Deveel.Repository.EntityFramework 1.5.0

Deveel Repository

Deveel Repository is a lightweight .NET framework that provides a principled implementation of the Repository Pattern, designed to help developers build applications grounded in Domain-Driven Design (DDD) and SOLID principles.

The framework abstracts data access behind a clean, stable interface — keeping your domain model independent of any specific persistence technology — while integrating seamlessly with popular data-access libraries as the underlying backing store.

Why Deveel Repository?

At its core, Deveel Repository is about keeping your domain clean.

In Domain-Driven Design the repository is not merely a data-access helper: it is the boundary between the domain model and the infrastructure layer. It speaks the language of the domain (entities, aggregates, identities) while hiding every detail of how data is fetched or persisted.

This library was born from the need to have a consistent, framework-agnostic abstraction for this boundary, without forcing application developers to:

• couple their domain logic to a specific ORM or database driver, or
• re-implement the same boilerplate repository scaffolding in every project.

It was never the intention to build another ORM. Object-Relational Mappers (and document-mapper equivalents) such as Entity Framework Core, Dapper, or MongoFramework are excellent tools for mapping objects to storage. Deveel Repository uses them — it does not replace them.

Deveel Repository vs. ORMs

The table below highlights the key differences and shows how both layers coexist:

In practice, you create a repository on top of an ORM — the ORM handles low-level persistence while Deveel Repository defines what the application can ask for. For example, Deveel.Repository.EntityFramework wraps Entity Framework Core's DbContext behind the IRepository<TEntity> interface, giving the domain a stable contract that survives database migrations and EF Core upgrades. The same principle applies to Deveel.Repository.MongoFramework (backed by MongoFramework / MongoDB) and any custom driver you care to write.

This is not a limitation — it is by design. Decoupling ORMs from domain logic is one of the most impactful architectural decisions you can make for long-term maintainability.

Libraries

The framework is organized into a kernel package (providing interfaces and abstractions) and a set of driver packages that wire those abstractions to concrete data sources.

• Stable releases are published to NuGet.org.
• Pre-release / unstable builds are available from the GitHub Packages feed (https://nuget.pkg.github.com/deveel/index.json).

Package	Description	NuGet (stable)	Downloads (NuGet)
Deveel.Repository.Core	Kernel abstractions: interfaces, base types, and DI extensions
Deveel.Repository.InMemory	Volatile, in-process repository — ideal for testing and prototyping
Deveel.Repository.EntityFramework	Repository driver backed by Entity Framework Core
Deveel.Repository.MongoFramework	Repository driver backed by MongoFramework / MongoDB
Deveel.Repository.MongoFramework.MultiTenant	Multi-tenant MongoDB connection management via Finbuckle.MultiTenant
Deveel.Repository.DynamicLinq	Filter / query support via System.Linq.Dynamic.Core
Deveel.Repository.Manager	Business layer (EntityManager) with validation, normalization, event sourcing, and logging
Deveel.Repository.Manager.DynamicLinq	Dynamic LINQ query extensions for the Entity Manager
Deveel.Repository.Manager.EasyCaching	Second-level caching for the Entity Manager via EasyCaching
Deveel.Repository.Manager.AspNetCore	ASP.NET Core integration for automatic HTTP request cancellation
Deveel.Repository.States.Core	Entity state management abstractions (experimental)

Quick Start

1. Install a driver package

Pick the driver that matches your data source. The Core kernel package is pulled in automatically as a transitive dependency:

# Entity Framework Core
dotnet add package Deveel.Repository.EntityFramework

# MongoDB
dotnet add package Deveel.Repository.MongoFramework

# In-Memory (testing / prototyping)
dotnet add package Deveel.Repository.InMemory

To consume an unstable pre-release build, add the GitHub Packages feed first:

dotnet nuget add source https://nuget.pkg.github.com/deveel/index.json \
  --name deveel-github --username <your-github-username> --password <your-pat>

2. Register the repository

Use the AddRepository<T> extension on IServiceCollection:

// Program.cs / Startup.cs
builder.Services.AddRepository<InMemoryRepository<Order>>();

After registration the following services are resolvable from the DI container (availability depends on the concrete repository's capabilities):

3. Consume the repository in your services

public class OrderService(IRepository<Order> orders)
{
    public Task<Order?> GetAsync(string id, CancellationToken ct)
        => orders.FindByIdAsync(id, ct);

    public Task PlaceAsync(Order order, CancellationToken ct)
        => orders.AddAsync(order, ct);
}

For driver-specific configuration, multi-tenancy, and guidance on writing a custom repository, refer to the full documentation or browse it online at GitBook.

Documentation and Guides

Full documentation is also available on GitBook.

Roadmap

We are actively building Deveel Repository toward a comprehensive, production-ready framework. See the complete roadmap for detailed feature descriptions, timelines, and architectural decisions.

Release Timeline

• v1.5.0 — "Solid Ground"

• Package Namespace Correction

• Thread-Safe In-Memory Repository

• Expression Compilation Cache

• Full .NET 10 Compatibility and Benchmark Baseline

• XML Documentation Completeness

• Conversion to ValueTask Results for Asynchronous Methods

• General Performance Optimizations

• v1.6.0 — "Developer Flow"

  • Unified Repository Setup Builder
  • QueryBuilder Execution Extensions
  • Pluggable Cache Provider Abstraction
  • Automatic Timestamp and Ownership Management
  • Repository Health Checks
  • Repository Controller Lifecycle Redesign

• v1.7.0 — "Entity Lifecycle"

  • Soft Delete Support
  • Entity State Machine
  • Domain Event Emission from EntityManager

• v1.8.0 — "Scale & Throughput"

  • Batch Operations in EntityManager
  • Async Streaming Queries
  • Read/Write Repository Split

• v1.9.0 — "Observability & Governance"

  • OpenTelemetry Integration
  • Audit Trail Support
  • EF Core Multi-Tenancy Parity

• v2.0.0 — "Platform Modernization"

  • Minimum .NET 9 Baseline
  • Simplified Repository Interface Hierarchy
  • Repository Source Generators

• v2.1.0 — "New Database Drivers"

  • PostgreSQL Native Driver
  • Azure Cosmos DB Driver
  • Dapper Repository Driver
  • Service-Based Repository Driver
  • Neo4j Repository Driver

For more details on features, design rationale, and success criteria, see the ROADMAP.

License

The project is licensed under the terms of the Apache Public License v2, which allows unrestricted use in any project — open-source or commercial — without restriction.

Contributing

The project is open to contributions. Please read the contributing guidelines before opening a pull request.

Contributors

A huge thank-you to everyone who has contributed code, documentation, bug reports, and ideas:

Contributions of all kinds are welcome — see CONTRIBUTING.md to get started.