ASP.NET Core: A Beginners Guide

What is ASP.NET Core, and why has it become the framework of choice for countless developers worldwide?

For those unfamiliar with it, ASP.NET Core is a web framework developed by Microsoft. Its inception is to accommodate the growing needs of modern-day developers. At its heart, it's an open-source and cross-platform framework aimed at creating dynamic, scalable, and performance-driven web applications.

Features of ASP.NET Core:

ASP.NET Core is a Modular framework:
With ASP.NET Core, Microsoft presents a modern approach. Developers benefit from a platform that offers both flexibility and simplicity. If you're familiar with its predecessor, you'll find the transition to ASP.NET Core intuitive. When we compare ASP.NET vs ASP.NET Core, the latter's advantage in terms of cross-platform capabilities and modularity is apparent.
Simplicity and Flexibility of ASP.NET Core:
ASP.NET Core is designed to be a modular framework, with many feature or component available as a separate NuGet package. This allows developers to easily include or exclude features as needed, creating a tailored and efficient project.
Error Handling in ASP.NET Core:
SP.NET Core provides robust error-handling capabilities to help developers create reliable and resilient applications. Errors are classified into multiple categories, such as runtime, compile-time, and configuration errors. Developers can catch and manage errors using try-catch blocks, custom error pages, and middleware. Custom middleware can be created to capture and process exceptions more granularly. The built-in error pages in ASP.NET Core provide helpful information to users and allow developers to handle errors gracefully. Additionally, developers can use the error handling features in combination with logging and debugging tools to diagnose and resolve issues quickly. Logging frameworks like Serilog or NLog can be integrated with ASP.NET Core for detailed error tracking and reporting.
ASP.NET Core has Cloud-optimized runtime:
ASP.NET Core is optimized for cloud deployment, providing a lightweight and efficient runtime that is well-suited for cloud environments such as Microsoft Azure.
ASP.NET Core is Cross-platform:
ASP.NET Core allows developers to build and run cross-platform applications on Windows, Mac, and Linux, using the same codebase. This provides greater flexibility in terms of development environments and deployment targets and allows for easier collaboration between developers on different platforms.
ASP.NET Core is Open-source and community-focused:
ASP.NET Core is open-source and community-focused, with a strong emphasis on collaboration and contributions from the developer community. This has led to a rich ecosystem of tools and libraries, and a vibrant community of developers who can provide support and feedback.
ASP.NET Core Dependency Injection:
ASP.NET Core provides built-in support for dependency injection, making it easier for developers to create loosely coupled and testable code. This allows for greater flexibility in how applications are structured and maintained and helps to ensure that components are easily replaceable and reusable.

ASP.NET Core Components:

EF Core:

With ASP.NET Core, Microsoft presents a modern approach. Developers benefit from a A database access tool that lets developers work with data using .NET objects. Simplifies CRUD operations without needing to write SQL.

ASP.NET Core Razor Pages:

With ASP.NET Core, Microsoft presents a modern approach. Developers benefit from a A template engine for creating dynamic web pages. Uses a mix of C# and HTML to generate HTML content.

ASP.NET Core Signal:

A library for adding real-time web features. Enables things like live chat or live-updating dashboards.

ASP.NET Core Blazor:

Allows developers to build web UIs using C# instead of JavaScript. Supports both server-side and WebAssembly-based approaches. It is an alternative to popular Javascript-based Front-End frameworks like Angular, React, and Vue.js.

ASP.NET Core Web API

Alongside MVC, ASP.NET Core provides a unified Web API framework for building HTTP services. A Web API can be consumed by a wide variety of clients including browsers, mobiles, and IoT devices.
  • Models hold the data and business logic
  • Views, built with the Razor syntax, display the UI
  • Controllers handle requests and populate models
Routing maps URL patterns to controllers and actions. MVC provides a clean way to organize complex web application logic and UI.

ASP.NET Core MVC:

The Model-View-Controller (MVC) architectural pattern separates concerns into models, views, and controllers. ASP.NET Core MVC provides a framework to implement this pattern for web apps.
  • Define routes, controllers, and actions
  • Return JSON, XML, or other data formats
  • Configure serialization and binding
  • Leverage dependency injection
ASP.NET Core Web API framework handles the heavy lifting so you can efficiently develop HTTP-based services.

ASP.NET Core Identity:

A membership system to add login functionality. Helps with user registration, authentication, and authorization. It works seamlessly with the framework, ensuring developers don’t need third-party plugins.

As managing users, authentication and authorization a common needs for most web applications. ASP.NET Core Identity provides a full-featured membership system and roles provider.
  • Manage users, passwords, profiles, roles, claims
  • Plug into external authentication providers
  • Enforce authorization rules and policies
  • Securely store user accounts and data
The built-in Identity system handles the complexity so you can focus on your app's core functionality.

ASP.NET Core Kestrel Web Server:

A lightweight, cross-platform web server for ASP.NET Core apps. Built to be fast and handle many concurrent connections. It is the default and recommended server for ASP.NET Core applications.

ASP.NET Core Quickstart

The quickest way to get started with ASP.NET Core is by creating a new project in Visual Studio. You can choose from web application templates like MVC, Web API, and Razor Pages. This will scaffold a starter project you can build on.

An ASP.NET Core project includes:
  • Program.cs - Configures services and ASP.NET Core pipeline
  • Startup.cs - Adds middleware to pipeline on app startup
  • Controllers folder - Contains MVC controllers
  • Models folder - Represents data entities
  • Views folder - Holds MVC views built with Razor
You can run the project and it will launch a website using the Kestrel web server. During development, IIS Express can also be used to preview the app. You can use our free hosting service to deploy, learn, and practice ASP.NET Core without any costs. Here you can find ASP.NET Core tutorial and documentation to help you get started. With our free service, you can learn at your own pace and explore the features of .NET Core in a supportive environment.

Summary

ASP.NET Core provides a lean and modular framework to build modern web apps that run on Windows, Linux, and macOS. Key features like MVC, Web API, Razor Pages, Identity system, and Blazor enable productive web development with .NET. By leveraging ASP.NET Core you can build fast, secure, and robust web applications.

Frequently Asked Questions about ASP.NET Core:

Use "Add-Migration" command in the Package Manager Console to create a new migration, then use the " Update-Database" command to apply migration to the database.

Use the "SqlServer" package in ASP.NET Core to connect to a SQL Server database. We can install it using the NuGet package manager, and then configure the connection string in the "appsettings.json" file.

Use the "Remove-Migration" command in Package Manager Console to remove a migration from the application.

It depends on your application's requirements. ASP.NET Core Identity provides a set of tools for managing user authentication and authorization, if your application needs these features, then it's a good choice to use ASP.NET Core Identity.

The startup class in ASP.NET Core is the entry point of the application, responsible for configuring and starting the web server and registering services and middleware.

ASP.NET Core is a web framework that includes MVC (Model-View-Controller) as one of its features. ASP.NET Core provides a more comprehensive set of tools and libraries for creating web applications, while MVC is a specific architectural pattern for building web applications.

Yes, ASP.NET Core can run on Linux, as well as Windows and macOS. It is cross-platform and can be run on any platform that supports .NET Core.
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