How to Map DDD Domain Models to EF Core Without Breaking Encapsulation

A developer guide published on DEV Community explains how to use Entity Framework Core with Domain-Driven Design (DDD) models that rely on private properties and factory methods. DDD encourages placing business rules directly inside C# classes, but EF Core traditionally works best with simple classes using fully public properties. The guide recommends separating concerns across three projects — Domain, Application, and Infrastructure — so that business logic never directly references EF Core or SQL Server. Dedicated configuration files in the Infrastructure layer act as translators, telling EF Core how to read and write protected domain classes without altering those classes. Key techniques covered include handling private setters, hidden collections, empty constructors for EF Core, and strongly typed IDs.