.NET Core Application Template Documentation

Welcome to the documentation for the .NET Core Application Template.

NCAT is a production-oriented ASP.NET Core application baseline. The default scaffold enables local cookie authentication and configures a fallback authorization policy that requires an authenticated user for routed endpoints without authorization metadata. Public routes are explicit anonymous exceptions. The --authProvider none variant is a deliberate opt-out that disables application authentication, cookie authentication, and authenticated fallback access.

Authentication establishes identity. Authorization determines whether that identity may access an endpoint or operation. NCAT also provides policy-based authorization, middleware ordering, request protection, observability, error handling, health checks, and EF Core data access patterns.

The template includes consistent defaults for:

  • Application startup and middleware ordering
  • Serilog structured logging
  • Forwarded headers and reverse proxy support
  • Security headers
  • Rate limiting
  • Centralized exception and status code handling
  • Problem Details responses
  • Health checks
  • OpenTelemetry tracing and metrics
  • Cookie authentication and optional external identity providers
  • Authenticated-by-default routed endpoints and named authorization policies
  • EF Core data access patterns
  • GitHub Actions validation
  • Package-based dotnet new template scaffolding

Use this documentation as the detailed reference. The root README.md provides the project summary and quick-start information.

Documentation Areas

Edit this page