Software Required for ASP.NET Core Web API Development

In this article, I will show you the list of all Software Required for ASP.NET Core Web API Development. Please read our previous article where we discussed Introduction to ASP.NET Core Web API.

List of Software Required for ASP.NET Core Web API Development

To develop an ASP.NET Core Web API, you will need the following software:

Operating System:

Any modern operating system, such as Windows, macOS, or Linux, can be used for ASP.NET Core development.

Integrated Development Environment (IDE):

You can choose from various IDEs for ASP.NET Core development, including:

Visual Studio: Visual Studio is a powerful and feature-rich IDE developed by Microsoft. It provides extensive tooling, debugging capabilities, and a rich development experience for ASP.NET Core development. Visual Studio is available for Windows and macOS.
Visual Studio Code: Visual Studio Code is a lightweight and cross-platform code editor that supports ASP.NET Core development. It offers excellent extension support, integrated terminal, and source control integration. Visual Studio Code is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

.NET SDK:

This is the software development KIT and this KIT is helpful for the development and running of the application in the system. The .NET SDK (Software Development Kit) is required to build and run ASP.NET Core applications. It includes the .NET runtime, libraries, and command-line tools. You can download and install the .NET SDK from the official .NET website.

ASP.NET Core:

ASP.NET Core is the framework for building web applications, including Web APIs, with .NET Core. It is included in the .NET SDK and can be installed using the command line or through the Visual Studio installer.

Package Manager:

You can choose between two popular package managers for .NET Core development:

NuGet: NuGet is the official package manager for .NET and is integrated into Visual Studio. It allows you to manage and install packages, libraries, and dependencies in your ASP.NET Core project.
npm: If you are using front-end technologies such as Angular or React in your ASP.NET Core project, you may need to use npm (Node Package Manager) to manage JavaScript packages and dependencies.

Database Management System (Optional):

Depending on your application’s requirements, you may need a database management system. Common options for ASP.NET Core include:

Microsoft SQL Server: A popular and robust relational database management system developed by Microsoft.
SQLite: A lightweight and file-based database system that is suitable for development and small-scale applications.
MySQL: An open-source relational database management system.
PostgreSQL: A powerful open-source relational database management system.

These are the essential software components required for ASP.NET Core Web API development. Depending on your specific project needs, you may also require additional software or tools such as Source Control Systems (e.g. Git, TFS, etc.), API Documentation Generators (e.g., Swagger), or Testing Frameworks (e.g., xUnit, NUnit).

Install Dot Net Core Framework and Verify the Installation

To install the .NET Core framework and verify the installation, follow these steps:

Visit the official .NET website at https://dotnet.microsoft.com/ and navigate to the “.NET” section.
Click on the “Download .NET” button, which will take you to the download page.
On the download page, you’ll see different options for downloading .NET. Choose the appropriate version for your operating system (Windows, macOS, or Linux) and click on the corresponding download link.
Once the download is complete, run the installer and follow the instructions provided by the installer to install .NET Core on your system. Make sure to select the desired options during the installation process.
After the installation is complete, open a new command prompt or terminal window.

To verify the installation, run the following command:

dotnet –version

This command will display the version number of the installed .NET Core framework if the installation was successful. For example, the output might be something like “6.0.16” or “7.0.203”, depending on the version you installed.

Congratulations! You have now installed .NET Core and verified the installation. You can start building .NET Core applications, including ASP.NET Core Web APIs, on your system.

Install the SQL Server

To install SQL Server, follow these steps:

Visit the official Microsoft SQL Server Downloads page at https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sql-server/sql-server-downloads.
On the Downloads page, you’ll find different editions of SQL Server available for download. Choose the edition that best suits your needs, such as SQL Server 2019 Developer Edition or SQL Server 2019 Express Edition. Click on the corresponding “Download” button.
On the next page, you’ll be prompted to sign in with a Microsoft account. If you have an account, sign in. Otherwise, create a new Microsoft account.
After signing in, you’ll be taken to the download page for the selected SQL Server edition. Choose the desired installation package based on your operating system (Windows or Linux) and click on the download link.
Once the download is complete, run the installer. The installation wizard will guide you through the installation process.
During the installation, you’ll be prompted to select various options, such as the edition, installation type (standalone or cluster), and installation features. Make the appropriate selections based on your requirements and preferences.
In the “Instance Configuration” step, specify the instance name for your SQL Server. You can choose the default instance or provide a named instance.
In the “Server Configuration” step, configure the authentication mode. You can choose between Windows Authentication mode or Mixed Mode (Windows Authentication and SQL Server Authentication). Provide the necessary credentials as per your selection.
Proceed with the installation, following the remaining steps and options specified by the installer.
Once the installation is complete, you can launch SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) if it was installed as part of the SQL Server installation. SSMS provides a graphical interface for managing and interacting with SQL Server.
To verify the installation and connect to your SQL Server instance, open SSMS and enter the appropriate server’s name, authentication method, and credentials. Click on “Connect” to establish the connection.

