EasyAF 5.0

Performance Improvements

EasyAF 5.0 removes reflection and expression trees from the code your app runs on every request, every save, and every property assignment.

68.7x faster audit checks

EntityManager checks an entity’s audit interfaces with pattern matching instead of a type dictionary and LINQ: 40.05 ns → 0.58 ns.

30.6x faster property setters

Generated setters use nameof instead of building an expression tree on every assignment: 874.4 ns → 28.6 ns, and zero allocations.

6.0x faster deserialization

Deserializing runs every property’s setter, so the faster setters and the new serializer contract combine: 1,696.7 ns → 284.6 ns, 90.8% fewer allocations.

Area	Speed	Memory
Detecting audit interfaces in `EntityManager`	68.7x faster	No allocations before or after
Setting properties on generated entities	30.6x faster	100% fewer allocations
Serializing entities without audit fields	13.9x faster	92.1% fewer allocations
`EntityManager` lifecycle methods	6.5x to 10.5x faster	92.4% to 98.0% fewer allocations
Deserializing entities	6.0x faster	90.8% fewer allocations
Reading the user’s ID from `ClaimsPrincipal`	4.1x faster	97.7% fewer allocations
Creating a generated entity	2.0x faster	32.3% fewer allocations
Creating and saving an entity, end to end (EF Core)	6.0% faster	7.0% fewer allocations
Creating and saving an entity, end to end (EF6)	No measurable change	1.5% fewer allocations

“Faster” is before ÷ after. “Fewer allocations” is (before − after) ÷ before. Every “before” is the EasyAF 4.x code, frozen in a V4 namespace in the benchmark projects so both versions run side by side.

Creating and saving an entity, end to end

This is what your app does when it creates a record: create an entity, set its properties, and save it through the generated manager. Each save uses a new context and manager, the way a scoped request does, and writes to an in-memory database so disk and network time don’t hide the difference.

	EasyAF 4.x	EasyAF 5.0	Improvement
EF Core, time per save	17.75 µs	16.68 µs	6.0% faster (1.07 µs saved)
EF Core, memory per save	31.7 KB	29.5 KB	7.0% fewer allocations
EF6, time per save	3.041 ms	3.056 ms	No measurable change
EF6, memory per save	503.7 KB	496.3 KB	1.5% fewer allocations

The individual improvements below are large, but Entity Framework does most of the work in a save. EasyAF 5.0 saves about 1 µs and 2 to 7 KB of allocations per save. On EF Core, that’s 6% of the whole save. EF6 spends about 3 ms per save, so the time saved is smaller than the run-to-run variation. With a real database, network time makes the share smaller again, but the allocations you save still reduce garbage collection on a busy server.

Audit interface detection in `EntityManager`

EntityManager checked which audit interfaces an entity implements by caching each type’s interfaces in a type dictionary, then searching them with LINQ. It now uses pattern matching (entity is ICreatedAuditable), which compiles to a single type check and works with Native AOT. Checking all four audit interfaces on a Product, as ResetAuditProperties does:

	Time	Memory
EasyAF 4.x (type dictionary + LINQ)	40.05 ns	0 B
EasyAF 5.0 (pattern matching)	0.58 ns	0 B
Improvement	68.7x faster (40.05 ÷ 0.583)	No change

`EntityManager` lifecycle methods

These run inside every insert, update, and reset. They combine the faster interface checks, the faster ID claim lookup, and the faster setters. Both flavors run the same scenario, with the database query skipped so only EasyAF’s code is measured.

Method	Flavor	EasyAF 4.x	EasyAF 5.0	Speed	Memory
`OnInsertingAsync`	EF6	1,016.8 ns, 2,744 B	125.8 ns, 208 B	8.1x faster	92.4% fewer
`OnInsertingAsync`	EF Core	1,087.7 ns, 2,824 B	119.2 ns, 208 B	9.1x faster	92.6% fewer
`OnUpdatingAsync`	EF6	451.8 ns, 1,440 B	62.1 ns, 40 B	7.3x faster	97.2% fewer
`OnUpdatingAsync`	EF Core	402.9 ns, 1,360 B	61.6 ns, 40 B	6.5x faster	97.1% fewer
`ResetAuditProperties`	EF6	674.5 ns, 1,968 B	64.5 ns, 40 B	10.5x faster	98.0% fewer
`ResetAuditProperties`	EF Core	698.3 ns, 1,968 B	70.0 ns, 40 B	10.0x faster	98.0% fewer

