Installation of .NET Core and ASP.NET Core

Install .NET Core

Installation of .NET Core and ASP.NET Core

Introduction: .NET Core is a free and open-source framework developed by Microsoft that allows you to build and run cross-platform applications. It is a successor to the .NET Framework and is designed to be modular, lightweight, and efficient. ASP.NET Core is the web development framework built on top of .NET Core, providing a powerful and flexible platform for building web applications and APIs.

Prerequisites: Before installing .NET Core and ASP.NET Core, ensure that your system meets the following requirements:

1. Operating System: Windows, macOS, or Linux
2. Disk Space: Sufficient space to accommodate the installation
3. Internet Connection: A stable internet connection to download the necessary packages

Installation Steps: Follow the steps below to install .NET Core and ASP.NET Core:

1. Install .NET Core:

• Visit the official .NET website (https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download) and navigate to the downloads section.
• Choose the appropriate version of .NET Core for your operating system and click on the download button.
• Once the download is complete, run the installer and follow the on-screen instructions.
• After the installation is finished, open a terminal or command prompt and type dotnet --version to verify the installation. You should see the version number of the installed .NET Core.

2. Install ASP.NET Core:

• ASP.NET Core is included with the .NET Core SDK, so you don't need to install it separately.
• Open a terminal or command prompt and type dotnet --version to verify that .NET Core is installed.
• To create a new ASP.NET Core project, you can use the dotnet new command followed by the desired project template. For example, to create a new web API project, you can use dotnet new webapi.
• Navigate to the project directory and run dotnet run to start the application. You can then access it using a web browser or a tool like Postman.

Code Example: Here's an example of creating a simple "Hello, World!" web API using ASP.NET Core:

csharp
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Builder;
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Hosting;
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Http;
using Microsoft.Extensions.Hosting;

public class Startup
{
    public void Configure(IApplicationBuilder app, IWebHostEnvironment env)
    {
        if (env.IsDevelopment())
        {
            app.UseDeveloperExceptionPage();
        }

        app.UseRouting();

        app.UseEndpoints(endpoints =>
        {
            endpoints.MapGet("/", async context =>
            {
                await context.Response.WriteAsync("Hello, World!");
            });
        });
    }
}

public class Program
{
    public static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        CreateHostBuilder(args).Build().Run();
    }

    public static IHostBuilder CreateHostBuilder(string[] args) =>
        Host.CreateDefaultBuilder(args)
            .ConfigureWebHostDefaults(webBuilder =>
            {
                webBuilder.UseStartup<Startup>();
            });
}

Explanation:

• The above code demonstrates a basic setup for an ASP.NET Core web API.
• The Startup class configures the application's request pipeline using the Configure method. It enables developer exception pages for debugging purposes and sets up routing.
• In the Configure method, we define an endpoint that maps the root URL ("/") to a delegate that writes "Hello, World!" to the response.
• The Program class contains the entry point of the application, where we create an instance of the web host and configure it with the Startup class.
• When you run the application using dotnet run, it starts a local web server, and you can access the API by navigating to the specified URL (e.g., http://localhost:5000/).

This documentation provides an overview of the installation process for .NET Core and ASP.NET Core, along with a code example to get you started with creating a simple web API.