Create a controller-based web API with ASP.NET Core

A modern, controller-based ASP.NET Core Web API project implementing a Todo application with full CRUD operations. This project serves as a comprehensive example of building RESTful APIs using ASP.NET Core best practices.

📌 Project Overview

This project demonstrates how to build a robust Web API using ASP.NET Core, featuring:

• Controller-based architecture for organized endpoint management
• Entity Framework Core with In-Memory database for development
• Complete CRUD operations (Create, Read, Update, Delete)
• Swagger/OpenAPI integration for API documentation and testing
• HTTP files for endpoint testing in Visual Studio
• Professional project structure following .NET conventions

🛠 Tech Stack

Technology	Version	Purpose
ASP.NET Core	9.0	Web API framework
Entity Framework Core	9.0	Data access layer
C#	12.0	Programming language
Visual Studio	2022+	IDE

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• .NET 9.0 SDK or later
• Visual Studio 2022 or Visual Studio Code
• Git (for cloning)

Installation & Setup

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/your-username/aspnetcore-todo-api.git
   cd aspnetcore-todo-api

2. Restore dependencies:

   dotnet restore

3. Build the project:

   dotnet build

4. Run the application:

   dotnet run

5. Access the API:

   • Swagger UI: https://localhost:7xxx/swagger (opens automatically)
   • HTTP requests: Open TodoApi.http in Visual Studio and send requests

📚 API Documentation

Base URL

https://localhost:7xxx/api/todoitems

Endpoints

Method	Endpoint	Description	Request Body	Response
GET	/todoitems	Get all todo items	None	Array of TodoItem
GET	/todoitems/{id}	Get item by ID	None	TodoItem object
POST	/todoitems	Create new item	TodoItem JSON	Created TodoItem
PUT	/todoitems/{id}	Update existing item	TodoItem JSON	Updated TodoItem
DELETE	/todoitems/{id}	Delete item	None	204 No Content

Data Model

{
  "id": 1,
  "name": "Walk the dog",
  "isComplete": false
}

Sample Requests

Create a new todo item

POST /api/todoitems
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "name": "Learn ASP.NET Core",
  "isComplete": false
}

Update a todo item

PUT /api/todoitems/1
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "id": 1,
  "name": "Learn ASP.NET Core Web API",
  "isComplete": true
}

Get all todo items

GET /api/todoitems

🧪 Testing

Using Swagger UI

1. Run the application
2. Navigate to https://localhost:7xxx/swagger
3. Expand endpoints and click "Try it out"
4. Fill in parameters and click "Execute"

Using HTTP Files

1. Open TodoApi.http in Visual Studio 2022+
2. Click "Send Request" above each HTTP request
3. View responses in the output window

Using cURL

# Get all items
curl -X GET "https://localhost:7xxx/api/todoitems"

# Create new item
curl -X POST "https://localhost:7xxx/api/todoitems" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name":"Test Item","isComplete":false}'

🔧 Configuration

Database

This project uses Entity Framework Core In-Memory Database for simplicity. To switch to a persistent database:

1. Install the appropriate EF Core provider (SQL Server, PostgreSQL, etc.)
2. Update Program.cs to use the new provider
3. Add connection string to appsettings.json

CORS

CORS is configured to allow all origins in development. For production:

builder.Services.AddCors(options =>
{
    options.AddPolicy("ProductionPolicy",
        builder => builder.WithOrigins("https://yourdomain.com")
                          .AllowAnyHeader()
                          .AllowAnyMethod());
});

📦 Dependencies

Main Packages

• Microsoft.AspNetCore.OpenApi - OpenAPI/Swagger support
• Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.InMemory - In-memory database provider
• Swashbuckle.AspNetCore - Swagger UI integration

Development Tools

• Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Testing - Integration testing
• Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Tools - EF Core CLI tools

🔄 Development Workflow

1. Make changes to controllers or models
2. Test locally using Swagger UI or HTTP files
3. Run tests (if implemented)
4. Commit changes with descriptive messages
5. Push to repository

📈 Next Steps

Consider implementing these enhancements:

• Authentication & Authorization (JWT, Identity)
• Persistent Database (SQL Server, PostgreSQL)
• Unit & Integration Tests
• Logging (Serilog, NLog)
• Caching (Redis, In-Memory)
• API Versioning
• Rate Limiting
• Docker Support
• CI/CD Pipeline

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Microsoft ASP.NET Core Documentation
• Entity Framework Core Documentation

Built with ❤️ using ASP.NET Core