Generated property setters

Generated setters now call Set(nameof(Name), ref _name, value) instead of Set(() => Name, ref _name, value). The old form built an expression tree on every assignment. nameof is a compile-time constant, so an assignment no longer allocates at all. Rebuild your project to regenerate your entities. Setting 7 properties on a generated Product:

	Time	Memory
EasyAF 4.x	874.4 ns	2,128 B
EasyAF 5.0	28.6 ns	0 B
Improvement	30.6x faster (874.4 ÷ 28.55)	100% fewer (2,128 B → 0 B)

With a PropertyChanged subscriber, such as a Blazor binding, each change also allocates a 24 B PropertyChangedEventArgs:

	Time	Memory
EasyAF 4.x	905.1 ns	2,296 B
EasyAF 5.0	40.1 ns	168 B
Improvement	22.6x faster (905.1 ÷ 40.09)	92.7% fewer (2,296 B → 168 B)

Serializing and deserializing entities

IgnoreAuditFields() removes the audit properties from System.Text.Json’s contract once per type, instead of using reflection on every call. The obsolete IgnoreAuditFieldsJsonConverterFactory now uses the same approach, so apps that haven’t migrated get almost the same gain. Serializing one Product:

	Time	Memory
EasyAF 4.x converter	1,545.0 ns	5,240 B
EasyAF 5.0 `IgnoreAuditFields()`	111.2 ns	416 B
Improvement	13.9x faster (1,545.0 ÷ 111.2)	92.1% fewer (5,240 B → 416 B)
EasyAF 5.0 obsolete converter	117.2 ns	416 B

Deserializing one Product, which also runs every property’s setter:

	Time	Memory
EasyAF 4.x converter and entity	1,696.7 ns	2,432 B
EasyAF 5.0 `IgnoreAuditFields()` and entity	284.6 ns	224 B
Improvement	6.0x faster (1,696.7 ÷ 284.6)	90.8% fewer (2,432 B → 224 B)

Serializing with IgnoreAuditFields() is now faster than serializing the whole entity with plain System.Text.Json (186.8 ns, 696 B), because it writes four fewer properties.

Reading the user’s ID claim

ClaimsPrincipal.GetIdClaim() rebuilt the claim type string for every claim it checked, and allocated a closure, on every call. The claim type is now cached, and only rebuilt when you change the claim configuration.

	Time	Memory
EasyAF 4.x	155.9 ns	1,704 B
EasyAF 5.0	38.0 ns	40 B
Improvement	4.1x faster (155.9 ÷ 38.0)	97.7% fewer (1,704 B → 40 B)

Creating entities

DbObservableObject created an empty OriginalValues dictionary in every constructor, even though most entities are never change-tracked. The dictionary is now created on the first tracked change. Entity Framework constructs an entity for every row it reads, so this adds up on large queries.

	Time	Memory
EasyAF 4.x	10.1 ns	248 B
EasyAF 5.0	5.2 ns	168 B
Improvement	2.0x faster (10.11 ÷ 5.15)	32.3% fewer (248 B → 168 B)

Measured with BenchmarkDotNet 0.15.8 and its default job, on .NET 10.0.12, on an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K running Windows 11. The end-to-end benchmarks use Effort for EF6 and the EF Core InMemory provider. The benchmarks, and the EasyAF 4.x code they compare against, are in the CloudNimble.EasyAF.Benchmarks.Core, .EF6, and .EFCore projects. Run one with dotnet run -c Release -f net10.0 --project src/CloudNimble.EasyAF.Benchmarks.Core. Times vary by machine; the ratios are what matter.

Breaking changes

.NET 8 and .NET 9 are no longer supported

EasyAF 5.0 targets .NET 10 and .NET 11. Packages that also target netstandard2.0, net48, or net472 still do. Move your projects to .NET 10 or later before upgrading.

`IgnoreAuditFieldsJsonConverterFactory` is obsolete, and its output changed

Call IgnoreAuditFields() on your JsonSerializerOptions instead:

var options = new JsonSerializerOptions
{
    DefaultIgnoreCondition = JsonIgnoreCondition.WhenWritingDefault,
    Converters = { new JsonStringEnumConverter() },
}.IgnoreAuditFields();

The obsolete converter still works, and both it and IgnoreAuditFields() now honor every System.Text.Json setting. That changes the JSON you send:

WhenWritingDefault now skips 0, false, and Guid.Empty, not just null. Use WhenWritingNull to keep writing them.
Naming policies and [JsonPropertyName] now apply to entity properties.
Audit fields are also removed from related entities.

