1 Getting started with ASP.NET Core

Choosing to learn and develop with a new framework is a big investment, so it’s important to establish early on whether it’s right for you. In this chapter, I provide some background about ASP.NET Core: what it is, how it works, and why you should consider it for building your web applications.

If you’re new to .NET development, this chapter will help you to understand the .NET landscape. For existing .NET developers, I provide guidance on whether now is the right time to consider moving your focus to .NET Core and .NET 5.0, and on the advantages ASP.NET Core can offer over previous versions of ASP.NET.

By the end of this chapter, you should have a good overview of the .NET landscape, the role of .NET 5.0, and the basic mechanics of how ASP.NET Core works—so without further ado, let’s dive in!

1.1 An introduction to ASP.NET Core

ASP.NET Core is a cross-platform, open source, web application framework that you can use to quickly build dynamic, server-side rendered applications. You can also use ASP.NET Core to create HTTP APIs that can be consumed by mobile applications, by browser-based single-page applications such as Angular and React, or by other backend applications.

1.1.1 Using a web framework

1.1.2 What is ASP.NET Core?

1.2 When to choose ASP.NET Core

1.2.1 What type of applications can you build?

1.2.2 If you’re new to .NET development

1.2.3 If you’re a .NET Framework developer creating a new application

1.2.4 Converting an existing ASP.NET application to ASP.NET Core

1.3 How does ASP.NET Core work?

1.3.1 How does an HTTP web request work?

1.3.2 How does ASP.NET Core process a request?

1.4 What you will learn in this book

Summary