A comprehensive roadmap and resource collection for C# .NET developers at all levels
Welcome to the ultimate C# .NET learning resource! This repository is designed to guide developers through a structured learning path, from C# fundamentals to advanced enterprise-level development concepts. Whether you’re a beginner starting your journey or an experienced developer looking to fill knowledge gaps, this roadmap will help you master the .NET ecosystem.
🎯 Who This Is For
- Beginners new to C# and .NET development
- Intermediate developers looking to deepen their knowledge
- Experienced developers transitioning to .NET or exploring new areas
- Students and bootcamp graduates seeking a structured learning path
- Self-taught developers wanting to ensure comprehensive coverage
📚 Complete Learning Roadmap
🔰 Section 1: C# Fundamentals (C# 6-11)
| Category | Topic | Key Learning Points | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Language Basics | How C# Code Works | Compilation process, runtime behavior | 🔥 High |
| Classes & Objects | Introduction to Classes | Fields, Properties, Methods, Constructors | 🔥 High |
| Classes & Objects | Types of Classes | Static, Partial, Sealed, Abstract, Nested | 🔥 High |
| Access Control | Access Modifiers | Public, Private, Protected, Internal, Protected Internal | 🔥 High |
| OOP Concepts | Inheritance & Polymorphism | Base/Derived Classes, virtual, override, sealed | 🔥 High |
| OOP Concepts | Interfaces | Defining/Implementing Interfaces, Multiple Interfaces | 🔥 High |
| OOP Concepts | Abstract Classes | Abstract Methods/Properties, Inheritance patterns | 🔥 High |
| Modern Features | Record Types | Record syntax, immutability, value semantics | 🟡 Medium |
| Generic Programming | Generics | Generic Classes, Methods, Constraints | 🔥 High |
| Event Programming | Delegates & Events | Delegates, Multicast Delegates, Event Handling | 🟡 Medium |
| Memory Management | Value vs Reference Types | Stack vs Heap, Memory Allocation, Boxing/Unboxing | 🔥 High |
| Parameters | Parameter Types | Value Parameters, ref, out, in Parameters | 🟡 Medium |
| Collections | Built-in Collections | Arrays, Lists, Dictionaries, Queue, Stack | 🔥 High |
| Collections | Collection Interfaces | IEnumerable, ICollection, IList | 🔥 High |
| Error Handling | Exception Handling | try, catch, finally, throw, Custom Exceptions | 🔥 High |
| Properties | Properties & Indexers | Automatic Properties, Getters/Setters, Indexers | 🔥 High |
| Operators | Operator Usage | Arithmetic, Comparison, Logical, Assignment, Overloading | 🟡 Medium |
| Functional Programming | Lambda & LINQ | Lambda Expressions, LINQ Queries, Method Syntax | 🔥 High |
| Async Programming | Async/Await | Task-based Programming, async/await patterns | 🔥 High |
| String Handling | String Manipulation | String Methods, Interpolation, StringBuilder | 🔥 High |
| Assemblies | Assembly Concepts | Executable vs Library, Private/Shared Assemblies | 🟡 Medium |
| Extensions | Extension Methods | Defining/Using Extensions, Common Use Cases | 🟡 Medium |
| Type Conversion | Casting & Conversion | Implicit/Explicit Casting, is/as Keywords | 🔥 High |
| Control Flow | Statements & Expressions | Control Flow, Expression vs Statement, Pattern Matching | 🔥 High |
| Numeric Types | Data Types | Understanding Numeric Data Types | 🔥 High |
🏗️ Section 2: .NET Platform & CLI Tools
| Category | Topic | Key Learning Points | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| .NET Platform | .NET 7-8 vs Framework 4.8 | Platform differences, migration considerations | 🔥 High |
| System Operations | File I/O | File operations, streams, serialization | 🔥 High |
| System Operations | Exception Management | Global exception handling, logging exceptions | 🔥 High |
| Network Programming | Networking | HTTP clients, network protocols | 🟡 Medium |
| Concurrency | Multithreading | Thread management, synchronization | 🔥 High |
| Security | Security Fundamentals | Authentication, authorization basics | 🔥 High |
| Security | Cryptography | Encryption, hashing, digital signatures | 🟡 Medium |
| Development Tools | dotnet CLI | Project management, package operations | 🔥 High |
