ASP .NET Core Web API Realtime Project

Getting Started with ASP.NET Core

Concepts:

• What is ASP.NET Core? Why use it for APIs?
• Understanding .NET SDK vs Runtime
• Setting up the development environment (Visual Studio/VS Code, .NET SDK, SQL Server)
• Creating a new ASP.NET Core Web API project using the CLI and Visual Studio
• Anatomy of an ASP.NET Core Web API project (Program.cs, Startup.cs, appsettings.json)
• What is Middleware? Examples of built-in middleware
• Understanding the HTTP pipeline and lifecycle
• Difference between Controllers and Minimal APIs
• REST principles and HTTP status codes overview

Hands-On:

• Create a “Hello World” API
• Test GET and POST methods in Postman and Swagger UI
• Create a basic endpoint for a demo resource (e.g., Product)
• Use breakpoints and Visual Studio debugger

Routing, Controllers, Models and EF Core

Concepts:

• RESTful Routing: attribute vs conventional
• Deep dive into Controller structure and lifecycle
• Creating and structuring Models, ViewModels, and DTOs
• Using FluentValidation and DataAnnotations for input validation
• Introduction to Entity Framework Core
• Setup local SQL Server or PostgreSQL DB
• Code First vs Database First approaches
• Creating and managing EF Core Migrations
• Understanding DbContext and DbSet
• Using LINQ with EF Core

Hands-On:

• Create full CRUD operations for a Product module
• Add validation for model inputs
• Configure DbContext in Startup.cs/Program.cs
• Connect to local database and persist data
• Create reusable data access repository for Product

Services, Business Logic, DI & AutoMapper

Concepts:

• Understanding Dependency Injection and IoC container
• Creating Interfaces and implementing business logic in services
• Layered architecture: Controllers, Services, Repositories, Models
• Automating object mapping with AutoMapper
• Best practices for service layer abstraction
• Structuring large projects (using Areas or Feature folders)

Hands-On:

• Implement ProductService and IProductService
• Inject services using constructor injection
• Configure AutoMapper profiles
• Refactor Controllers to use Service layer with DTOs
• Implement centralized response wrapper (for success, errors, messages)

Authentication and Authorization (Security)

Concepts:

• Basics of authentication and authorization
• Introduction to ASP.NET Core Identity
• Manual implementation of JWT Authentication (without Identity)
• Hashing passwords using BCrypt
• Generating JWT tokens with symmetric keys
• Adding user roles and claims to token
• Middleware for token validation
• Role-based and policy-based authorization
• Securing endpoints with [Authorize], [AllowAnonymous]

Hands-On:

• Create AuthController with Register/Login endpoints
• Store users in the database securely
• Implement JWT generation and validation
• Create custom middleware for error handling and user context
• Protect endpoints with roles (e.g., Admin, User)

Error Handling, Logging, Testing, Documentation

Concepts:

• Global error handling using custom middleware
• Creating consistent error response models
• Logging with built-in ILogger and Serilog (File/Console/Sinks)
• Writing Unit Tests for services using xUnit/Moq
• Integration Testing using TestServer and InMemory DB
• Documenting APIs using Swagger/OpenAPI
• Securing Swagger endpoints for production

Hands-On:

• Implement centralized exception middleware with custom error codes
• Configure Serilog for logging
• Write unit tests for service layer methods (ProductService)
• Add Swagger XML comments for all endpoints
• Create and export a Postman Collection for all endpoints

Real-Time API Development

Sample Project Options:

• Inventory Management System
• CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
• E-Commerce Backend (Orders, Products, Payments)
• Employee Task Tracker with Admin/User roles

Requirements:

• Design a normalized database schema with ERD
• Build at least 3 full-featured CRUD modules (e.g., Product, Order, Customer)
• Implement secure JWT authentication and role-based access control
• Apply validations, logging, and error handling
• Add Pagination, Sorting, Filtering to list endpoints
• Swagger Documentation for all APIs
• Provide full Postman collection with auth header support
• Push project to GitHub with README documentation
• Host on Azure/IIS (optional)

Deliverables:

• Final demo presentation of project (live or recorded)
• Code review and feedback by mentor
• Upload on GitHub with documentation and video link
• Bonus Modules (Optional/Weekend Sessions):
• Dockerize your ASP.NET Core API
• Deploy to Azure App Services with CI/CD pipeline
• Setup GitHub Actions for automated build/test
• Introduction to SignalR (Real-time messaging)
• Integration with frontend (React/Angular)

Outcome:

• By completing this program, students will:
• Understand modern backend architecture using ASP.NET Core
• Be confident in working with Entity Framework, JWT, DI, and layered APIs
• Have a complete portfolio project deployed or hosted on GitHub
• Be ready for internship or junior backend developer roles

Certification:

• Awarded after successful project submission and review
• Course Completion Certificate