An accessible guide for beginner-to-intermediate programmers to the concepts, real-world applications, and latest features of C# 13 and .NET 9, with hands-on exercises using Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code

Key Features

• Explore the newest additions to C# 13, the .NET 9 class libraries, and Entity Framework Core 9
• Build professional websites and services with ASP.NET Core 9 and Blazor
• Enhance your skills with step-by-step code examples and best practices tips

Book Description

This Packt bestseller continues to be the definitive guide to modern cross-platform development. The 9th edition of C# 13 and .NET 9 – Modern Cross-Platform Development Fundamentals has been updated to cover the latest features and improvements in .NET 9 and C# 13. You'll start by mastering object-oriented programming, learning how to write, test, and debug functions, and implementing interfaces. You'll then dive into .NET APIs for data management, filesystem operations, and serialization.

This latest edition integrates .NET 9 enhancements into its examples: faster exceptions and new LINQ methods. New ASP.NET Core 9 features include optimized static assets, built-in OpenAPI document generation, and the HybridCache.

Practical examples, such as building websites and services with ASP.NET Core, have been refreshed to utilize the latest .NET 9 features. The book also introduces Blazor, with its new unified hosting model for unparalleled code reusability. With these updates, you'll learn how to build robust applications and services efficiently and effectively.

By the end of this book, you'll have the knowledge and confidence to create professional and high-performance web applications using the latest technologies in C# 13 and .NET 9.

What you will learn

• Discover the new features of .NET 9, including more flexible params and new LINQ like CountBy and Index
• Leverage the new ASP.NET Core 9 features for optimized static assets, OpenAPI document generation, and HybridCache
• Utilize the native AOT publish capability for faster startup and reduced memory footprint
• Build rich web user interface experiences using Blazor in ASP.NET Core 9
• Integrate and update databases in your applications using Entity Framework Core 9 models
• Query and manipulate data using LINQ
• Build powerful services using Minimal APIs

Who this book is for

This book is aimed at beginner to intermediate-level C# and .NET developers. While prior exposure to C# or .NET is not a prerequisite, a general understanding of programming concepts will be beneficial.

If you want to learn more technologies for building modern .NET projects like gRPC, SignalR, and .NET MAUI, read Mark's Apps and Services with .NET 8 book next; and if you aim to become a professional .NET developer quickly or mainly work on team projects, read his other book, Tools and Skills for .NET 8.

Table of Contents

1. Hello, C#! Welcome, .NET!
2. Speaking C#
3. Controlling Flow, Converting Types, and Handling Exceptions
4. Writing, Debugging, and Testing Functions
5. Building Your Own Types with Object-Oriented Programming
6. Implementing Interfaces and Inheriting Classes
7. Packaging and Distributing .NET Types
8. Working with Common .NET Types
9. Working with Files, Streams, and Serialization
10. Working with Data Using Entity Framework Core
11. Querying and Manipulating Data Using LINQ
12. Introducing Modern Web Development Using .NET
13. Building Websites Using ASP.NET Core
14. Building Interactive Web Components Using Blazor
15. Building and Consuming Web Services

What are the key updates to C# 13 and .NET 9?

The ninth edition of my book introduces key improvements in C# 13 and .NET 9. Highlights include a more versatile params feature, faster exception handling, and partial properties that work better with source generators like those for Regex. LINQ has been optimized with new methods like CountBy and Index, along with added support for JSON schema export and URL-friendly Base64 encoding. ASP.NET Core 9 updates bring optimized static asset delivery, built-in OpenAPI documentation, and HybridCache, combining the benefits of in-memory and distributed caching for enhanced performance.

How does the ninth edition help readers to stay updated with the latest technologies?

The ninth edition bridges the gap in the .NET ecosystem, keeping you up-to-date with the latest advancements between major LTS releases. It covers updates in C# 13 and .NET 9, allowing you to integrate new performance and productivity features into your workflow. Based on reader feedback, I’ve refined the concepts and examples so that they’re relevant and easier to follow. Though this edition aligns with a standard-term support release, it offers valuable insights into evolving .NET practices, helping you adopt best practices early on.

How do readers choose between the LTS eighth edition and the latest ninth edition on STS release?

I recommend choosing the ninth edition. Even if you plan to target .NET 8 for your projects, the ninth edition offers significant advantages, including over 40 errata fixes and more than 60 improvements in code and concept explanations that build on the eighth edition’s foundation. The new features that are only available in .NET 9 are clearly marked, so you can easily identify which updates won’t be supported in .NET 8 projects. This allows you to enjoy the most refined learning experience while staying informed about the latest advancements, even if you continue working within the .NET 8 framework.

About the Author

Mark J. Price is a Microsoft Specialist: Programming in C# and Architecting Microsoft Azure Solutions, with over 20 years' experience. Since 1993, he has passed more than 80 Microsoft programming exams and specializes in preparing others to pass them. Between 2001 and 2003, Mark was employed to write official courseware for Microsoft in Redmond, USA. His team wrote the first training courses for C# while it was still an early alpha version. While with Microsoft, he taught "train-the-trainer" classes to get other MCTs up-to-speed on C# and .NET. Mark holds a Computer Science BSc. Hons. Degree.