Building Web APIs with ASP.NET Core

Build fully-featured APIs with ASP.NET Core! This all-practical guide is written like a real development project, taking you hands-on with modern APIs utilizing REST and GraphQL standards.

In Building Web APIs with ASP.NET Core you will learn how to:

Set up your environment with VS 2022, Node, Git, and more
Create a ASP.NET Core project from scratch
Integrate with SQL Server
Use Entity Framework Core to set up a data model
Create back-end controllers
Design an API to serve data
Write API documentation using Swagger and Swashbuckle
Consume an API using typical web client-side frameworks
Handle requests and routes using controllers and Minimal API
Release and deploy your Web API in production on cloud-based hosting services such as MS Azure

Building Web APIs with ASP.NET Core is a practical beginner’s guide to creating your first web APIs using ASP.NET Core. In it, you’ll develop an API that feeds web-based services, including websites and mobile apps, for a board games application. The book is cleverly structured to mirror a real-world development project, with each chapter introducing a new feature request. You’ll build your API with an ecosystem of ASP.NET Core tools that help simplify everything from setting up your data model to generating documentation.

Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications.

About the Technology

Web APIs are the front door to an application, providing controlled access to its data and features. ASP.NET Core, Microsoft’s web framework, simplifies and accelerates API creation with powerful, developer-friendly features, including an innovative “no compile” coding experience. It is reliable, fast, free, open-source, and backed by Microsoft’s legendary support.

About the Book

Building Web APIs with ASP.NET Coreteaches you how to write safe, maintainable, and performant REST APIs. It’s full of best practices for modern and classic API styles, including REST and GraphQL. You’ll love the groundbreaking Minimal API model that helps you build pro-quality APIs with just a few lines of code. Each chapter contains realistic user stories, backlog items, and development tasks.

What’s Inside
Create an ASP.NET Core project from scratch
Set up a data model with Entity Framework Core
Create backend controllers
Design an API to serve data

About the Reader

For developers with some experience using the .NET Framework.

About the Author

Valerio De Sanctis has more than 20 years of experience in web development and project management using ASP.NET, PHP, and Java.

Table of Contents

PART 1 - GETTING STARTED
1 Web APIs at a glance
2 Our first web API project
3 RESTful principles and guidelines
PART 2 - BASIC CONCEPTS
4 Working with data
5 CRUD operations
6 Data validation and error handling
PART 3 - ADVANCED CONCEPTS
7 Application logging
8 Caching techniques
9 Authentication and authorization
10 Beyond REST
PART 4 - TOWARD PRODUCTION
11 API documentation
12 Release and deployment