Getting Started with ASP.NET Core

Welcome to the world of ASP.NET Core! This guide will walk you through the essential steps to set up your development environment and build your first ASP.NET Core application.

What is ASP.NET Core?

ASP.NET Core is a cross-platform, high-performance, open-source framework for building modern, cloud-enabled, internet-connected applications. It's the next generation of ASP.NET and is designed for:

• Cross-Platform Development: Run your applications on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
• High Performance: Optimized for speed and scalability.
• Modern Web Development: Supports the latest web standards and patterns.
• Cloud-Ready: Built with cloud deployment in mind.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed:

1. .NET SDK: Download and install the latest .NET SDK from the official .NET website. Visit https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download.
2. Code Editor: We recommend Visual Studio Code with the C# extension, or Visual Studio.

Setting Up Your Development Environment

Once the .NET SDK is installed, you can create your first project using the command line.

Create a New ASP.NET Core Web Application

Open your terminal or command prompt, navigate to the directory where you want to create your project, and run the following command:

dotnet new webapp -o MyFirstAspNetCoreApp

This command will create a new directory named MyFirstAspNetCoreApp containing a basic ASP.NET Core web application.

Navigate to the Project Directory

Change your current directory to the newly created project folder:

cd MyFirstAspNetCoreApp

Run Your Application

Now, run your application using the following command:

dotnet run

Your application should now be running. Open your web browser and navigate to the URL provided in the output (usually https://localhost:5001 or http://localhost:5000).

Exploring the Project Structure

Let's take a brief look at the files generated:

• Pages/: Contains Razor Pages.
• wwwroot/: Contains static files like CSS, JavaScript, and images.
• appsettings.json: Configuration settings.
• Program.cs: The application's entry point.
• Startup.cs (or configured within Program.cs in newer .NET versions): Configures the application's services and request pipeline.

Dive Deeper into ASP.NET Core Concepts