Build a complete distributed app using .Net Aspire

Name: Build a complete distributed app using .Net Aspire
Rating: 4.7 (153 reviews)

A complete guide to building an app using Aspire with .Net services and Next.js from scratch

Highest Rated

Created byNeil Cummings

Last updated 1/2026

English

What you'll learn

Build a complete microservices application using .NET and Aspire for cloud-ready distributed systems
mplement secure authentication and authorization flows with Keycloak in a real-world app
Apply event-driven architecture patterns with WolverineFx for messaging and reliability
Develop a modern front-end with Next.js App Router, Tailwind, and Zustand for state management
Integrate services with PostgreSQL, containerization, and API gateways for scalable deployments
Deploy and manage your application in production environments using Docker and Azure

Course content

16 sections • 198 lectures • 27h 39m total length

Course Introduction5:43
Course pre-requisites4:38
Setting up the developer environment4:10
Where to download the course assets2:26

Introduction to section 22:49
What is Aspire?8:34
Creating an Aspire project11:41
What is Keycloak and OAuth 2.0?8:18
Setting up Keycloak8:42
Configuring the Keycloak realm4:10
Testing the login in Postman7:16
Configuring the token3:45
Configuring roles in the realm6:16
Saving the code into source control3:51
Summary of section 21:38
Set up and configure a spire with Keycloak, test obtaining an access token via postman, and review OAuth 2.0 realms while preparing to add the first .NET service.

Introduction to section 36:22
Creating the Question service9:28
Integrating Keycloak into the new service10:09
Testing authentication8:10
Adding a DB server7:00
Connecting the app to the DB9:22
Adding a migration10:42
Adding the create question endpoint12:23
Using the Debugger to debug a service in an Aspire project5:48
Validating the DTO9:11
Adding the GET endpoints8:43
Adding the update and delete endpoints8:38
Summary of section 30:51

Introduction to section 46:28
Adding Typesense to the Aspire project10:10
Configuring the Search service7:52
User secrets6:15
Typesense UI3:24
Configuring Typesense initialization10:40
Adding a Search endpoint8:14
What is RabbitMQ?4:35
Adding RabbitMQ integration into Aspire6:28
Setting up WolverineFx8:42
Creating a question created message handler8:29
Message publishing9:48
Using tracing to help improve the performance when posting a new question10:15
Adding the edit and delete handlers8:57
Adding similar title search9:54
Summary of section 40:52

Introduction to Section 68:44
Setting up error handling5:51
Adding a reverse proxy using YARP11:11
Aspire and docker part 19:25
Aspire and docker part 26:24
Keycloak docker configuration6:20
Keycloak realm export and import7:01
Service resiliency with polly10:35
Adding a common project14:00
Testing the docker compose services9:54
Adding an Nginx proxy11:53
Making sure Aspire still works for continuous development5:53
Summary of section 62:56

Introduction to section 710:11
Creating the web application10:41
Cleaning up and reviewing the web app template content7:08
Adding HeroUI12:47
Creating a Nav bar14:32
Creating a Side bar12:07
Fetching data with NextJS12:58
Creating question cards12:17
Conditionally styling elements5:25
Adding a questions header9:32
Adding dark mode support11:44
Adding a custom not found page6:45
Adding a question detailed page11:25
Adding question detailed content8:02
Adding the answer content9:22
Adding the question and answer footers8:43
Adding home page content4:03
Summary of section 71:07

Introduction to section 94:50
Configuring a nextjs client in KeyCloak7:32
Adding a Test auth endpoint9:48
Adding Next auth (auth.js)7:50
Logging into the client app7:11
Getting the session data3:58
Adding a dropdown menu5:42
Add a dropdown user menu in the navigation with a hero UI avatar and name, wiring sign out and login using next auth and session access token.
Displaying the session data4:05
Storing the access token with the session11:25
Updating the fetch client to use the token9:42
Refresh tokens part 16:10
Refresh tokens part 214:15
Registering users in Keycloak9:06
Summary of section 94:21

Introduction to section 104:03
Adding the question form9:23
Add an authenticated question form with client-side components, including tag selection via Hero UI and a temporary text area, preparing to replace with a rich text editor.
Adding react hook form10:37
Adding validation11:03
Adding a rich text editor part 17:28
Adding a rich text editor part 210:16
Hooking up the rich text editor to the form5:43
Validating the rich text editor9:46
Posting the question to the API6:52
Sanitizing the HTML7:06
Sanitize html on the server with an html sanitizer to prevent scripts from executing when using dangerously set inner html.
Editing questions9:14
Editing questions part 211:22
Deleting questions5:14
Adding image upload to the rich text editor12:35
Adding image upload to the rich text editor part 28:28
Deleting images from the rich text editor13:45
Adding the answer form13:19
Cache revalidation in NextJS10:43
Challenge - Answer edit and delete functionality5:29
Summary of section 101:58

Requirements

A basic understanding of C# and .NET development (you don’t need to be an expert).
Some familiarity with JavaScript or TypeScript for working with the Next.js front end.
A computer capable of running Docker and your preferred IDE installed (min 8GB of RAM recommended).
No prior knowledge of Aspire, Wolverine, or Keycloak is required — everything will be explained step by step.

Description

Are you ready to take your .NET skills to the next level and build modern distributed applications?

In this hands-on course, you’ll learn how to design and develop a real-world, Stack Overflow–style app using the latest technologies in the .NET ecosystem and beyond.

We’ll start from scratch and guide you step by step through building a complete system with .NET 9, Aspire and WolverineFx. You’ll discover how to structure microservices, implement event-driven messaging, and manage data with PostgreSQL — all while keeping your application scalable and reliable.

On the front end, you’ll build a modern UI using Next.js (App Router), styled with Tailwind, and managed with Zustand for state management. Along the way, you’ll integrate Keycloak for secure authentication and authorization, giving your app production-ready identity features.

By the end of this course, you will not only understand the theory behind distributed systems but also have a fully working application that you can run locally with Docker or deploy to the cloud. More importantly, you’ll gain the practical skills to build, extend, and scale real-world systems in your own projects or career.

Whether you’re a .NET developer looking to level up, a full-stack developer curious about Aspire, or simply someone who wants to see how all the pieces fit together in a modern distributed system — this course is for you.

Enroll today, and let’s start building the future of apps with .NET Aspire and Next.js!

Who this course is for:

NET developers who want to go beyond monoliths and learn modern distributed systems with Aspire
Full-stack developers interested in combining .NET backends with a Next.js front end
Anyone who wants to build a real-world, production-ready app using today’s tools

Build a complete distributed app using .Net Aspire

What you'll learn

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Course content

Introduction4 lectures • 17min

Setting up Aspire + Keycloak11 lectures • 1hr 7min

Creating the first .Net service with Aspire13 lectures • 1hr 47min

Adding a Search service16 lectures • 2hr 1min

Challenge - Implement the answer functionality2 lectures • 20min

Mini Deployment 113 lectures • 1hr 50min

Building the User Interface18 lectures • 2hr 49min

User Interface functionality13 lectures • 1hr 56min

Client authentication14 lectures • 1hr 46min

Client CRUD operations20 lectures • 2hr 54min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: