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Can you learn Entity Framework without LINQ?

No, not realistically.

Entity Framework uses LINQ as its primary query language.
When you write EF code, you are actually writing LINQ queries that EF translates into SQL under the hood.

Microsoft’s own documentation states that EF Core uses LINQ to query data [learn.microsoft.com]

So:

  • Learning EF without LINQ = you can configure DbContext and entities, but you cannot query data effectively.
  • That would be like learning SQL Server but not knowing SELECT.

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