Preface

There are programming books that are thousands of pages long that aim to be comprehensive references to the C# language, the .NET libraries, and app models like websites, services, and desktop and mobile apps.

This book is different. It is a step-by-step guide to learning various technologies for building apps and services with .NET. It is concise and aims to be a brisk, fun read that is packed with practical, hands-on walkthroughs of each topic. The breadth of the overarching narrative comes at the cost of some depth, but you will find many signposts to explore further if you wish.

In my experience, that hardest part of learning a new technology is getting started. Once I have had the most important key concepts explained and seen some practical code in action, I then feel comfortable going deeper by exploring the official documentation on my own. You can feel confident in experimenting on your own once you have seen how the basics work correctly.

This book is best for those who already know the fundamentals of C# and .NET.

If you already have experience with older versions of the C# language and .NET libraries, then I have covered what is new in C# 8 and .NET Core 3.1 and later in an online-only section at the end of Chapter 1, Introducing Apps and Services with .NET.

I will call out the most important aspects of app models and frameworks for building modern user interfaces and implementing services, so you can participate in conversations with colleagues about technology and architectural choices and get productive with their implementation fast.