EF Core Migrations

Migrations in Entity Framework Core allow you to apply and track changes in your data model over time. This lets you evolve your database schema alongside your code.

What Are EF Core Migrations?

Migrations provide a way to incrementally apply schema changes (like adding tables or columns) without dropping the database or losing data.

Tracks model changes via code
Generates SQL scripts for changes
Supports versioning and rollback

Initial Setup

If you haven't already, add the EF tools package:

dotnet add package Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Tools

builder.Services.AddDbContext<AppDbContext>();

Create and Apply a Migration

Use the CLI to generate and apply migrations:

dotnet ef migrations add InitialCreate
dotnet ef database update

This creates a new folder called Migrations with auto-generated C# code to represent schema changes.

Updating the Schema

Add or modify properties in your model, then create a new migration:

dotnet ef migrations add AddStockColumn
dotnet ef database update

Rollback to a Previous Migration

You can revert to an earlier migration version:

dotnet ef database update InitialCreate

Use dotnet ef migrations remove to undo a pending migration.

Generating SQL Scripts

Useful for deploying changes to staging/production environments:

dotnet ef migrations script -o migration.sql

Migrations allow you to safely and versionably evolve your database. Next, we’ll explore defining relationships between models using one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many configurations.

← Previous: CRUD Operations Next: EF Core Relationships →