Comparative Performance Analysis of Dapper and Entity Framework Core in Architectural Design

Authors

Y. Sychev
Senior Software Engineer, Kaspi Bank JSC, Kazakhstan, Almaty

A. Asylkhan
Senior Software Engineer, BP, Kazakhstan, Almaty

Abstract

Selecting a data-access approach in .NET applications affects latency, memory pressure, and operational cost under load. This paper compares a full-featured object-relational mapping framework, Entity Framework Core (EF Core), with the micro-ORM Dapper in a controlled benchmark environment. Experiments were executed against PostgreSQL 17.6 using .NET 10 and BenchmarkDotNet, with containerized database provisioning and deterministic synthetic data generation designed to simulate complex real-world high-throughput enterprise systems. The evaluation measures end-to-end query time, managed memory allocation, and garbage collection activity for representative read and update workloads, including join-heavy retrieval of order graphs and high-concurrency selection. The results indicate that Dapper reduces managed allocations by bypassing complex internal state management across the tested scenarios and often improves mean latency, with the largest advantage observed for join-intensive queries and complex updates. EF Core compiled queries narrow the latency gap for some read patterns but remain closer to the baseline in memory footprint. The findings suggest that change tracking and materialization contribute measurable overhead in EF Core, while Dapper's lower abstraction level shifts responsibility to developers for query correctness, parameterization, and mapping discipline. The presented evidence supports selecting a data-access strategy that matches workload characteristics and non-functional constraints, particularly when memory pressure and latency stability are primary targets.

Keywords

Dapper; Entity Framework Core; object-relational mapping; data access; benchmarking; performance; .NET platform

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Recommended Citation

Sychev, Y., & Asylkhan, A. (2026). Comparative Performance Analysis of Dapper and Entity Framework Core in Architectural Design. Universum: Technical Sciences, No. 6(147). https://7universum.com/ru/tech/archive/item/23040