What is .AsNoTracking()? When to use it?

Short answer: .AsNoTracking() tells EF Core not to track entities in the returned query.

Explain a bit more

✅ Use when: Read-only operations Improving performance for large queries Preventing memory overhead of tracking var users = context.Users.AsNoTracking().ToList(); .AsNoTracking() tells EF Core not to track entities in the returned query. .AsNoTracking() tells EF Core not to track entities in the returned query. ✅ Use when: Read-only operations Improving performance for large queries Preventing memory overhead of tracking

Example code

var users = context.Users.AsNoTracking().ToList(); .AsNoTracking() tells EF Core not to track entities in the returned query. .AsNoTracking() tells EF Core not to track entities in the returned query. ✅ Use when: Read-only operations Improving performance for large queries Preventing memory overhead of tracking Example: var users = context.Users.AsNoTracking().ToList(); .AsNoTracking() tells EF Core not to track entities in the returned query. ✅ Use when: Read-only operations Improving performance for large queries Preventing memory overhead of tracking Example: var users = context.Users.AsNoTracking().ToList();

Real-world example (ShopNest)

Read-only catalog pages use AsNoTracking() so EF Core does not spend time snapshotting entities you will never update.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.