Congratulations! You have now installed SQL Server on your system. You can use it to create and manage databases, including integrating it with your ASP.NET Core Web API for data storage and retrieval.

Install SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)

To install SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), you can follow these steps:

Download SSMS: Visit the official Microsoft Download Center website (https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/ssms/download-sql-server-management-studio-ssms?view=sql-server-ver15) to download the latest version of SSMS.
Choose the appropriate version: Ensure that you select the version compatible with your operating system. SSMS is available for Windows only.
Run the installer: Once the download is complete, locate the downloaded file and run the installer.
Select installation options: The installer will present you with various installation options. Review the options and choose the desired settings. You can generally go with the default settings unless you have specific requirements.
Accept the license terms: Read and accept the license terms to proceed with the installation.
Install SSMS: Click the “Install” button to begin the installation process. The installer will now extract the necessary files and install SSMS on your system.
Complete the installation: After the installation is complete, click the “Finish” button.
Launch SSMS: You can now launch SQL Server Management Studio from the Start menu or by searching for “SSMS” in the Windows search bar.

That’s it! SQL Server Management Studio should now be installed on your computer, and you can use it to manage SQL Server databases.

Install Visual Studio 2022 Community Edition

Here’s how you can install Visual Studio 2022 Community Edition:

Open your web browser and go to the official Microsoft Visual Studio website.
Visit the Visual Studio Community 2022 download page (https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/vs/community/) and click on the “Download” button.
Note: Make sure to select the Community Edition, as it is free for individual developers and small teams.
Once the installer is downloaded, locate the file and run it.
If prompted by User Account Control, click “Yes” to allow the installer to make changes to your device.
The installer will start downloading the necessary files. This process may take some time, depending on your internet connection.
After the download completes, the installer will launch.
On the first screen, select “Community” as the edition you want to install.
Customize the installation if desired, or you can go with the default settings.
Click the “Install” button to begin the installation process.
Note: Ensure that you have enough disk space available for the installation.
Visual Studio 2022 will now be installed on your computer. This process may take a while.
Once the installation is complete, you’ll see a success message.
Click the “Launch” button to start Visual Studio 2022.

That’s it! You have successfully installed Visual Studio 2022 Community Edition on your computer. You can now start using it for your development projects.

Install and Explore Postman

To install and explore Postman, you can follow these steps:

Open your web browser and go to the Postman website: https://www.postman.com/downloads/.
On the Downloads page, you will see different versions available for download. Select the version that is compatible with your operating system (Windows, macOS, or Linux) and click on the “Download” button.
Once the download is complete, locate the downloaded installer file and run it.
Follow the on-screen instructions to install Postman on your computer. The installation process may vary depending on your operating system.
Once the installation is complete, launch Postman.

Now that you have Postman installed, you can explore its features:

When you launch Postman, you’ll be greeted with the Postman app interface.
On the left-hand side, you’ll find the sidebar with different sections such as “Collections,” “History,” “Environments,” etc.
In the center, you’ll see the main workspace where you can create and manage requests.
To send a request, click on the “New” button or select an existing collection. Then click on the “New” button in the collection to create a new request.
Enter the request details such as URL, HTTP method (GET, POST, etc.), request headers, and parameters.
After entering the necessary information, you can click on the “Send” button to execute the request.

Postman will display the response received from the server, including the status code, response body, headers, and more.

These are just the basic steps to get started with Postman. The tool offers various advanced features like saving requests in collections, writing tests, creating environments, and more. You can explore the official Postman documentation (https://learning.postman.com/docs/getting-started/introduction/) for detailed tutorials and examples to further enhance your understanding and utilization of Postman.

In the next article, I am going to discuss the Environment Setup for ASP.NET Core Web API Application development. Here, in this article, I discussed the list of all Software Required for ASP.NET Core Web API Development. I hope you enjoy this Software Required for ASP.NET Core Web API Development article.