Asp.Net Core : The Complete Guide To Build RESTful Api's

Explore how an application programming interface (API) enables software to interact, using a REST API to share flight data between Emirates and partner sites via JSON.

Create a new ASP.NET Core Web API project in Visual Studio using the Web API template, name it Real Estate API, and enable open api support with no authentication.

Explore the ASP.NET Core project structure, from the solution window and dependencies to launchSettings.json and appsettings.json for secrets, and start from scratch by deleting the default weather forecast controller.

Explore the program.cs entry point of an ASP.NET Core app, wiring services and middleware in the host container and configuring the HTTP request pipeline, including authentication and authorization.

Explore how the MVC architecture links the model, view, and controller, with the controller handling requests and the model managing data logic and database interactions, delivering results to the view.

Explore how http verbs map to restful APIs, replacing create/read/update/delete with post/get/put/delete and applying these mappings to build RESTful APIs.

Create a category model class in a models folder with id, name, and image URL properties using the prop snippet for APIs.

Create an empty api controller to learn how controllers work, naming it categories controller to match the category model, and apply the convention that controller names end with controller.

Implement an http get action in the categories controller to return a hard-coded list of category objects as an IEnumerable, then test via swagger UI.

Learn to implement a post method to create a category in an ASP.NET Core RESTful API by binding from body and testing with Postman.

Update records with the put method by providing the id, assign the updated category to the corresponding index, and use the output attribute to pass the id in postman requests.

Implement a void delete method for categories using an HTTP delete attribute with an ID, testable via postman, and verify removal with a subsequent get request within the running app.

Explore entity framework, an object-relational mapper that automatically creates a database and tables, uses a db context as a bridge, translates LINQ to SQL via code first or database first.

Compare code first and database first approaches in Entity Framework. Code first generates the database and its tables from model classes, while database first requires manual database and table creation.

Install the Entity Framework and SQL Server NuGet packages in the API project to enable database-backed data retrieval, replacing static data with real-time database access.

Create and configure a db context class for an asp.net core RESTful API, exposing a categories dbset and configuring a sql server connection to real estate DB.

Install the Microsoft EF Core Tools, add and apply migrations, then update the database and verify the resulting tables in SQL Server Object Explorer.

Learn how Entity Framework migrations use up and down methods to create and revert schema changes, add a description column, generate migrations, and apply or revert them to the database.

Build and query categories via a database-backed api using the api db context, implement get by id with first or default and lambda, preparing for post requests.

Learn to handle post requests in ASP.NET core by adding a category via the database context, saving changes, testing with postman, and confirming the new record appears in SQL Server.

Update a category record via a put request by locating it with the id, updating its name and image url, and saving changes with the db context.

Locate the category by id, remove it with the delete method, and save changes to persist deletion, then test with postman and verify via a get request.

Explore http status codes used by web servers to indicate outcomes in restful APIs, including 200 ok, 404 not found, 201 created, redirects, and 4xx/5xx errors in ASP.NET Core.

Implement and customize status codes in an ASP.NET Core REST API, using action results such as Ok, Created, BadRequest, and NotFound for get, post, put, and delete.

Explore exception handling in REST APIs, translate runtime errors into HTTP 500 responses, and implement user-friendly error messages for nontechnical end users.

Learn to implement error handling in rest api by returning user friendly messages and appropriate status codes for get, put, and delete operations when records are missing, avoiding exceptions.

Explore content negotiation in RESTful services by using accept headers to request json or xml formats from the server and observe default json responses in ASP.NET Core Web API.

Implement content negotiation in ASP.NET Core Web API by using the Accept header to return XML, JSON, or Excel formats with the appropriate media type formatters.

Learn how to implement model validation in a Web API to help backend developers ensure required category name and image URL are present and prevent null data in the database.

This lesson demonstrates implementing model validation in a rest api using data annotations like [required], enforcing non-null category names and customizing error messages.

Explore attribute routing in dotnet core web api by adding a get method to sort categories by name in descending order, and resolve ambiguous endpoints with attribute routing.

Apply attribute routing to resolve ambiguity between get methods and define routes such as api/categories and api/categories/{id}, then rename the method to sort category and use api/categories/sort category.

Learn to build RESTful APIs for a real estate application, including signup and signin, a homepage with location search, category browsing, and trending properties, plus property detail endpoints.

Define the database schema and entity relations for a rest api: three tables—users, categories, and properties—with one-to-many links via user_id and category_id, setting the groundwork for model classes.

Create user, category, and property models in an asp.net core real estate project, define one-to-many relationships via entity framework conventions, and add collection navigation properties.

Register DbSet properties for user and property in API db context, remove the categories controller and migrations, and create and apply a new database via migrations to build the schema.

Secure rest APIs by implementing token-based authentication and authorization. Verify end-user identity and manage permissions through roles and secure tokens for web APIs.

Implement a register endpoint in a users controller, verify email uniqueness using the API DB context, add the user, save changes, and return 201 when created.

Learn how JWTs securely transmit information with a digital signature, and explore the header, payload, and signature, plus token-based authorization in ASP.NET Core Web API.

Install NuGet packages for jwt bearer, identity tokens, and system identity model tokens, then configure appsettings with a jwt section including key, issuer, and audience using the app URL.

Configure jwt bearer authentication in the program class by adding the JWT middleware, validating the audience, lifetime, and issuer signing key from appsettings, and ensure authentication runs before authorization.

Implement a login post method that validates user credentials against the database, returns 404 when not found, and generates a JWT using app settings, issuer, audience, claims, and signing credentials.

Test the login endpoint to generate a JSON Web Token (JWT) by posting email and password via Postman, then use the access token in subsequent lessons.

Implement a categories controller with a get method that returns categories from the database using the db context, and prepare for access token protection on the api/categories endpoint.

Learn to protect API routes in ASP.NET Core by adding an authorized attribute to the categories get method, using JWT bearer tokens, and login to obtain short-lived 60-second access tokens.

Create a properties controller with seven actions—get properties, get property detail, get training property, get search property, and post, put, delete—and add an empty API controller for the next lesson.

Add a post method in the properties controller to insert a property, enforce authorization, verify the user from the token, set is_trending false, and save with the user id.

Implement the ASP.NET Core put method in the properties controller to update a record by id, with authorization via access token, updating name, price, and address for the user.

Implement the delete action in the properties controller by renaming the method, adding http delete and authorized attributes, validating the user id matches, then removing the record and saving changes.

Implement a get properties method that returns properties for a specific category using a category ID. Secure the endpoint with authorization and test it via postman using an access token.

Create a get property detail endpoint that returns property by id with authorization using first or default, exposing id, name, detail, address, image, url, price, category ID, and user ID.

Implement a get trending properties endpoint in the training properties controller to return only properties marked as trending, exposed via a http get route and secured with an access token.

Learn to implement a search properties endpoint that filters properties by address, returning matched results as users type, test via Postman, and refine queries for accurate results.

Create an Azure web app by selecting subscription, resource group, and a unique app name, choose code deployment with the correct runtime stack and target framework, then publish.

Learn to publish a web api to Azure by creating an Azure SQL database, configuring a server, firewall rules, and deployment settings for secure access.

Publish your dot core web api to Azure by replacing the local connection string with the Azure SQL database connection string, then configure the publish profile and deployment mode.

View and edit data in the Azure SQL database using the query editor preview, log in with admin credentials, inspect tables, and prepare to add data in the next lesson.

Learn to insert data into Azure SQL database by calling the register endpoint with Postman on the Azure web app, then verify the new user appears in the Azure portal.