Compare EF Core & EF6

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Entity Framework is an object-relational mapper (O/RM) for .NET. This article compares the two versions: Entity Framework 6 and Entity Framework Core.

Entity Framework 6

Entity Framework 6 (EF6) is a tried and tested data access technology. It was first released in 2008, as part of .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 and Visual Studio 2008 SP1. Starting with the 4.1 release it has shipped as the EntityFramework NuGet package. EF6 runs on the .NET Framework 4.x, which means it runs only on Windows.

EF6 continues to be a supported product, and will continue to see bug fixes and minor improvements.

Entity Framework Core

Entity Framework Core (EF Core) is a complete rewrite of EF6 that was first released in 2016. It ships in Nuget packages, the main one being Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore. EF Core is a cross-platform product that can run on .NET Core or .NET Framework.

EF Core was designed to provide a developer experience similar to EF6. Most of the top-level APIs remain the same, so EF Core will feel familiar to developers who have used EF6.

Feature comparison

EF Core offers new features that won't be implemented in EF6 (such as alternate keys, batch updates, and mixed client/database evaluation in LINQ queries. But because it's a new code base, it also lacks some features that EF6 has.

The following tables compare the features available in EF Core and EF6. It's a high-level comparison and doesn't list every feature or explain differences between the same feature in different EF versions.

The EF Core column indicates the product version in which the feature first appeared.

Creating a model

Feature EF 6 EF Core
Basic class mapping Yes 1.0
Constructors with parameters 2.1
Property value conversions 2.1
Mapped types with no keys (query types) 2.1
Conventions Yes 1.0
Custom conventions Yes 1.0 (partial)
Data annotations Yes 1.0
Fluent API Yes 1.0
Inheritance: Table per hierarchy (TPH) Yes 1.0
Inheritance: Table per type (TPT) Yes
Inheritance: Table per concrete class (TPC) Yes
Shadow state properties 1.0
Alternate keys 1.0
Many-to-many without join entity Yes
Key generation: Database Yes 1.0
Key generation: Client 1.0
Complex/owned types Yes 2.0
Spatial data Yes 2.2
Graphical visualization of model Yes
Graphical model editor Yes
Model format: Code Yes 1.0
Model format: EDMX (XML) Yes
Create model from database: Command line Yes 1.0
Create model from database: VS wizard Yes
Update model from database Partial
Global query filters 2.0
Table splitting Yes 2.0
Entity splitting Yes
Database scalar function mapping Poor 2.0
Field mapping 1.1

Querying data

Feature EF6 EF Core
LINQ queries Yes 1.0 (in-progress for complex queries)
Readable generated SQL Poor 1.0
Mixed client/server evaluation 1.0
GroupBy translation Yes 2.1
Loading related data: Eager Yes 1.0
Loading related data: Eager loading for derived types 2.1
Loading related data: Lazy Yes 2.1
Loading related data: Explicit Yes 1.1
Raw SQL queries: Entity types Yes 1.0
Raw SQL queries: Non-entity types (query types) Yes 2.1
Raw SQL queries: Composing with LINQ 1.0
Explicitly compiled queries Poor 2.0
Text-based query language (Entity SQL) Yes

Saving data

Feature EF6 EF Core
Change tracking: Snapshot Yes 1.0
Change tracking: Notification Yes 1.0
Change tracking: Proxies Yes
Accessing tracked state Yes 1.0
Optimistic concurrency Yes 1.0
Transactions Yes 1.0
Batching of statements 1.0
Stored procedure mapping Yes
Disconnected graph low-level APIs Poor 1.0
Disconnected graph End-to-end 1.0 (partial)

Other features

Feature EF6 EF Core
Migrations Yes 1.0
Database creation/deletion APIs Yes 1.0
Seed data Yes 2.1
Connection resiliency Yes 1.1
Lifecycle hooks (events, interception) Yes
Simple Logging (Database.Log) Yes
DbContext pooling 2.0

Database providers

Feature EF6 EF Core
SQL Server Yes 1.0
MySQL Yes 1.0
PostgreSQL Yes 1.0
Oracle Yes 1.0 (1)
SQLite Yes 1.0
SQL Server Compact Yes 1.0 (2)
DB2 Yes 1.0
Firebird Yes 2.0
Jet (Microsoft Access) 2.0 (2)
In-memory (for testing) 1.0

1 There is currently a paid provider available for Oracle. A free official provider for Oracle is being worked on.

2 The SQL Server Compact and Jet providers only work on .NET Framework (not on .NET Core).

.NET implementations

Feature EF6 EF Core
.NET Framework (Console, WinForms, WPF, ASP.NET) Yes 1.0
.NET Core (Console, ASP.NET Core) 1.0
Mono & Xamarin 1.0 (in-progress)
UWP 1.0 (in-progress)

Guidance for new applications

Consider using EF Core for a new application if both of the following conditions are true:

Consider using EF6 if both of the following conditions are true:

  • The app will run on Windows and the .NET Framework 4.0 or later.
  • EF6 supports all of the features that the app requires.

Guidance for existing EF6 applications

Because of the fundamental changes in EF Core, we do not recommend moving an EF6 application to EF Core unless there is a compelling reason to make the change. If you want to move to EF Core to use new features, make sure you're aware of its limitations. For more information, see Porting from EF6 to EF Core. The move from EF6 to EF Core is more a port than an upgrade.

Next steps

For more information, see the documentation: