Why Dapper faster than Entity Framework

Dapper and Entity Framework (EF) are both popular ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) tools, but Dapper is often considered faster than Entity Framework. Here are some key reasons why Dapper can be faster:

1. Design and Implementation:

• Dapper:

  • Micro ORM: Dapper is a micro ORM, meaning it focuses on efficiently executing basic database operations quickly. It doesn't provide as many complex features as Entity Framework.

  • Manual Mapping: Dapper uses an approach closer to writing raw SQL and manually mapping the results. This reduces overhead associated with mapping complex objects.

• Entity Framework:

  • Full-featured ORM: EF is a full-featured ORM, offering many features like lazy loading, change tracking, and complex relationship mapping. These features provide convenience but also add overhead.

  • Abstraction Layer: EF provides an abstraction layer over SQL, enabling more object-oriented data manipulation but at the cost of performance compared to direct SQL use.

2. Overhead:

• Dapper:

  • Lightweight: Dapper has minimal overhead because it focuses solely on performing queries and mapping data quickly.

  • Less Reflection: Dapper uses less reflection compared to EF, minimizing runtime overhead and resource usage.

• Entity Framework:

  • Heavyweight: EF has significant overhead due to its complex features and state management mechanisms.

  • More Reflection: EF employs more reflection to map objects, manage state, and handle changes, leading to decreased performance.

3. Query Management:

• Dapper:

  • Direct SQL: Users write raw SQL queries, allowing for specific optimizations and reducing execution time.

  • Manual Control: Dapper doesn’t automatically generate queries, giving maximum control over queries and their performance.

• Entity Framework:

  • LINQ to Entities: EF allows using LINQ to write queries, but this can sometimes generate complex and less optimized queries.

  • Automatic Query Generation: EF automatically generates queries based on entities and their relationships, which may not be as optimized as hand-written SQL.

4. Change Tracking:

• Dapper:

  • No Tracking: Dapper does not perform change tracking, minimizing the overhead associated with tracking object changes.

• Entity Framework:

  • Change Tracking: EF tracks changes to objects and automatically updates the database, which can add overhead and reduce performance.

Conclusion:

Dapper is faster than Entity Framework because it is simple, lightweight, and lacks the complex features of EF. It allows developers to write and optimize SQL directly, reducing overhead and using resources more efficiently. However, EF provides many powerful features and conveniences that can speed up development, especially for complex applications with many data relationships.

Choosing between Dapper and EF depends on the specific requirements of the project. If performance is the top priority and you are comfortable writing raw SQL, Dapper might be a better choice. If you need a powerful tool with extensive features and are willing to accept some performance overhead, EF might be more suitable.