommended data access technology for most .NET applications. As an ORM, its primary goal is to abstract away the database entirely. You work with your C# objects, and EF Core handles the magic of translating your LINQ queries into SQL, tracking changes to your objects, and saving them back to the database.

A query with EF Core:

var blogs = context.Blogs
    .Where(b => b.Rating > 4)
    .ToList();

What is Dapper?

Dapper is a micro-ORM. It's not trying to abstract away the database; it's simply trying to make it easier to get the results of your SQL queries into your C# objects. Dapper is essentially just an extension method on the IDbConnection interface that is incredibly fast at mapping query results to objects.

You write the SQL yourself, and Dapper handles the object mapping.

A query with Dapper:

var blogs = connection.Query<Blog>("SELECT * FROM Blogs WHERE Rating > 4");

Key Differences

1. Performance

This is Dapper's biggest selling point. Because it does so much less than EF Core, it has significantly less overhead. Dapper is often referred to as the "king of micro-ORMs" for its raw speed. It's one of the fastest ways to get data from your database into your objects.

EF Core has made huge performance improvements over the years, but for raw query execution speed, Dapper still has the edge.

2. Control vs. Convenience

This is the core philosophical difference.

• Dapper gives you full control. You write the exact SQL you want to execute. This is a huge advantage if you are a SQL expert and want to write highly optimized queries. The downside is that you have to write the SQL yourself.

• EF Core gives you convenience. You write LINQ queries, and EF Core generates the SQL for you. This is fantastic for developer productivity, as you don't have to context-switch between C# and SQL. EF Core also provides a host of other features, like change tracking, migrations, and caching, that you would have to implement yourself with Dapper.

3. Change Tracking

EF Core has a powerful change tracker. When you load an object from the database, EF Core keeps a snapshot of it. When you modify the object and call SaveChanges(), EF Core knows exactly which properties have changed and generates the appropriate UPDATE statement.

Dapper has no change tracking. It's up to you to write the correct UPDATE statements and execute them.

4. Database Migrations

EF Core includes a migrations feature that allows you to keep your database schema in sync with your C# model. You can generate and apply schema changes from the command line.

Dapper does not have a migrations feature. You need to use a separate tool (like FluentMigrator or DbUp) to manage your schema changes.

When to Choose Which?

• Choose Entity Framework Core when:

  • Developer productivity is a top priority.
  • You want a full-featured ORM that handles change tracking, migrations, and caching for you.
  • You prefer writing LINQ queries instead of raw SQL.
  • You are building a standard line-of-business application where the convenience of an ORM outweighs the need for absolute peak performance.

• Choose Dapper when:

  • Raw performance is your most critical requirement.
  • You want to have complete control over the SQL that is executed.
  • You are working with a legacy database with a complex schema that is difficult to map to an EF Core model.
  • You are building a simple application and don't need the overhead of a full ORM.

Can You Use Both?

Yes! It's a very common and effective pattern to use both in the same project. You can use EF Core for most of your simple CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations to take advantage of its productivity features, and then drop down to Dapper for a few performance-critical queries where you need to write highly optimized, hand-tuned SQL.

Conclusion

Both Dapper and Entity Framework Core are fantastic libraries, but they are designed for different purposes. EF Core is a powerful, full-featured ORM that prioritizes developer productivity, while Dapper is a lightweight, high-performance micro-ORM that prioritizes speed and control. The right choice depends on the specific needs of your application, and often, the best solution is to use them together.