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LLBLGen Pro VS Entity Framework

Compare LLBLGen Pro VS Entity Framework and see what are their differences

LLBLGen Pro logo LLBLGen Pro

LLBLGen Pro: Using databases in your .NET code made easy. The entity modeling solution for Entity Framework, LLBLGen Pro Runtime Framework, NHibernate and Linq to SQL.

Entity Framework logo Entity Framework

See Comparison of Entity Framework vs NHibernate.
  • LLBLGen Pro Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-01
  • Entity Framework Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-18

LLBLGen Pro features and specs

  • Powerful ORM Tool
    LLBLGen Pro is a robust object-relational mapping (ORM) tool that simplifies and accelerates database application development by automating routine tasks and reducing code complexity.
  • Cross-Database Support
    The tool supports various database systems, allowing developers to work on multiple databases with the same codebase, increasing flexibility and reducing vendor lock-in risk.
  • Model-First and Database-First Approaches
    LLBLGen Pro supports both model-first and database-first design methods, enabling developers to choose the workflow that best suits their project needs.
  • Comprehensive Designer
    The powerful visual designer in LLBLGen Pro allows for easy modeling of entities, relationships, and workflows, enhancing productivity and providing clear visual representation.
  • Extensive Documentation and Support
    It offers detailed documentation, tutorials, and a supportive community, making it easier for developers to get started and resolve issues quickly.

Possible disadvantages of LLBLGen Pro

  • Cost
    LLBLGen Pro is a commercial tool, so it requires a purchase, which might be a barrier for individual developers or small companies with limited budgets.
  • Learning Curve
    While powerful, LLBLGen Pro has a steep learning curve, especially for developers unfamiliar with ORM tools, which might delay initial productivity.
  • Overhead for Small Projects
    For simple or small-scale projects, the comprehensive feature set might introduce unnecessary complexity and overhead.
  • Limited to .NET
    The tool is primarily designed for .NET environments, limiting its use in projects that require interoperability with other frameworks or languages.
  • Dependency on Updates
    Users are dependent on the tool's developers for updates and bug fixes, which can be an issue if updates do not align with project timelines or introduce breaking changes.

Entity Framework features and specs

  • Productivity
    Entity Framework automates database-related code generation, reducing the amount of boilerplate code developers must write and maintain. This allows developers to work more efficiently and focus more on business logic.
  • Abstraction
    It abstracts the database interaction details, enabling developers to work with higher-level .NET objects instead of raw SQL queries, resulting in clearer and more manageable code.
  • Code First Approach
    This allows developers to define their database schema using C# classes, making it easy to evolve the database alongside the codebase using migrations.
  • Support for Multiple Databases
    Entity Framework supports a wide range of relational databases, including SQL Server, PostgreSQL, SQLite, and MySQL, providing flexibility and choice to the developers.
  • Change Tracking
    It provides automatic change tracking of entity objects, simplifying the process of updating data in the database without manually tracking object changes.

Possible disadvantages of Entity Framework

  • Performance Overhead
    The abstraction layer can lead to performance overhead compared to plain SQL queries, as the generated queries might not be as optimized as handcrafted SQL.
  • Complexity
    For simple or small applications, the complexity introduced by using an ORM like Entity Framework might be unnecessary and could complicate the architecture.
  • Learning Curve
    Developers need to learn the specific concepts and configurations of Entity Framework, which can be time-consuming compared to traditional database access methodologies.
  • Debugging Difficulty
    Debugging issues can be more challenging because of the abstraction, making it sometimes difficult to trace the exact query being executed and pinpoint performance bottlenecks.
  • Limited SQL Features
    While Entity Framework supports a wide range of SQL functionalities, there are advanced features specific to certain databases that may not be fully supported or could require custom implementation.

LLBLGen Pro videos

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Entity Framework videos

Entity Framework Best Practices - Should EFCore Be Your Data Access of Choice?

More videos:

  • Tutorial - Entity Framework 6 Tutorial: Learn Entity Framework 6 from Scratch
  • Review - Getting the best out of Entity Framework Core - Jon P Smith

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to LLBLGen Pro and Entity Framework)
Databases
37 37%
63% 63
Web Frameworks
23 23%
77% 77
Backend Development
47 47%
53% 53
Development
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Entity Framework seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 15 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

LLBLGen Pro mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of LLBLGen Pro yet. Tracking of LLBLGen Pro recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Entity Framework mentions (15)

  • Create a Simple .NET Workflow App From Scratch – Your Ultimate Guide
    For the simplicity we will use MSSQLProvider to fetch the data from the database. This class has basic functionality, if you want to create complex database queries, for example JOIN, you'd better use something like Entity Framework. - Source: dev.to / 12 months ago
  • Entity Framework Core in .NET 7 7️⃣
    I only wanted to give a simple preview of what can be done with Entity Framework, but if this is something that interests you and you want to go further in-depth with all the possibilities, I recommend checking out the official docs where you can also find a great tutorial which will guide you through building your very own .NET Core web application. - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • Got an internship, need help with .NET
    Entity Framework documentation hub - Entity Framework is a modern object-relation mapper that lets you build a clean, portable, and high-level data access layer with .NET (C#) across a variety of databases, including SQL Database (on-premises and Azure), SQLite, MySQL, PostgreSQL, and Azure Cosmos DB. It supports LINQ queries, change tracking, updates, and schema migrations. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • How to create a "Database Project" that can be used across multiple .NET apps?
    You can create the DAL using your existing code or start using a Object Relational Mapper like Entity Framework which will do a lot of the work for you, check this out here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/ef/ also check out LINQ. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Website with Database. use C#
    And, possibly (not strictly speaking necessary but very useful) Entity framework as a backend part of it. Source: about 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing LLBLGen Pro and Entity Framework, you can also consider the following products

DevExpress XPO - Free-of-Charge (without Technical Support), also see GitHub and Benchmarks.

Sequelize - Provides access to a MySQL database by mapping database entries to objects and vice-versa.

Hibernate ORM - Hibernate team account. Hibernate is a suite of open source projects around domain models. The flagship project is Hibernate ORM, the Object Relational Mapper.

Hibernate - Hibernate an open source Java persistence framework project.

RedBeanPHP - Backend Development, Databases, and ORMs

MyBATIS - MyBatis is a top-rated SQL-based data mapping solution used by Programmers, Software Engineers, and Database Architects for developing object-oriented software applications.