When Should I Choose ICollection over IEnumerable and List in Entity Framework Relationships?

Choosing ICollection over IEnumerable and List in Many-Many/One-Many Relationships

In the realm of object-oriented programming with databases, you may encounter the concept of navigation properties represented as ICollection. This raises several questions regarding the suitability of this approach.

Mandatory Requirement in Entity Framework?

No, using ICollection is not a mandatory requirement for Entity Framework. You can also opt for IEnumerable.

Main Purpose of Using ICollection

The choice between ICollection, IEnumerable, and List hinges on the specific operations you intend to perform on the list of objects.

• IEnumerable<>: Use for lists that only require iteration.
• ICollection<>: Use for lists that require iteration and modification.
• List<>: Use for lists that require iteration, modification, sorting, and other advanced operations.

Specific Case in Entity Framework

In Entity Framework, navigation properties have dynamic proxies that track changes. For these proxies to be created correctly, the virtual type must implement ICollection. This is a requirement for the lazy loading mechanism.

Conclusion

The selection among ICollection, IEnumerable, and List depends on the desired operations for the list of objects. ICollection is preferred in Entity Framework's many-many/one-many relationships due to its compatibility with lazy loading.

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