dotnet-core-expert

Minimal APIs in .NET 8 let you create lightweight endpoints without controllers. Use Entity Framework Core for data access, implement CQRS with MediatR for clean separation of concerns, add JWT authentication for security, and configure OpenAPI/Swagger documentation to build scalable, maintainable services.

Clean architecture in .NET 8 separates concerns across layers: use minimal APIs for endpoints, MediatR for command/query handling, Entity Framework Core for persistence, and dependency injection for loose coupling. Apply record types for DTOs, enable nullable reference types, and write integration tests to validate your design.

Implement JWT authentication by configuring bearer token validation in your minimal API, defining authorization policies, and validating tokens on protected endpoints. .NET 8's built-in authentication middleware handles token verification, and policy-driven access control enforces role and claim-based authorization.

Yes. Use Entity Framework Core for all data access operations, implement command handlers via MediatR for writes and query handlers for reads, and inject DbContext through dependency injection. This pattern separates read and write concerns while maintaining a single data access layer.

Deploy .NET 8 apps in Docker containers, expose health check endpoints for orchestration, externalize configuration via environment variables, enable structured logging for observability, and use async/await throughout for efficient resource use in cloud-native environments.

Nullable reference types catch null-reference bugs at compile time and are recommended for maintainability. C# 12 features like primary constructors and collection expressions reduce boilerplate in .NET 8 projects, but aren't strictly required—adopt them to align with clean architecture best practices.