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.NET developer

Opens with credits

For people who want a .NET developer job, the stack behind banks, telecoms and enterprise software houses across Pakistan, the Gulf, India and beyond. By the end you can build, test, secure and ship a production-ready ASP.NET Core application with EF Core and SQL Server, with a Web API, Angular, React or Blazor front end, and explain the choices behind it.

Curated by Tauseef Fayyaz10 stages, 59 topics~18 months at a few hours a week
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By the end, you will be able to

  • Write modern C# on .NET 10 (records, pattern matching, nullable reference types, LINQ and async) and drive everything from the dotnet CLI
  • Build an ASP.NET Core API with the right DI lifetimes, a correct middleware order, validation and one consistent error shape
  • Model data with EF Core and SQL Server, write migrations, and find and fix N+1 queries and tracking mistakes
  • Secure it with Identity or JWT bearer tokens and policy-based authorisation, and connect a front end or client safely
  • Test it with xUnit, test doubles and WebApplicationFactory integration tests against a real database
  • Make it production-ready: health checks, OpenTelemetry, rate limiting, versioning, structured logs, caching, SSE, feature flags, ProblemDetails and resilience
  • Ship it with Docker and GitHub Actions to Azure App Service and Azure SQL, with secrets in Key Vault, and talk about it the way enterprise teams expect

The path

10 stages, in the order to learn them. Open one to start.

  1. 1C# and the .NET platformInstall the .NET 10 SDK, learn how the platform fits together and drive it from the dotnet CLI. Then learn the modern C# that every ASP.NET Core codebase uses: types, records, pattern matching and nullable reference types.7 topics · ~7 weeks
    1. 1What .NET is, and which version to useModern .NET is a free, open source, cross-platform runtime and set of libraries from Microsoft.
    2. 2The SDK, the runtime and the dotnet CLIThe SDK is what you install as a developer: the compilers, templates and the dotnet command.
    3. 3Projects, solutions and NuGetA project (.csproj) builds one assembly, usually a .dll.
    4. 4Types, classes and interfacesC# is statically typed: every variable has a type the compiler checks before the program runs.
    5. 5Records and pattern matchingRecords are types built for data.
    6. 6Nullable reference typesNullReferenceException is the most common crash in .NET.
    7. 7Exceptions and disposing resourcesWhen code meets a situation it cannot handle, it throws an exception, and the nearest matching catch up the call stack deals with it.
    7 in this stageOpen this stage
  2. 2C# for real work: LINQ, collections, generics and asyncThe C# you use every day at work: picking the right collection, querying it with LINQ, writing generic code and making slow I/O async without blocking threads. EF Core and ASP.NET Core build directly on all four.6 topics · ~2 months
    1. 1Collections and when to use eachMost code is moving data through collections, so choose them on purpose.
    2. 2LINQ: filter, shape, sort and groupLINQ (Language Integrated Query) is a set of methods you chain to work with data.
    3. 3Deferred execution, IEnumerable and IQueryableA LINQ query does nothing when you write it.
    4. 4Generics, delegates and lambdasGenerics let you write code once for many types while staying type-safe: List<T>, Task<T>, ILogger<T> and IRepository<T> are all generic.
    5. 5async/await and TasksMost server work is waiting: for SQL Server, an HTTP call or a file.
    6. 6Blocking, cancellation and async streamsThree async habits separate juniors from people a team trusts.
    6 in this stageOpen this stage
  3. ASP.NET Core basicsHow an ASP.NET Core app starts, how a request travels through middleware to an endpoint, and how services and settings reach your code. Learn minimal APIs and controllers side by side, because enterprise code uses both.6 topics · ~2 monthsOpens with credits
  4. Data with EF Core and SQL ServerModel your data with EF Core, evolve the schema with migrations and query it efficiently. Most .NET jobs pair EF Core with SQL Server, and most slow .NET apps are slow because of the queries, so learn the traps as well as the features.6 topics · ~2 monthsOpens with credits
  5. Authentication, authorisation and securityKnow who is calling and what they may do. Use ASP.NET Core Identity or JWT bearer tokens, express rules as policies, and check your API against the OWASP risks that matter most to banks and enterprise clients.5 topics · ~7 weeksOpens with credits
  6. API design, OpenAPI and your clientsWith no UI of your own, your product is the API contract. Design resources and errors other teams can rely on, publish an OpenAPI document, and consume your API from a client the way a mobile or partner team would.5 topics · ~2 monthsOpens with credits
  7. Testing .NET applicationsProve your code works and keeps working. Unit test business rules with xUnit, replace slow or external dependencies with test doubles, and run integration tests through the real pipeline with WebApplicationFactory and a real database.5 topics · ~6 weeksOpens with credits
  8. Production-ready ASP.NET CoreThe difference between a demo and something a bank will run: health checks, metrics and traces, rate limits, versioning, structured logs, caching, live updates, feature flags, one error shape and resilient outgoing calls. Each is a few lines in Program.cs once you understand it.9 topics · ~2 monthsOpens with credits
  9. Ship it: Docker, CI/CD and AzurePackage your app in a container, build and test it on every push with GitHub Actions, and deploy to Azure App Service with Azure SQL, with configuration and secrets handled properly through Key Vault.5 topics · ~6 weeksOpens with credits
  10. The enterprise .NET jobWhat banks, telecoms and enterprise software houses actually expect: sensible architecture without over-engineering, background jobs, working in large existing codebases, and one portfolio project that proves everything in this roadmap.5 topics · ~2 monthsOpens with credits
Keep reading

8 more stages, 46 more topics, free with an account.

You have seen the open stages of the .NET developer roadmap. Every topic it covers is listed above, and an account opens the rest: what each topic means, a question to check yourself, the courses, the practice and Tauseef's advice for every stage. Early access is open: sign up and your account is active shortly after.

Everything here is free to learn from. A few things, like adding a roadmap, keeping a cheat sheet or asking Tauseef a question, use credits. You get 15 when you join, your first roadmap is free, and if you are learning seriously and run out, you can ask for more. Credits only make sure the platform goes to people who are actually learning.

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