dotnet-ef

Update the database to a specified migration

$ dotnet ef database update [migration]

$ dotnet ef database drop

$ dotnet ef dbcontext list

$ dotnet ef dbcontext scaffold [connection_string] [provider]

$ dotnet ef migrations add [name]

$ dotnet ef migrations remove

$ dotnet ef migrations list

$ dotnet ef migrations script [from_migration] [to_migration]

dotnet ef [options] [command] [arguments]

-h|--help
    Show help information

--version
    Show version information

-v|--verbose
    Show verbose output (+v, ++v, +++v for more detail)

--no-color
    Disable ANSI color output

--prefix-output
    Prefix output lines with log level

dotnet ef is the command-line interface for Entity Framework Core (EF Core), Microsoft's ORM for .NET. It enables developers to manage database schemas, migrations, and model scaffolding efficiently.

Primary uses include:
• Creating, adding, and applying migrations to evolve database schemas from C# models (code-first).
• Scaffolding DbContext and entity classes from existing databases (database-first).
• Dropping, updating, or scripting database operations.

Integrated with the .NET SDK, it supports databases like SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, and SQLite. Typical workflow: design models, run dotnet ef migrations add InitialCreate, then dotnet ef database update. Verbose logging and color output aid debugging.

Essential for ASP.NET Core apps, it automates repetitive tasks, ensuring consistency between code and database. Requires specifying project, startup project, or connection strings via options.

Requires global or local installation via dotnet tool install --global dotnet-ef. Specify --project or --startup-project for multi-project solutions. Subcommands have additional options; use --help for details.

dbcontext: info, list, scaffold.
database: drop, update.
migrations: add, list, remove, script.

dotnet tool install --global dotnet-ef --version 8.0.0 (match EF Core version). Or dotnet tool install dotnet-ef for local use.

Stable release with EF Core 2.0 (2017); preview in EF Core 1.x. Evolved with .NET releases, adding support for new providers and features like design-time factories.

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