EF Core CRUD Operations — Create, Read, Update, Delete

Introduction

ShopNest Product Management needs full CRUD — always use async methods in production (SaveChangesAsync, ToListAsync) to keep threads free under load.

After this article you will

• Create with AddAsync; read with FindAsync and LINQ
• Update tracked entities; implement soft delete
• Build ProductsController with five views
• Handle concurrency and errors in CRUD

Prerequisites

• Article 14 — EF Core Code First
• ShopNest.Web project from prior lessons

Concept deep-dive

// CREATE
await _db.Products.AddAsync(product);
await _db.SaveChangesAsync();

// READ
var product = await _db.Products.FindAsync(id);
var list = await _db.Products.Where(p => !p.IsDeleted).ToListAsync();

// UPDATE — entity tracked from query
product.Price = dto.Price;
await _db.SaveChangesAsync();

// SOFT DELETE
product.IsDeleted = true;
product.DeletedAt = DateTime.UtcNow;
await _db.SaveChangesAsync();

AsNoTracking() for read-only lists — better performance, no accidental updates.

Hands-on — ShopNest Product Management

1. Product entity with IsDeleted flag.
2. ProductsController: Index, Details, Create, Edit, Delete (soft).
3. Try/catch DbUpdateException on duplicate SKU.

Common errors & best practices

• Sync SaveChanges on high traffic — blocks threads.
• Update detached entity — attach or use Update() carefully.

Interview questions

Q: Find vs FirstOrDefault?
A: Find uses PK cache first; FirstOrDefault runs query with any predicate.

Summary

• Always async CRUD in production ShopNest apps
• Soft delete preserves audit history
• AsNoTracking for read-only queries

Previous: EF Core Code First
Next: EF Core LINQ Queries

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