ASP.NET Core Pattern Research

What This Is

The Real World ASP.NET Core repository is a collection of 28 curated, production ASP.NET Core application source code. The apps/ directory contains the full source of each app — controllers, services, models, migrations, middleware, configuration, and NuGet dependencies.

Locating the Repository

Look for a directory called real-world-aspnetcore with an apps/ subdirectory. Check the current working directory first, then ~/src/real-world-aspnetcore. If not found, ask the user where it lives.

What To Do

The user gives you a topic. Spin up parallel agents to search the apps for how real codebases implement that pattern. Read actual code — controllers, services, models, EF Core configurations, middleware, Program.cs setup, dependency injection registrations, query patterns — not just file names. Synthesize what you find into a clear analysis.

Key Files to Search

• *.csproj — NuGet package references (like Gemfile)
• Program.cs / Startup.cs — DI configuration and middleware pipeline
• Controllers/ — API and MVC controllers
• Services/ or Application/ — Business logic layer
• Models/, Entities/, Domain/ — Domain models
• Data/, Infrastructure/ — Data access, EF Core DbContext
• Migrations/ — EF Core migrations
• Middleware/ — Custom middleware
• Hubs/ — SignalR hubs
• appsettings.json — Configuration

Version Note

Apps span .NET 6 through .NET 10. Older apps use Startup.cs with ConfigureServices() and Configure(). Modern apps use Program.cs with minimal hosting. Note which pattern each app uses when comparing.

If the user’s wording suggests they want help choosing a pattern for their current project (words like “compare for us”, “which fits best”, “adversarial”, “debate”, “evaluate for our project”), also spin up adversarial agents that each argue for a different pattern in the context of the current project’s architecture and goals.