See IgnoreAuditFieldsJsonConverter for the full list and how to restore the 4.x output.

`ICreatorTrackable<T>` requires a non-nullable `CreatedById`

Code generation only applies ICreatorTrackable<T> when the CreatedById column is NOT NULL. If it allows nulls, the entity is still generated without the interface, and the build reports warning EASYAF005 at the property in your EDMX. To keep creator tracking, make CreatedById required on every table, and assign built-in or seed data to a system user ID that has zero permissions. See Table Design.

Source generator diagnostic IDs

EASYAF001 was used for three different messages. Each now has its own ID:

ID	Severity	Meaning
`EASYAF001`	Warning	`EasyAFProjectType` is not set in the project file.
`EASYAF006`	Info	Reports the `EasyAFProjectType` that was found.
`EASYAF007`	Error	`EasyAFProjectType` is set to an unsupported value.

If you suppress EASYAF001 in NoWarn or .editorconfig, check which of these messages you meant to suppress.

`GenerateViews` is now `EasyAFGenerateViews`

Rename the GenerateViews MSBuild property to EasyAFGenerateViews. The old name still works, but reports warning EASYAF008. If both are set, GenerateViews wins until you remove it.

Restier `IModelBuilderExtensions` renamed

The class is now EasyAF_Restier_IModelBuilderExtensions, to match the other EasyAF extension classes. Code that calls the methods as extensions is unaffected. Code that calls them through the class name must use the new name.

Improvements

dotnet easyaf new. Creates a complete EasyAF solution in one command: Core, Data, Business, Api (with OData MCP), MessageBus, and Tests projects, referenced the way EasyAF expects, with Directory.Build.props, global.json, and an .slnx. Projects come from the .NET SDK’s own templates, so they match your installed SDK. Use --no-api, --no-messagebus, or --no-runtime to leave projects out, --webjob to publish the message processor as an Azure WebJob, and -f net11.0 to target .NET 11. Then run dotnet easyaf init to connect a database.
int and long IDs for audit fields. EntityManager now fills CreatedById and UpdatedById for Guid, int, and long IDs, from the user’s ID claim. Use ClaimsPrincipal.TryGetIdClaim(out int) or TryGetIdClaim(out long) to read those IDs yourself.
One less dependency. CloudNimble.EasyAF.Business no longer depends on Ben.TypeDictionary.

Getting Started

Guides

API Reference

Release Notes

EasyAF 5.0

Performance Improvements

68.7x faster audit checks

30.6x faster property setters

6.0x faster deserialization

Creating and saving an entity, end to end

Audit interface detection in `EntityManager`

`EntityManager` lifecycle methods

Generated property setters

Serializing and deserializing entities

Reading the user’s ID claim

Creating entities

Breaking changes

.NET 8 and .NET 9 are no longer supported

`IgnoreAuditFieldsJsonConverterFactory` is obsolete, and its output changed

`ICreatorTrackable<T>` requires a non-nullable `CreatedById`

Source generator diagnostic IDs

`GenerateViews` is now `EasyAFGenerateViews`

Restier `IModelBuilderExtensions` renamed

Improvements

​EasyAF 5.0

​Performance Improvements

68.7x faster audit checks

30.6x faster property setters

6.0x faster deserialization

​Creating and saving an entity, end to end

​Audit interface detection in EntityManager

​EntityManager lifecycle methods

​Generated property setters

​Serializing and deserializing entities

​Reading the user’s ID claim

​Creating entities

​Breaking changes

​.NET 8 and .NET 9 are no longer supported

​IgnoreAuditFieldsJsonConverterFactory is obsolete, and its output changed

​ICreatorTrackable<T> requires a non-nullable CreatedById

​Source generator diagnostic IDs

​GenerateViews is now EasyAFGenerateViews

​Restier IModelBuilderExtensions renamed

​Improvements

EasyAF 5.0

Performance Improvements

Creating and saving an entity, end to end

Audit interface detection in `EntityManager`

`EntityManager` lifecycle methods

Generated property setters

Serializing and deserializing entities

Reading the user’s ID claim

Creating entities

Breaking changes

.NET 8 and .NET 9 are no longer supported

`IgnoreAuditFieldsJsonConverterFactory` is obsolete, and its output changed

`ICreatorTrackable<T>` requires a non-nullable `CreatedById`

Source generator diagnostic IDs

`GenerateViews` is now `EasyAFGenerateViews`

Restier `IModelBuilderExtensions` renamed

Improvements