phanxuanquang / asp.net-core-web-api-with-orm

The template to setup a backend server using Entity Framework and XML Documentation, bypassing CORS policies, restructuring API response format, and customizing message for standard HTTP status codes

This project template tailored for backend development using C# .NET. Whether you're a newcomer to backend development or an experienced developer looking for a streamlined setup, this template provides a solid foundation to kickstart your project.

Now that you have a solid foundation, feel free to explore and extend the template to suit your project requirements. Whether you're building a small-scale application or a large-scale enterprise solution, this template provides a robust starting point for your backend development journey.

🎯 Target Audience:

• Newcomers to Backend Development: Get up and running quickly with a project that's ready to run out of the box.
• C# .NET Developers: Utilize the latest features of .NET 8 for efficient backend development.
• Database Enthusiasts: Connect seamlessly to popular SQL databases like SQL Server, PostgreSQL, and SQLite.
• API Development with ORM: Implement Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) techniques effortlessly using Entity Framework.
• Minimal Configuration: Minimize setup time and focus on coding with pre-configured settings.

🚀 Pre-configured features

• Standardized connection strings for SQL databases ensure smooth integration.
• Automatic database connection checks before server initialization.
• CORS policies are pre-configured to prevent blocking when accessing APIs from different origins.
• Integrated Swagger UI with pre-configured XML documentation for clear API documentation and exploration.
• Filters in place to structure API responses and provide meaningful error messages, enhancing client-side handling.
• Newtonsoft.Json NuGet package is included for efficient JSON serialization and deserialization.
• Provision of examples for standard SQL table schema creation, model definition, and DbContext declaration.

⚒️ Prerequisites

• Visual Studio 2019 or above
• .NET 8 SDK installed
• ASP.NET and web development workload installed
• SQL Server and SQL Server Management Studio if you use SQL Server database
• PostgreSQL and pgAdmin 4 if you use PostgreSQL database
• A .db file saved from SQL Online IDE if you use SQLite database

📚 Usage Guidance

In this guidance, I take SQL server as the example for database connection.

Step 1: Download and install

• Download the template HERE but do not extract the package after downloading
• Place the template in the following folder. The folder name may vary depending on your Visual Studio version.

...\Document\Visual Studio 2022\Templates\ProjectTemplates

Step 2: Setup connection with database

• In the appsettings.json file, input information for the connection string. You only need to input the information for the database that you want to use.
• In the DatabaseConnectionChecking.cs file, input the type of your SQL database. Specify your SQL database type by modifying SqlServer to the desired database (SqlServer, Sqlite, or Npgsql).
• In the NuGet Package Manager, find and install the NuGet package coresponding to your database type which is mentioned in Program.cs file
• In the Program.cs file, enable only your database type by removing the Comment remark

Step 3: Make it yours

• Create the models and controllers as needed
• Register your models in the ApiDbContext.cs file
• Optionally apply the provided filters to your controller classes.

4. Additional Notes:

• The template is pre-configured for SQL Server; consider PostgreSQL for large-scale projects with extensive datasets and SQLite for smaller projects with simpler database schemas.
• Tailor the template to your specific project requirements and database preferences.