.NET 8 WinForms Migration – System.Data.SQLite vs Microsoft.Data.Sqlite

Question

Hi everyone,

I'm in the process of migrating a Windows Forms application from .NET Framework 4.7.2 to .NET 8. The original project uses System.Data.SQLite (version 1.0.113), and everything has been working smoothly so far.

Now that the application is targeting .NET 8 (Windows-only), I have a few questions:

• Is System.Data.SQLite fully compatible with .NET 8 for Windows Forms applications?
• Would it be better to switch to Microsoft.Data.Sqlite and worth switching?
• Or is it sufficient to simply upgrade System.Data.SQLite to the latest version (1.0.119) and continue using it?
• And will latest version of System.Data.SQLite support in .net 8?

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Hi Aman Agrahari,

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q & A forum.     

For your Windows Forms application targeting .NET 8, it is advisable to upgrade System.Data.SQLite to the latest version (1.0.119). This version offers full compatibility with .NET 8 on Windows and will allow you to continue using your existing codebase without significant changes. 

The Microsoft.Data.Sqlite library is primarily designed for cross-platform scenarios and integration with Entity Framework Core. Unless you plan to adopt EF Core or support multiple platforms, switching to this library is generally unnecessary. 

Therefore, upgrading System.Data.SQLite should be sufficient for your current requirements. 

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Answer 2

with .net 8, you will be using the System.Data.SQLite .netstandard 2.0 library. While, not Microsoft supported, it appears to be well maintained. This is also the version to use if you use EF 6.

Microsoft.Data.SQLite is part of EF core project. If you upgrade to EF core, then you will want to switch.

At this point there is probably no compelling reason to migrate to Microsoft.Data.Core for a desktop application.