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How to use dapper instead of EF

ICSM Computer 772 21 Jan 2026

How to use dapper instead of EF, explain with example?

Ask by ICSM Computer

Updated 22 Jan 2026

1 Answers

Anubhav Sharma 22 Jan 2026

1. What Changes When You Move from EF to Dapper?

EF6	Dapper
`DbContext`	`IDbConnection`
LINQ queries	Raw SQL
Change tracking	Manual control
`SaveChanges()`	Explicit SQL (`INSERT/UPDATE`)
High abstraction	Low abstraction

Important:
Dapper does not replace SQL — it replaces ADO.NET boilerplate code.

2. Install Dapper

Using NuGet Package Manager:

Install-Package Dapper

Or via .NET CLI:

dotnet add package Dapper

3. Create Database Connection (Core Concept)

Dapper works on top of IDbConnection.

SQL Server Example

using System.Data;
using System.Data.SqlClient;

public class DbConnectionFactory
{
    private readonly string _connectionString;

    public DbConnectionFactory(string connectionString)
    {
        _connectionString = connectionString;
    }

    public IDbConnection CreateConnection()
    {
        return new SqlConnection(_connectionString);
    }
}

4. Simple SELECT Query (EF vs Dapper)

EF6

var users = context.Users
                   .Where(x => x.IsActive)
                   .ToList();

Dapper

using Dapper;

string sql = "SELECT * FROM Users WHERE IsActive = 1";

using (var connection = _dbFactory.CreateConnection())
{
    var users = connection.Query<User>(sql).ToList();
}

Faster
Full SQL control

5. Parameterized Queries (Very Important)

Never concatenate SQL strings.

string sql = "SELECT * FROM Users WHERE UserId = @UserId";

var user = connection.QueryFirstOrDefault<User>(
    sql,
    new { UserId = 10 }
);

Prevents SQL Injection
Clean & readable

6. INSERT / UPDATE / DELETE (No SaveChanges)

Insert

string sql = @"
INSERT INTO Users (Name, Email)
VALUES (@Name, @Email)";

connection.Execute(sql, new
{
    Name = "Anna",
    Email = "anna@email.com"
});

Update

string sql = @"
UPDATE Users
SET Email = @Email
WHERE UserId = @UserId";

connection.Execute(sql, new
{
    Email = "new@email.com",
    UserId = 5
});

Delete

string sql = "DELETE FROM Users WHERE UserId = @UserId";

connection.Execute(sql, new { UserId = 5 });

7. Stored Procedures with Dapper

var users = connection.Query<User>(
    "GetActiveUsers",
    commandType: CommandType.StoredProcedure
).ToList();

Passing parameters:

connection.Query<User>(
    "GetUserById",
    new { UserId = 10 },
    commandType: CommandType.StoredProcedure
);

8. Handling Transactions (Manual but Clear)

using (var connection = _dbFactory.CreateConnection())
{
    connection.Open();
    using (var transaction = connection.BeginTransaction())
    {
        try
        {
            connection.Execute(sql1, param1, transaction);
            connection.Execute(sql2, param2, transaction);

            transaction.Commit();
        }
        catch
        {
            transaction.Rollback();
            throw;
        }
    }
}

9. Repository Pattern with Dapper (Recommended)

public class UserRepository
{
    private readonly DbConnectionFactory _factory;

    public UserRepository(DbConnectionFactory factory)
    {
        _factory = factory;
    }

    public IEnumerable<User> GetAll()
    {
        using var conn = _factory.CreateConnection();
        return conn.Query<User>("SELECT * FROM Users");
    }
}

Clean
Testable
Production-ready

10. Replacing EF Gradually (Best Practice)

You don’t need to remove EF fully.

Hybrid Approach (Very Common)

EF → INSERT / UPDATE / DELETE
Dapper → SELECT / Reports / Search

Example:

// EF for write
context.Users.Add(user);
context.SaveChanges();

// Dapper for read
var users = connection.Query<User>("SELECT * FROM Users");

11. When Dapper Is a Better Choice Than EF

Use Dapper when:

Performance is critical
Queries are complex
Reporting / dashboards
Large data reads
Stored procedures

Stick with EF when:

Heavy business logic
Rapid development
Complex relationships

12. One-Line Interview Answer

“Dapper replaces Entity Framework by using raw SQL with object mapping, giving better performance and full SQL control at the cost of manual change tracking.”

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