100 Must-Know Entity Framework Interview Questions and Answers 2025

Entity Framework Fundamentals

1.
What is an ORM and how does Entity Framework function as one?
2.
Can you explain the architecture of Entity Framework?
3.
What are the main differences between Entity Framework and LINQ to SQL?
4.
What is DbContext and how is it used in EF?
5.
What is the purpose of DbSet in Entity Framework?
6.
Can you describe the concept of migrations in EF?
7.
How does EF implement code-first, database-first, and model-first approaches?
8.
What is the role of the EdmGen tool in EF?
9.
Can you describe the Entity Data Model (EDM) in EF?
10.
How does lazy loading work in EF?

Entity Framework Configuration and Setup

11.
How do you install or upgrade Entity Framework in a .NET project?
12.
What is the difference between local and global configuration in EF?
13.
What is the purpose of the Entity Framework connection string?
14.
How do you switch between different databases using EF?
15.
Can you configure the pluralization and singularization conventions in EF?

Entity Framework Database Operations

16.
How do you perform CRUD operations using EF?
17.
What methods are used to read data in EF?
18.
Can you perform bulk insert operations in EF?
19.
How do you execute a stored procedure using EF?
20.
Explain how transactions are handled in EF.

Entity Framework Modelling

21.
What are Entities and how do you define them in EF?
22.
How does EF handle complex types?
23.
What are navigation properties in EF?
24.
Can you explain Entity Framework’s Fluent API?
25.
What are Entity keys and how are they defined and used in EF?

Entity Framework Relationships and Associations

26.
How do you map associations in EF?
27.
Can you explain the concept of table per hierarchy and table per type inheritance in EF?
28.
How do you handle one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many relationships in EF?
29.
What is cascade delete and how is it configured in EF?
30.
How do you create a self-referencing association in EF?

Entity Framework Queries and LINQ

31.
How do you perform LINQ queries in EF?
32.
Explain the difference between eager loading, lazy loading, and explicit loading.
33.
How does EF translate LINQ-to-Entities queries into SQL queries?
34.
Can you use LINQ to project results into a non-entity type?
35.
What is LINQ to Entities?

Entity Framework Migrations and Versioning

36.
How do you enable and use code-first migrations in EF?
37.
Can you downgrade to a previous database schema using EF migrations?
38.
How do you seed a database in EF?
39.
Describe a scenario where you would use the Update-Database command.
40.
How do you resolve migration conflicts in a team environment?

Entity Framework Performance

41.
What is the N+1 problem and how can you avoid it in EF?
42.
How does change tracking impact performance in EF?
43.
What are some ways to optimize EF’s performance?
44.
Can you explain how to use compiled queries in EF?
45.
How do you manage the connection lifecycle for better performance in EF?

Entity Framework Concurrency

46.
How does EF handle concurrency?
47.
What is optimistic concurrency control in EF?
48.
Explain how EF handles concurrency conflicts_.
49.
How do you use timestamps/row versions for concurrency in EF’s code-first approach?
50.
What are the types of concurrency patterns that can be implemented with EF?

Entity Framework Advanced Features

51.
Can you explain T4 templates in the context of EF?
52.
What are interceptors in EF and when would you use them?
53.
How do you implement inheritance in EF models?
54.
What is Code-First Data Annotations and how do they work?
55.
Can EF interact with view-models or must it always use database models?

Entity Framework and .NET Integration

56.
How do you handle transactions across different data contexts in EF?
57.
Can you unit test EF code?
58.
How does EF fit into the .NET Core ecosystem?
59.
What is dependency injection and how do you use it with EF?
60.
How does EF work with asynchronous programming in .NET?

Entity Framework Troubleshooting

61.
How do you troubleshoot performance issues in EF?
62.
What are the common exceptions in EF and how do you resolve them?
63.
How can you debug EF’s generated SQL queries?
64.
What are the steps to resolve issues with entity states not updating as expected?
65.
How do you troubleshoot issues with migrations in EF?

Entity Framework Best Practices

66.
What are some best practices for managing DbContext life cycle?
67.
How do you manage connection strings securely when using EF?
68.
What are the recommended approaches for large-scale enterprise EF applications?
69.
How should you organize your EF code-first migrations?
70.
What are some practices to avoid when working with EF?

Entity Framework Security

71.
How does EF handle SQL injection prevention?
72.
What are the security considerations regarding EF in a multi-user environment?
73.
How do you secure sensitive data within EF models?
74.
Can you explain the role of encryption in EF?
75.
What security measures does EF provide out of the box?

Entity Framework and Azure

76.
How do you deploy an EF application to Azure?
77.
What are the considerations when using EF with Azure SQL Database?
78.
Can you use EF with Azure Cosmos DB?
79.
How do you manage scalability concerns with EF on Azure?
80.
Explain how EF can be part of a microservices architecture in Azure.

