Embarking on your Web Development Journey: Building a Full Stack Web Application with ASP.NET Core MVC
Table of contents
Introduction
In the ever-evolving world of web development, developers are presented with a multitude of frameworks and languages to choose from. When aspiring developers seek versatility, flexibility, and efficient full stack development, they turn to frameworks that meet these criteria. In this blog post, we will dive into the key concepts and features of .NET Core, focusing on ASP.NET Core MVC including its emphasis on separation of concerns and modular architecture, while providing a step-by-step guide to developing your first dynamic web application, from front-end to back-end.
What is ASP.NET core?
ASP.NET Core MVC is a cross-platform, open-source web development framework developed by Microsoft. It is a redesigned version of ASP.NET 4.x, built on top of the .NET Core runtime, enabling cross-platform development. MVC stands for Model, View, and Controller, representing the three essential components responsible for organizing and structuring an application. ASP.NET Core MVC offers a clean and organized structure for web applications.
Key Concepts
Before setting up the developing environment, first lets understand the key concepts of ASP.NET core MVC
Model
Imagine, you are building a car. What is the first thing you do? Make a plan or a blue print of the car that defines the structure and how everything should be organised. A model is exactly that. It basically represents the data and logic that is required to structure and organise a web application. Its main job is to manipulate the data presented to it.
View
Now, that the blueprint of your car is ready, we must determine its view. The view, true to its name, determines the visual representation of our car, encompassing both its interior and exterior. It encompasses elements such as the car's colour, seat texture, steering wheel design, and window configuration. Essentially, the view shapes the overall appearance and aesthetic experience of the car. Similarly, in a web application, the view is exactly what our user is going to see and interact with. It is the user interface that displays all the data to the user in the most aesthetic or visually appealing way as possible.
Controller
Our car construction has begun. Now, the construction of your car must be overseen by a project manager who will have make sure that the process is running smoothly and the engineers are doing their jobs properly. In a web application, our controller is that project manager who handles any interaction with the user and decides what view is to be rendered. It basically, coordinates any actions between the model and view.
To Sum up
The model is what manages data operations.
The view is the interface that our user sees and interacts with.
The controller is what coordinates the model with the view according to the users actions.
Now, let's go a little deeper and understand Routing and Middlewares
Routing
So, now that our car is ready, you decide to go on a road trip, for which you have got a map ready with all the required destinations and the road you must take to visit them. This 'map' is what routing is in web applications. Just like the way you follow the roads on the map to reach a specific destination, routing determines which page should the user land to based on the URL and other incoming requests. Routing ensures that each request is handled by the right code and thus allowing the application to respond correctly.
Middleware
In the middle of the drive, you get tired and decide to stop by a hotel nearby. In the entrance of the hotel you decide to stay in, there is a person at the reception who greets each guest, checks their identity cards for identification and guides them to their specific rooms. In a web application a middleware does the exact same job as the person at the reception. It intercepts the incoming requests and processes them before allowing them access to the main code. It performs tasks such as user authentication, user authorisation, logging, error handling etc.
Dependency Injection
After settling into your hotel room, you feel hungry after the tiring drive so you decide to call the room service and order some food. Now, dependency injection is similar to room service in web application. It allows you to request and receive the necessary dependencies i.e. objects or services for your code to work properly, instead of creating them yourself. You can define the dependencies that your code requires and the depencency container will provide those dependencies when needed. This helps make your code more modular, flexible, and easier to test and maintain.
Let's recap
Routing directs the incoming requests to the appropriate parts of the web application.
Middleware intercepts and processes the incoming requests before accessing it to the main application.
Dependency injection delivers dependencies to your code automatically, allowing it to function correctly without having to create everything from scratch.
So, now that we have understood the key concepts of ASP.NET core let's understand how we can create a dynamic web application from scratch.
Setting up a development environment
Now that you have understood the key concepts of asp.net core mvc lets learn how we can set up our environment for web development.
First you must install Visual Studio and download asp.net core SDK Software Development Kit)
Once it has been downloaded open visual studio and create a new project.
It must be noted that you must learn C# in order to work with asp.net core.
Now that you have created your first project, this is what you're going to see once you run it.
Designing a Database Schema
A web application requires a database to store its data. ASP.NET core MVC supports various databases such as MySql, SqlServer and SqlLite. You can map your application data to the database by leveraging an ORM(Object Relation Model) tool called Entity Framework Core and streamline the process.
Implementing Model, Views, Controllers, Routings and Middlewares
First, start by creating model classes representing the data entities in your applications. They define the structure, behaviour and properties of the data objecs.
Next, design the views. Views are usually designed using HTML, CSS and Razor syntax which allows dynamic content rendering.
Now design the controller which will be bridging the gap between the model and the view thus, allowing seamless communication within the application.
Let's move on to routing. asp.net core mvc provides developers with custom routes and maps that can be used to design clean SEO friendly URLs. Make sure that navigation within your application is smooth and easy by implementing navigation links and menus.
Add additional functionality to your application by adding middleware such as authentication, authorisation, error handling etc.
Enhancing User Experience
While server side rendering capabilities can be provided by ASP.NET core mvc, user experience can be further enhanced by incorporating front-end technologies such as Javascript frameworks such as React, Angular etc. and CSS frameworks such as Bootstrap or Tailwind CSS. You can also leverage AJAX to fetch data asynchronously and update specific part of your page without having to reload your entire webpage.
Testing and Deployment
Testing is one of the most important aspects of development as it makes sure that our application is stable and reliable. ASP.NET core MVC also provides frameworks and tools that can be used for writing unit tests, integration tests, and end-to end tests. You can leverage this to thoroughly test your application including user interactions, data manipulations etc. Once the testing is completed, you can deploy your application on a hosting platform such as Microsoft Azure, Amazon AWS, or any other traditional web server of your choice such that your application is accessible to users all around the world.
Conclusion
ASP.NET core MVC with its flexible framework, modular architecture, one can embark on their web development journey and develop robust and dynamic web applications using this amazing framework. By following the outlined steps, you'll be well on your way to building your own full stack web application and unleashing your creativity as a web developer. Happy coding!