.NET Web API Zero to Hero

Learn the core principles of Web APIs and RESTful design that form the foundation of modern application development.

Discover essential tips and best practices to write efficient, scalable, and maintainable .NET applications.

Understand the request processing pipeline in ASP.NET Core and how middleware components handle HTTP requests and responses.

Implement effective dependency injection patterns in ASP.NET Core to improve code maintainability and testability.

Select appropriate service lifetimes for your dependencies to prevent memory leaks and ensure proper resource management.

Utilize keyed services to solve complex dependency injection scenarios requiring multiple implementations of the same interface.

Streamline dependency registration with Scrutor's assembly scanning capabilities to reduce boilerplate code.

Filters are built-in hooks that let you run custom logic during specific phases of the HTTP request pipeline.

Implement RFC 7807 ProblemDetails standard to provide consistent, machine-readable error responses in your APIs.

Develop a centralized exception handling strategy to manage errors consistently across your entire API.

Configure Serilog for structured logging to enhance troubleshooting capabilities with queryable, context-rich log data.

Build concise, performant API endpoints using the Minimal API paradigm introduced in recent ASP.NET Core versions.

Generate comprehensive API documentation using OpenAPI specifications and evaluate alternatives to Swagger UI.

Implement efficient data access patterns for creating, reading, updating, and deleting resources using Entity Framework Core.

Model and configure entity relationships in EF Core to represent complex data structures in your database.

Implement efficient data retrieval techniques to optimize performance when working with large datasets.

Apply query filters automatically across your application to enforce data access rules consistently.

Implement soft delete patterns to maintain data history while supporting recovery scenarios and audit requirements.

Optimize database operations for large datasets using bulk operation techniques in Entity Framework Core.

Implement optimistic concurrency control to detect and handle conflicting data modifications in multi-user environments.

Design applications that interact with multiple databases through separate DbContext instances with proper separation.

Apply database migrations effectively in different environments using Entity Framework Core's migration tooling.

Maintain an organized migration history to improve development workflow and simplify database version management.

Select appropriate tracking behaviors for your EF Core queries to optimize performance based on specific use cases.

Implement transaction management strategies to maintain data integrity during complex operations affecting multiple entities.

Use interceptors to modify query behavior and implement cross-cutting concerns like auditing and validation.

Implement reliable data seeding strategies to ensure consistent initial state across different environments.

Incorporate stored procedures and raw SQL operations into your EF Core application for performance-critical scenarios.

Select appropriate loading strategies for related data to optimize performance and prevent N+1 query problems.

Implement and manage API key authentication to secure services for machine-to-machine communication.

Configure JWT-based authentication to secure your APIs with stateless, token-based access control.

Implement secure refresh token patterns to maintain user sessions without compromising security.

Apply role-based authorization to restrict access to API resources based on user permissions.

Configure OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect protocols to enable secure, standards-based authentication.

Implement the streamlined identity endpoints introduced in .NET 8 for efficient user management.

Connect your application to Keycloak to leverage its comprehensive identity and access management capabilities.

Configure proper CORS policies to protect your API while enabling legitimate cross-origin access.

Implement rate limiting to prevent API abuse and ensure fair resource allocation across clients.

Implement the options pattern to handle application configuration with strong typing and validation.

Create maintainable, reusable validation rules using FluentValidation to enforce data integrity.

Apply the CQRS pattern with MediatR to separate read and write operations for improved scalability and maintainability.

Build a robust validation pipeline that automatically validates commands and queries before processing.

Apply validation to configuration options to catch misconfigurations early during application startup.

Implement feature flags to manage feature rollout and enable/disable functionality without redeployment.

Apply versioning strategies to evolve your API while maintaining compatibility with existing clients.

Implement reliable background processing for resource-intensive or scheduled tasks using Hangfire and Worker Services.

Design and implement webhook systems to enable event-driven integration between applications.

Add real-time communication capabilities to your application using SignalR and WebSockets.

Implement PDF document generation for reports, invoices, and other business documents directly from your API.

Use benchmarking tools to identify performance bottlenecks and validate optimization efforts.

Configure rate limiting policies to protect your API from overuse and ensure consistent performance.

Implement response compression and content negotiation to reduce bandwidth usage and improve API response times.

Apply in-memory caching patterns to reduce database load and improve response times for frequently accessed data.

Implement Redis-based distributed caching to share cached data across multiple application instances.

Build a caching pipeline component using MediatR behaviors to transparently cache query results.

Implement multi-level caching strategies that leverage both in-memory speed and distributed cache durability.

Apply best practices for creating and managing HTTP clients to consume external services reliably.

Streamline HTTP client code using Refit's interface-based approach to API consumption.

Implement resilience patterns using Polly to handle transient failures in service-to-service communication.

Create custom DelegatingHandlers to manage authentication tokens and other cross-cutting HTTP client concerns.

Implement comprehensive logging for external service calls to simplify troubleshooting of integration issues.

Configure HttpClientFactory to manage HttpClient instances properly and avoid common socket exhaustion issues.

Compare architectural approaches to select the most appropriate pattern for your project's specific requirements.

Apply Domain-Driven Design principles to model complex business domains effectively in your API architecture.

Structure your application using Clean Architecture patterns to achieve separation of concerns and testability.

Organize code by features rather than technical concerns using the Vertical Slice Architecture approach.

Select appropriate HTTP status codes to provide clear, standards-compliant feedback to API consumers.

Implement comprehensive health checks to monitor the status of your API and its dependencies.

Configure OpenTelemetry to collect metrics, traces, and logs for comprehensive application monitoring.

Implement Prometheus metrics collection to gather and analyze performance data from your .NET applications.

Configure distributed tracing to track and visualize request flows through complex multi-service architectures.

Apply proven unit testing techniques to verify the behavior of individual API components in isolation.

Create comprehensive integration tests to validate the behavior of your API endpoints end-to-end.

Implement TestContainers to run integration tests against real dependencies in isolated Docker containers.

Configure automated test execution in your CI/CD pipeline to maintain code quality during deployment.

Implement contract testing to detect potential breaking changes before they affect API consumers.

Package your .NET API as a Docker container for consistent deployment across different environments.

Utilize .NET's integrated Docker tools to simplify container creation and management for your applications.

Configure GitHub Actions workflows to automate building, testing, and deploying your .NET API applications.

Implement API Gateway patterns using YARP to route, transform, and aggregate requests across multiple services.

Apply this comprehensive pre-launch checklist to ensure your API meets security, performance, and reliability standards.