EF Core Migrations in Azure DevOps Pipelines with YAML Configuration and Environment Setup

Introduction

Managing database migrations is a critical part of maintaining application stability and consistency across environments. When working with EF Core in .NET, migrations help ensure that your database schema stays in sync with your application’s data model. Azure DevOps pipelines offer a powerful way to automate this process, ensuring that every deployment applies the necessary database updates seamlessly.

In this blog, we’ll explore how to set up your Azure DevOps pipeline to run EF Core migrations automatically using the dotnet ef command. We'll cover everything from configuring the YAML pipeline to securely managing environment variables for your database connection strings.

Why Automate EF Core Migrations in Azure DevOps?

Automating database migrations in your CI/CD pipeline offers several benefits:

• Consistency: Ensures that all environments (Development, Staging, Production) have the same database schema.
• Efficiency: Saves time by automating repetitive tasks, reducing the risk of human error.
• Security: Centralizes migration management within a secure, audited pipeline.