EF Core In-Memory Database Provider

This database provider allows Entity Framework Core to be used with an in-memory database. While some users use the in-memory database for testing, this is discouraged. For more information on how to test EF Core applications, see the Testing EF Core Applications. The provider is maintained by Microsoft as part of the Entity Framework Core Project.

Warning

The EF Core in-memory database is not designed for performance or robustness and should not be used outside of testing environments. It is not designed for production use.

Important

New features are not being added to the in-memory database.

Install

Install the Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.InMemory NuGet package.

.NET Core CLI

dotnet add package Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.InMemory

Visual Studio

Install-Package Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.InMemory

Get Started

The following resources will help you get started with this provider.

• Testing with in-memory (not recommended)
• UnicornStore Sample Application Tests

Supported Database Engines

In-process naive, non-performant, and non-persisted in-memory database. Not designed for production use.