One way to interact with EF Core is through the command-line interface (CLI). The EF Core CLI is a set of commands that you can use to create, manage, and monitor EF Core projects.
In this article, we will explore the most common EF Core CLI commands, with examples of how to use them.
dotnet ef
The dotnet ef command is the starting point for all EF Core CLI commands. It is used to invoke the EF Core CLI and specify the subcommand that you want to run.
For example, to create a new EF Core migration, you would use the dotnet ef migrations add subcommand, like this:
dotnet ef migrations add InitialCreate
dotnet ef migrations
The dotnet ef migrations command is used to manage EF Core migrations. Migrations are a way to evolve the database schema over time, as your application's requirements change.
Here are some common subcommands of the dotnet ef migrations command:
add
The add subcommand is used to create a new migration. It takes a migration name as an argument.
For example:
dotnet ef migrations add AddProductTable
list
The list subcommand is used to list all available migrations. It does not take any arguments.
For example:
dotnet ef migrations list
remove
The remove subcommand is used to delete a migration. It takes a migration name as an argument.
For example:
dotnet ef migrations remove AddProductTable
apply
The apply subcommand is used to apply a migration to the database. It takes a migration name as an argument.
For example:
dotnet ef migrations apply InitialCreate
script
The script subcommand is used to generate a SQL script that can be used to apply a migration to the database. It takes a migration name as an argument.
For example:
dotnet ef migrations script InitialCreate
dotnet ef database
The dotnet ef database command is used to manage the database that is used by EF Core.
Here are some common subcommands of the dotnet ef database command:
update
The update subcommand is used to apply pending migrations to the database. It does not take any arguments.
For example:
dotnet ef database update
drop
The drop subcommand is used to drop the database. It does not take any arguments.
For example:
dotnet ef database drop
create
The create subcommand is used to create the database. It does not take any arguments.
For example:
dotnet ef database create
dotnet ef query
The dotnet ef query command is used to execute a raw SQL query against the database. It takes a SQL query as an argument.
For example:
dotnet ef query "SELECT * FROM Customers"
dotnet ef dbcontext
The dotnet ef dbcontext command is used to manage the database context class, which represents a session with the database.
Here are some common subcommands of the dotnet ef dbcontext command:
info
The info subcommand is used to display information about the database context, such as the connection string and the list of entities. It does not take any arguments.
For example:
dotnet ef dbcontext info
scaffold
The scaffold subcommand is used to generate a database context and entity classes based on an existing database. It takes a connection string and a provider as arguments.
For example:
dotnet ef dbcontext scaffold "Server=localhost;Database=mydatabase;Trusted_Connection=True;" Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.SqlServer
dotnet ef model
The dotnet ef model command is used to manage the entity model, which is a set of classes that represent the data in the database.
Here are some common subcommands of the dotnet ef model command:
diff
The diff subcommand is used to compare the entity model to the database schema and generate a migration to synchronize them. It does not take any arguments.
For example:
dotnet ef model diff
snapshot
The snapshot subcommand is used to generate a snapshot of the entity model, which can be used to generate a migration. It does not take any arguments.
For example:
dotnet ef model snapshot
Conclusion
In this article, we have explored the most common EF Core CLI commands, with examples of how to use them. EF Core CLI is a powerful tool that can help you manage and monitor your EF Core projects efficiently.
I hope you found this article helpful. Thank you for reading!