Why C# Records Outperform Mutable Classes for DTOs in Modern .NET Apps
A technical analysis argues that mutable C# classes with settable properties are the wrong choice for Data Transfer Objects (DTOs), a practice that has persisted since .NET Framework 2.0. Since C# 9 introduced records, developers have had a structurally immutable alternative better suited to representing data snapshots passed across system boundaries. The article draws on fintech and banking use cases — including payment processing and reconciliation workflows — to illustrate how mutable DTOs can cause real production failures such as duplicate payments and corrupted audit trails. Records enforce immutability by design, preventing unintended mutations as objects travel through validation, fraud screening, and other async pipeline stages. The piece targets engineers at all levels, making the case that records should be the default choice for any DTO in clean, principle-driven .NET development.
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