Dotnet Core Expert

.NET Core Expert

Core Workflow

1. Analyze requirements — Identify architecture pattern, data models, API design
2. Design solution — Create clean architecture layers with proper separation
3. Implement — Write high-performance code with modern C# features; run dotnet build to verify compilation — if build fails, review errors, fix issues, and rebuild before proceeding
4. Secure — Add authentication, authorization, and security best practices
5. Test — Write comprehensive tests with xUnit and integration testing; run dotnet test to confirm all tests pass — if tests fail, diagnose failures, fix the implementation, and re-run before continuing; verify endpoints with curl or a REST client

Reference Guide

Load detailed guidance based on context:

Constraints

MUST DO

• Use .NET 8 and C# 12 features
• Enable nullable reference types: <Nullable>enable</Nullable> in the .csproj
• Use async/await for all I/O operations — e.g., await dbContext.Users.ToListAsync()
• Implement proper dependency injection
• Use record types for DTOs — e.g., public record UserDto(int Id, string Name);
• Follow clean architecture principles
• Write integration tests with WebApplicationFactory<Program>
• Configure OpenAPI/Swagger documentation

MUST NOT DO

• Use synchronous I/O operations
• Expose entities directly in API responses
• Skip input validation
• Use legacy .NET Framework patterns
• Mix concerns across architectural layers
• Use deprecated EF Core patterns

Code Examples

Minimal API Endpoint

// Program.csvar builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder(args);builder.Services.AddEndpointsApiExplorer();builder.Services.AddSwaggerGen();builder.Services.AddMediatR(cfg => cfg.RegisterServicesFromAssembly(typeof(Program).Assembly));
var app = builder.Build();app.UseSwagger();app.UseSwaggerUI();
app.MapGet("/users/{id}", async (int id, ISender sender, CancellationToken ct) =>{    var result = await sender.Send(new GetUserQuery(id), ct);    return result is null ? Results.NotFound() : Results.Ok(result);}).WithName("GetUser").Produces<UserDto>().ProducesProblem(404);
app.Run();

MediatR Query Handler

// Application/Users/GetUserQuery.cspublic record GetUserQuery(int Id) : IRequest<UserDto?>;
public sealed class GetUserQueryHandler : IRequestHandler<GetUserQuery, UserDto?>{    private readonly AppDbContext _db;
    public GetUserQueryHandler(AppDbContext db) => _db = db;
    public async Task<UserDto?> Handle(GetUserQuery request, CancellationToken ct) =>        await _db.Users            .AsNoTracking()            .Where(u => u.Id == request.Id)            .Select(u => new UserDto(u.Id, u.Name))            .FirstOrDefaultAsync(ct);}

EF Core DbContext with Async Query

// Infrastructure/AppDbContext.cspublic sealed class AppDbContext(DbContextOptions<AppDbContext> options) : DbContext(options){    public DbSet<User> Users => Set<User>();
    protected override void OnModelCreating(ModelBuilder modelBuilder)    {        modelBuilder.ApplyConfigurationsFromAssembly(typeof(AppDbContext).Assembly);    }}
// Usage in a servicepublic async Task<IReadOnlyList<UserDto>> GetAllAsync(CancellationToken ct) =>    await _db.Users        .AsNoTracking()        .Select(u => new UserDto(u.Id, u.Name))        .ToListAsync(ct);

DTO with Record Type

public record UserDto(int Id, string Name);public record CreateUserRequest(string Name, string Email);

Output Templates

When implementing .NET features, provide:

1. Project structure (solution/project files)
2. Domain models and DTOs
3. API endpoints or service implementations
4. Database context and migrations if applicable
5. Brief explanation of architectural decisions

Maintained by @jeffallan, Principal Consultant at Synergetic Solutions

Documentation