How would you implement keyset pagination for a large EF Core-backed API list?

Implement keyset pagination with EF Core

Explains stable EF Core pagination using cursor predicates, deterministic ordering, and index-aligned queries.

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I first define a deterministic order, for example CreatedAt DESC, Id DESC, where Id breaks timestamp ties. The cursor contains the last row's ordering values. The next EF Core query applies the equivalent seek predicate, orders by the same columns, and takes one bounded page. That avoids the growing skip cost of deep offset pages and gives more stable navigation while rows are being inserted.

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Cursor pagination, deterministic ordering, LINQ predicates, indexes, filter interaction, and API contract design.

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Pagination sits at the boundary between API design and database performance. EF Core makes offset pagination easy, but large and changing lists often need a cursor-style approach.
I first define a deterministic order, for example CreatedAt DESC, Id DESC, where Id breaks timestamp ties. The cursor contains the last row's ordering values. The next EF Core query applies the equivalent seek predicate, orders by the same columns, and takes one bounded page. That avoids the growing skip cost of deep offset pages and gives more stable navigation while rows are being inserted.
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For descending order, the next-page predicate is . I encode those values into an opaque, versioned cursor and bind it to the active filter and sort contract so it cannot be reused with a different query. The database needs an index aligned with the fixed filters and ordering. Keyset pagination does not support arbitrary page numbers naturally, so offset pagination can still be the clearer choice for small, stable admin lists.

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Sorting by a non-unique field without a tie-breaker.
Using a cursor after changing filters or sort order.
Implementing keyset logic in memory after loading rows.
Offering many sort options without matching indexes.

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