If you want the absolute latest EF features and bug fixes which have been committed to the main branch check out the daily builds.
The Entity Framework daily builds are easy to pull in via NuGet, you just have to add a new source URL into your NuGet Packages sources configuration. This can be easily done through Visual Studio Tools -> Options -> NuGet Package Manger -> Package Sources screen as shown below…
The name is :
dotnet8 (but can be whatever you want)
The Source URL is : https://pkgs.dev.azure.com/dnceng/public/_packaging/dotnet8/nuget/v3/index.json
After updating your list of available package sources and when back on the main NuGet Package Manager screen …
- Select ‘dotnet8’ (or whatever you called it) in the ‘Package source‘ dropdown.
- Check the ‘Include prerelease‘ checkbox too.
- Search for ‘entityframeworkcore’.
- Install found packages as normal.
As seen below, at the time of writing the EF version found is 8.0.0-alpha.1.23069.1 which was published on the 19th Jan 2023 (today is 21st Jan 2023).
Why download the Entity Framework daily builds?
- Previews typically lag behind daily builds by around 3-5 weeks.
- Serious bugs are usually fixed and available in a new daily build within 1 or 2 days–sometimes less.
- You are able to provide feedback immediately on any changes.
A disadvantage of using daily builds is that there can be significant API changes for new features. However, this should only be an issue if you’re trying out new features as they are being developed.
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