Can you explain what Dapper is and how it is used when working with databases?

Dapper is a lightweight ORM (Object-Relational Mapper) for .NET that provides high performance when working with databases. Unlike full-featured ORMs like Entity Framework, Dapper does not attempt to fully abstract SQL but serves as a convenient tool for mapping SQL query results to C# objects.

Main features of Dapper:

• Very fast, almost like pure ADO.NET.
• Allows writing custom SQL queries, maintaining control.
• Easy to use for executing queries and commands.

Example of using Dapper:

using (var connection = new SqlConnection(connectionString))
{
    connection.Open();
    var users = connection.Query<User>("SELECT * FROM Users WHERE Age > @Age", new { Age = 18 }).ToList();
}

Here, the Query method executes the SQL query and automatically maps the results into a list of User objects.