Build professional-grade full-stack web applications using C# and ASP.NET Core.

In ASP.NET Core in Action, Third Edition you’ll learn how to:

• Build minimal APIs for serving JSON to client-side applications
• Create dynamic, server-side rendered applications using Razor Pages
• User authentication and authorization
• Store data using Entity Framework Core
• Unit and integration tests for ASP.NET Core applications
• Write custom middleware and components

Fully updated to ASP.NET Core 7.0! In ASP.NET Core in Action, Third Edition Microsoft MVP Andrew Lock teaches you how you can use your C# and .NET skills to build amazing cross-platform web applications. This revised bestseller reveals the latest .NET patterns, including minimal APIs and minimal hosting. Even if you've never worked with ASP.NET, you'll start creating productive cross-platform web apps fast. Illustrations and annotated code make learning visual and easy.

About the technology

The ASP.NET Core web framework delivers everything you need to build professional-quality web applications. With productivity-boosting libraries for server-side rendering, secure APIs, easy data access and more, you’ll spend your time implementing features instead of researching syntax and tracking down bugs. This book is your guide.

About the book

ASP.NET Core in Action, Third Edition shows you how to create production-grade web applications with ASP.NET Core 7.0. You’ll learn from hands-on examples, insightful illustrations, and nicely explained code. Updated coverage in this Third Edition includes creating minimal APIs, securing APIs with bearer tokens, WebApplicationBuilder, and more.

What's inside

• Minimal APIs for serving JSON
• Server-side rendering using Razor Pages
• Data access with Entity Framework Core
• Write custom middleware and components

About the reader

For beginning to intermediate web developers. Examples are in C#.

About the author

Andrew Lock is a Microsoft MVP who has worked with ASP.NET Core since before its first release.

Table of Contents

1 Getting started with ASP.NET Core

PART 1 - GETTING STARTED WITH MINIMAL APIS

2 Understanding ASP.NET Core

3 Your first application

4 Handling requests with the middleware pipeline

5 Creating a JSON API with minimal APIs

6 Mapping URLs to endpoints using routing

7 Model binding and validation in minimal APIs

PART 2 - BUILDING COMPLETE APPLICATIONS

8 An introduction to dependency injection

9 Registering services with dependency injection

10 Configuring an ASP.NET Core application

11 Documenting APIs with OpenAPI

12 Saving data with Entity Framework Core

PART 3 - GENERATING HTML WITH RAZOR PAGES AND MVC

13 Creating a website with Razor Pages

14 Mapping URLs to Razor Pages using routing

15 Generating responses with page handlers in Razor Pages

16 Binding and validating requests with Razor Pages

17 Rendering HTML using Razor views

18 Building forms with Tag Helpers

19 Creating a website with MVC controllers

20 Creating an HTTP API using web API controllers

21 The MVC and Razor Pages filter pipeline

22 Creating custom MVC and Razor Page filters

PART 4 - SECURING AND DEPLOYING YOUR APPLICATIONS

23 Authentication: Adding users to your application with Identity

24 Authorization: Securing your application

25 Authentication and authorization for APIs

26 Monitoring and troubleshooting errors with logging

27 Publishing and deploying your application

28 Adding HTTPS to an application

29 Improving your application’s security

PART 5 - GOING FURTHER WITH ASP.NET CORE

30 Building ASP.NET Core apps with the generic host and Startup

31 Advanced configuration of ASP.NET Core

32 Building custom MVC and Razor Pages components

33 Calling remote APIs with IHttpClientFactory

34 Building background tasks and services

35 Testing applications with xUnit

36 Testing ASP.NET Core applications

Ready to create cross-platform web apps faster?

In ASP.NET Core in Action, Third Edition, learn how to build professional-grade web apps faster than ever before using C# and ASP.NET Core.

Through insightful instruction and hands-on examples, in this updated version of his previous bestseller, author and Microsoft MVP Andrew Lock reveals the latest .NET patterns, including a focus on minimal APIs and minimal hosting—changes that make building web apps simpler and faster than previously imagined.

What’s new in this version?

This latest version of the bestselling ASP.NET Core in Action is updated with significant content on the new minimal APIs introduced in .NET 6 and expands on their exciting new capabilities in .NET 7. Readers will appreciate how much easier it is to build these small APIs, and how the new changes have simplified even complex scenarios.

Besides the new comprehensive coverage of the changes introduced in .NET 6 and .NET 7, the manuscript has been comprehensively reorganized to spotlight need-to-know information, and various chapters have been expanded upon for ease of reading.

Setting it Apart

Microsoft MVP Andrew Lock’s highly popular blog is frequently featured on the .NET blog by the ASP.NET team at Microsoft.

In this latest version of ASP.NET Core in Action, Lock reveals the latest .NET patterns and how you can leverage them to improve your web app development experience.

Through hands-on examples, illuminating illustrations, and clearly annotated code, you’ll learn to create high-quality cross-platform web apps faster and simpler than ever before with ASP.NET Core.

Review

"Masterfully breaks down web programming. This book is a must-read for new and experienced developers alike. It sets the standard in the .NET space." —Khalid Abuhakmeh, JetBrains

"Andrew Lock's extensive experience and applied advice will truly take any .NET web developer from zero to hero." —James Hickey, Savvyy Technologies

"Fantastic information to help you make the best applications possible. This book stays on my desk." —Foster Haines, Foster's Website Company

About the Author

Andrew Lock is a Microsoft MVP who has worked with ASP.NET Core since before its first release.