DEV Community: Igor Shevchenko

EF Core DBContext Entities configuration refactoring

Igor Shevchenko — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 06:46:23 +0000

I've noticed that many .NET projects have one thing in common - a very messy DbContext full of entity configuration code.

Today I'll show you a simple trick to make your Entity Framework Core setup cleaner, easier to maintain, and much more scalable.

Here's a typical example of what I often see:

All entity configurations are written directly inside the DbContext, making it long, cluttered, and difficult to navigate.

But there's a built-in EF Core feature that many developers overlook: ApplyConfigurationsFromAssembly.

Let's see how it works in my video:

Igor Shevchenko — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 18:12:45 +0000

I've made an experiment to check if an AI agent is capable of creating a proper, ready-to-use solution from scratch.

Join me in my new video where I:

create instructions for a simple .NET project using an IDE-integrated OpenAI agent;
review the generated code;
refactor it to improve quality;

After these steps, I'll share my thoughts on the big question that worries many developers.

Igor Shevchenko — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 06:45:38 +0000

Many .NET developers still face challenges when it comes to running their projects using Docker and Docker Compose.

In this tutorial, we'll work with a simple .NET API. I'll walk you step-by-step through:

adding a Dockerfile to your .NET project;
fixing common issues like EF Core failing to connect to the database inside Docker;
configuring Rider to run the app with Docker networks and environment variables;
setting up Docker Compose to run both the API and PostgreSQL together;
ensuring Rider rebuilds images automatically when you change your code;
share some helpful tips and tricks to ensure your project runs smoothly with Docker.

Watch the full tutorial here: