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Installation Guide — .NET Core API and Database Workshop

This guide helps you configure your system before attending the workshop.

System Requirements​

RequirementMinimumRecommendedNotes
Operating SystemWindows 10 / macOS 12+Windows 11 / macOS 13+64-bit required
RAM8 GB16 GBVisual Studio uses significant memory
Free Disk Space8 GB15 GBVS 2022 requires ~7 GB
.NET SDK8.08.0 (LTS)Required
GitLatestLatestRequired
PostmanLatestLatestFor API testing
info

VS Code with the C# Dev Kit extension is a lighter alternative to Visual Studio 2022 and works on both Windows and macOS.

  1. Install .NET 8 SDK
  2. Install IDE (VS Code or Visual Studio 2022)
  3. Install SQL Server Express (Windows) or SQLite (macOS)
  4. Install Postman
  5. Install Git
  6. Clone workshop repository
  7. Verify all tools

Development Operating System​

Windows Setup​

Step 1: Install .NET 8 SDK​

Download .NET 8 SDK:

https://dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/download/dotnet/8.0

Select SDK 8.0.x → Windows x64 Installer.

Verify:

dotnet --version
dotnet --list-sdks

The output should show 8.0.x.

Step 2: Install IDE​

Option A — VS Code (Recommended, lighter)

Download VS Code:

https://code.visualstudio.com/

Install extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X):

  • C# Dev Kit (Microsoft)
  • NuGet Gallery
  • REST Client (optional, for testing APIs without Postman)

Option B — Visual Studio 2022 Community (Full IDE)

Download:

https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/downloads/

During installation, select the workload:

  • ✅ ASP.NET and web development

Step 3: Install SQL Server Express​

Download SQL Server Express:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sql-server/sql-server-downloads

Select Express edition → Install with default settings.

After installation, note the server instance name (typically .\SQLEXPRESS or localhost\SQLEXPRESS).

Alternative

SQLite can be used instead of SQL Server — it requires no installation and is fully supported by EF Core.

Step 4: Install Postman​

Download from:

https://www.postman.com/downloads/

Create a free account to save your API collections.

Step 5: Install Git​

Download from:

https://git-scm.com/

Verify:

git --version

Step 6: Clone Workshop Repository​

git clone <workshop-repo-url>
cd dotnet-api-workshop
dotnet restore

Step 7: Run the Application​

dotnet run

Open your browser at:

https://localhost:5001/swagger

You should see the Swagger UI with the workshop API.

Verify EF Core Tools​

EF Core CLI tools are needed for database migrations:

dotnet tool install --global dotnet-ef
dotnet ef --version

Run a Quick API Test​

After cloning and running the workshop project, test the health endpoint:

curl https://localhost:5001/health -k

Expected response: {"status":"Healthy"}

Emergency Fallback​

If local installation fails:

  • GitHub Codespaces: Full VS Code environment in the browser with .NET pre-installed
  • .NET Fiddle: https://dotnetfiddle.net — for quick C# snippets during theory sessions

Final Verification Checklist​

Before the workshop, confirm:

  • dotnet --version shows 8.0.x
  • dotnet new webapi -n Test creates a project successfully
  • dotnet run starts the application
  • Swagger UI loads in the browser at https://localhost:5001/swagger
  • dotnet ef --version shows EF Core tools
  • Postman opens and is ready
  • Git is installed and git --version works