Entity Framework and Cross-Platform Development

81.
Is Entity Framework cross-platform compatible?
82.
How do you develop with EF on non-Windows platforms?
83.
What limitations should you be aware of when using EF Core over EF 6?
84.
Explain how to run EF on a Mac or Linux system.
85.
How do you handle platform-specific database functions in a cross-platform EF application?

Entity Framework and Third-Party Solutions

86.
How does EF integrate with third-party libraries and frameworks?
87.
What third-party tools are available for managing EF migrations?
88.
Can you extend EF with custom providers?
89.
How do you incorporate EF with popular JavaScript front-end frameworks?
90.
What ORM alternatives to EF are there and when might you use them?

Entity Framework Updates and Evolution

91.
Describe the key improvements of EF Core compared to previous versions of EF.
92.
How does EF handle versioning and compatibility with the .NET framework?
93.
What new features are expected in upcoming versions of EF?
94.
How does community feedback influence the development of EF?
95.
Discuss the process of upgrading from EF 6 to EF Core.

Entity Framework and Database Interactions

96.
How do you manage database initialization strategies in EF?
97.
Can EF be used with nonsupported databases through custom providers?
98.
How does EF work with database views and stored procedures?
99.
Explain how EF approaches SQL server-specific features like hierarchyID and geography types.
100.
Discuss the support of Entity Framework for NoSQL databases.

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100 Entity Framework interview questions

What is an ORM and how does Entity Framework function as one?

Can you explain the architecture of Entity Framework?

What are the main differences between Entity Framework and LINQ to SQL?

What is DbContext and how is it used in EF?

What is the purpose of DbSet in Entity Framework?

Can you describe the concept of migrations in EF?

How does EF implement code-first, database-first, and model-first approaches?

What is the role of the EdmGen tool in EF?

Can you describe the Entity Data Model (EDM) in EF?

How does lazy loading work in EF?

How do you install or upgrade Entity Framework in a .NET project?

What is the difference between local and global configuration in EF?

What is the purpose of the Entity Framework connection string?

How do you switch between different databases using EF?

Can you configure the pluralization and singularization conventions in EF?

How do you perform CRUD operations using EF?

What methods are used to read data in EF?

Can you perform bulk insert operations in EF?

How do you execute a stored procedure using EF?

Explain how transactions are handled in EF.

What are Entities and how do you define them in EF?

How does EF handle complex types?

What are navigation properties in EF?

Can you explain Entity Framework’s Fluent API?

What are Entity keys and how are they defined and used in EF?

How do you map associations in EF?

Can you explain the concept of table per hierarchy and table per type inheritance in EF?

How do you handle one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many relationships in EF?

What is cascade delete and how is it configured in EF?

How do you create a self-referencing association in EF?

How do you perform LINQ queries in EF?

Explain the difference between eager loading, lazy loading, and explicit loading.

How does EF translate LINQ-to-Entities queries into SQL queries?

Can you use LINQ to project results into a non-entity type?

What is LINQ to Entities?

How do you enable and use code-first migrations in EF?

Can you downgrade to a previous database schema using EF migrations?

How do you seed a database in EF?

Describe a scenario where you would use the Update-Database command.

How do you resolve migration conflicts in a team environment?

What is the N+1 problem and how can you avoid it in EF?

How does change tracking impact performance in EF?

What are some ways to optimize EF’s performance?

Can you explain how to use compiled queries in EF?

How do you manage the connection lifecycle for better performance in EF?

How does EF handle concurrency?

What is optimistic concurrency control in EF?

Explain how EF handles concurrency conflicts_.

How do you use timestamps/row versions for concurrency in EF’s code-first approach?

What are the types of concurrency patterns that can be implemented with EF?

Can you explain T4 templates in the context of EF?

What are interceptors in EF and when would you use them?

How do you implement inheritance in EF models?

What is Code-First Data Annotations and how do they work?

Can EF interact with view-models or must it always use database models?

How do you handle transactions across different data contexts in EF?

Can you unit test EF code?

How does EF fit into the .NET Core ecosystem?

What is dependency injection and how do you use it with EF?

How does EF work with asynchronous programming in .NET?

How do you troubleshoot performance issues in EF?

What are the common exceptions in EF and how do you resolve them?

How can you debug EF’s generated SQL queries?

What are the steps to resolve issues with entity states not updating as expected?

How do you troubleshoot issues with migrations in EF?

What are some best practices for managing DbContext life cycle?

How do you manage connection strings securely when using EF?

What are the recommended approaches for large-scale enterprise EF applications?

How should you organize your EF code-first migrations?

What are some practices to avoid when working with EF?

How does EF handle SQL injection prevention?

What are the security considerations regarding EF in a multi-user environment?

How do you secure sensitive data within EF models?

Can you explain the role of encryption in EF?

What security measures does EF provide out of the box?

How do you deploy an EF application to Azure?

What are the considerations when using EF with Azure SQL Database?