Showcasing .NET Core

.NET Core is a powerful, cross-platform framework for building modern, cloud-based, and high-performance applications. In this blog, we will walk through a real-time example to demonstrate its capabilities and showcase how it can solve real-world business challenges.

Use Case: Real-Time Inventory Management System

Imagine a retail client who wants to track their inventory across multiple locations in real time. They need an application that can:

  • Synchronize inventory data across stores.
  • Provide insights into stock levels.
  • Alert store managers when stock levels fall below a threshold.
  • Be scalable and accessible on different devices.

Using .NET Core, we can design and develop such an application. Here’s how:

Step 1: Setting Up the Environment

To begin, we’ll set up a .NET Core environment:

  1. Install the latest version of the .NET Core SDK from Microsoft’s website.
  2. Create a new project using the command line:dotnet new webapi -n InventoryManagementcd InventoryManagement

    Step 2: Designing the Architecture

    Our application will use the following architecture:

    • Frontend: A responsive Angular or React web app for user interaction.
    • Backend: .NET Core Web API to handle business logic.
    • Database: SQL Server for data storage.
    • Real-Time Updates: SignalR for pushing real-time inventory updates to clients.
    • Cloud Hosting: Azure App Service for scalability.

    Step 3: Building the Backend

    Creating the Data Model

     

    We’ll define a simple inventory model in C#:

    public class InventoryItem

    {

        public int Id { get; set; }

        public string Name { get; set; }

        public int Quantity { get; set; }

        public string Location { get; set; }

    }

    Setting Up the API Endpoints

     

    We’ll create CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) endpoints for managing inventory items. For example, here’s the endpoint to fetch all inventory items:

    [ApiController]

    [Route(“api/[controller]”)]

    public class InventoryController : ControllerBase

    {

        private readonly List<InventoryItem> _inventory = new();

     

        [HttpGet]

        public IActionResult GetAll()

        {

            return Ok(_inventory);

        }

    }

    Implementing Real-Time Updates with SignalR

     

    SignalR allows us to broadcast inventory updates. Here’s an example of a SignalR hub:

    public class InventoryHub : Hub

    {

        public async Task NotifyUpdate(InventoryItem item)

        {

            await Clients.All.SendAsync(“ReceiveUpdate”, item);

        }

    }

    Step 4: Developing the Frontend

     

    Using Angular, we can create a dashboard to display real-time inventory updates. We’ll integrate SignalR to receive updates:

    import { HubConnection, HubConnectionBuilder } from ‘@microsoft/signalr’;

     

    @Component({

      selector: ‘app-inventory’,

      templateUrl: ‘./inventory.component.html’

    })

    export class InventoryComponent {

      private hubConnection: HubConnection;

      inventoryItems: InventoryItem[] = [];

     

      constructor() {

        this.hubConnection = new HubConnectionBuilder()

          .withUrl(‘https://yourapi.com/inventoryHub’)

          .build();

     

        this.hubConnection.on(‘ReceiveUpdate’, (item: InventoryItem) => {

          // Update inventory list

        });

     

        this.hubConnection.start();

      }

    }

    Step 5: Hosting on Azure

    We’ll deploy the backend and frontend to Azure App Services:

    1. Create a new App Service instance for the API and frontend.
    2. Use Azure SQL Database for managing inventory data.
    3. Configure SignalR using Azure SignalR Service for scaling real-time updates.

    Benefits for the Client

    • Scalability: The app can handle increasing numbers of stores and inventory items.
    • Real-Time Updates: Store managers get immediate notifications of inventory changes.
    • Cross-Platform Accessibility: Works on desktops, tablets, and mobile devices.
    • Cost-Effective: Built using open-source tools and hosted on a scalable cloud platform.

    Conclusion

     

    This example demonstrates how .NET Core’s versatility and robust ecosystem can be leveraged to build real-time applications. By combining modern technologies like SignalR and Azure, businesses can achieve efficient, scalable, and user-friendly solutions.

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