AsiBackbone Reference Application Documentation
NCAT baseline with observable, measurable AsiBackbone governance
The Reference Application is an ASP.NET Core host generated from the .NET Core Application Template (NCAT). This site records, step by step, how AsiBackbone governed decisions, runnable sample governance rules, persisted audit evidence, an operational evidence explorer, and host-overhead benchmarks were added to it.
The Reference Application exists so teams can follow the exact procedure, in order, that takes a freshly generated NCAT application to a governed AsiBackbone host, and inspect each resulting code change.
This site covers two things only: the generated API reference for the Reference Application and a walkthrough of the procedure used to combine NCAT and AsiBackbone. It is not a training site. AsiBackbone Learning remains the authority for architecture education, and the NCAT and AsiBackbone sites remain authoritative for their own behavior.
Start here
dotnet new netcoreapp-template to an observable and measurable governed host.
See the NCAT baseline
How the application was generated and how the untouched baseline is preserved for comparison.
Read the sample governance rules
The sample rules this host evaluates, their stable reason codes, and how they are tested.
Trace a governed change
How a change is linked to the decision that permitted it through the audit ledger, NCAT mutation audit, and audit completion.
Observe governance in action
Use the Development explorer to run governed endpoints and inspect their persisted evidence.
Experiment in the governance sandbox
A Development-only learning aid, not a production feature: simulate and replay decisions, follow the outbox, and trigger failure paths.
Measure host overhead
Run the repeatable BenchmarkDotNet scenarios and understand their measurement boundary.
Browse the API reference
Generated type and member pages for the Reference Application's production projects.
Is the Reference Application a fit?
Use this site when
- you already chose NCAT and AsiBackbone and want to follow their integration in one real host;
- you want the integration steps in order, each tied to the code it produced; and
- you want to follow the implementation of sample governance rules and later compare the completed examples against your own.
Look elsewhere when
- you are deciding whether to adopt governance: start with When ASP.NET Core Authorization Is Enough and When a Simple Application Service Is Enough;
- you need to learn the concepts: use AsiBackbone Learning; or
- you need the authoritative contract for a framework or template feature: use the AsiBackbone or NCAT documentation.
The Reference Application is an example, not a product. Its sample rules illustrate patterns and are not recommendations for any specific domain.
At a glance
| Area | Current reference |
|---|---|
| Release line | Stable 1.0.0 (1.x compatibility contract) |
| Supported platform | .NET 10.0 |
| Host baseline | NCAT 2.11.7, generated with dotnet new netcoreapp-template (default cookie authentication, SQLite) |
| Governance framework | AsiBackbone 7.5.2, integrated through walkthrough Step 8 |
| Governance sandbox | Development-only explorer tools for experimenting with the pipeline; never registered in Staging or Production |
| Untouched scaffold | ncat-baseline branch |
| Source | AsiBackbone/ReferenceApplication |
Related projects
The Reference Application consumes both related projects; neither of them depends on the Reference Application.
AsiBackbone Learning
Practical .NET architecture tutorials, labs, runnable samples, and reference patterns for governed execution, secure applications, AI integration, and policy-driven systems, including comparisons that show when these patterns are unnecessary.
AsiBackbone
A .NET governance and policy-control framework for auditable decision flows: policy evaluation, auditable decision records, acknowledgment workflows, capability-based authorization, host-owned execution boundaries, and ASP.NET Core integration.
.NET Core Application Template
A secure-by-default ASP.NET Core application template with authentication and authorization, structured logging, security headers, rate limiting, EF Core data access, reverse proxy support, and Problem Details error handling.
AsiBackbone Reference Application Current site
An NCAT-generated ASP.NET Core host with observable governance, persisted audit evidence, host-overhead benchmarks, a completed step-by-step implementation record, and a generated API reference.
Design philosophy
We favor architectures where consequential operations are explicit, constrained, reviewable, and auditable.
We also document when these patterns are unnecessary: see Look elsewhere when, When ASP.NET Core Authorization Is Enough, and When a Simple Application Service Is Enough.
The projects focus on practical .NET engineering. They do not claim regulatory certification or automatic compliance.