| Package Management | NuGet | Package installation, versioning, creation | 🔥 High |
💻 Section 3: General Development Skills
| Category | Topic | Key Learning Points | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Version Control | Git | Repository management, branching, merging | 🔥 High |
| Data Structures | Core Data Structures | Arrays, Lists, Trees, Graphs, Hash Tables | 🔥 High |
| Algorithms | Algorithm Fundamentals | Sorting, searching, complexity analysis | 🔥 High |
| Code Quality | Clean Code | Naming, functions, classes, comments | 🔥 High |
| Code Quality | Refactoring | Code improvement techniques, smell detection | 🔥 High |
| Design Principles | SOLID Principles | Single Responsibility, Open/Closed, Liskov, etc. | 🔥 High |
| Design Principles | YAGNI | You Aren’t Gonna Need It principle | 🟡 Medium |
| Design Principles | DRY | Don’t Repeat Yourself principle | 🔥 High |
| Design Principles | KISS | Keep It Simple, Stupid principle | 🔥 High |
| Creational Patterns | Singleton | Single instance management | 🟡 Medium |
| Creational Patterns | Factory Method | Object creation abstraction | 🟡 Medium |
| Structural Patterns | Adapter | Interface compatibility | 🟡 Medium |
| Structural Patterns | Facade | Simplified interface | 🟡 Medium |
| Structural Patterns | Decorator | Behavior extension | 🟡 Medium |
| Structural Patterns | Proxy | Access control and lazy loading | 🟡 Medium |
| Behavioral Patterns | Command | Encapsulating requests | 🟡 Medium |
| Behavioral Patterns | Template Method | Algorithm skeleton | 🟡 Medium |
| Behavioral Patterns | Strategy | Algorithm selection | 🟡 Medium |
| Behavioral Patterns | Observer | Event notification | 🟡 Medium |
| Data Access Patterns | Repository | Data access abstraction | 🔥 High |
| Architecture | Microservices | Service decomposition, communication | 🟡 Medium |
| Architecture | Layered Architecture | Separation of concerns, layer responsibilities | 🔥 High |
| Architecture | Clean Architecture | Understanding Clean Architecture | 🔥 High |
| UI Patterns | MVC | Model-View-Controller separation | 🔥 High |
| UI Patterns | MVP | Model-View-Presenter pattern | 🟡 Medium |
| UI Patterns | MVVM | Model-View-ViewModel binding | 🟡 Medium |
| Domain Modeling | Domain-Driven Design | Bounded contexts, aggregates, entities | 🟡 Medium |
| Web Fundamentals | How Internet Works | HTTP/HTTPS, DNS, web protocols | 🔥 High |
🌐 Section 4: Web Development with ASP.NET Core
| Category | Topic | Key Learning Points | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Frameworks | MVC Pattern | Controllers, Views, Models, Routing | 🔥 High |
| Web Frameworks | Minimal APIs | Lightweight API development | 🔥 High |
| Web Frameworks | Controllers | Action methods, parameter binding | 🔥 High |
| Request Pipeline | Middlewares | Custom middleware, pipeline order | 🔥 High |
| Request Processing | Filters & Attributes | Action filters, authorization filters | 🟡 Medium |
| Authentication | Cookie Authentication | Session management, cookie security | 🔥 High |
| Authentication | OIDC Middleware | OpenID Connect integration | 🟡 Medium |
| Identity Management | ASP.NET Core Identity | User management, roles, claims | 🔥 High |
| Authorization | OAuth 2.0 | Third-party authentication | 🟡 Medium |
| Token-based Auth | JSON Web Tokens | JWT creation, validation, refresh | 🔥 High |
| Identity Server | IdentityServer | Centralized authentication service | 🟡 Medium |
| Dependency Injection | DI Container | Understanding Dependency Injection | 🔥 High |
| IoC Container | Lifetime Management | IoC Container and Lifetime Management | 🔥 High |
| Web API | ASP.NET Core Web API | Building RESTful APIs | 🔥 High |
| Clean API | Structured API Project | Clean Structured API Project | 🔥 High |
🖥️ Section 5: Client-Side Development
| Category | Topic | Key Learning Points | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web UI | Razor Pages/Views | Server-side rendering, Razor syntax | 🔥 High |
| Web UI | Blazor | Component-based UI, Server/WebAssembly | 🟡 Medium |
| Mobile Development | .NET MAUI | Cross-platform mobile/desktop apps | 🟡 Medium |
| Desktop Development | WPF | Windows desktop applications | 🟡 Medium |
🗄️ Section 6: Data Access & Persistence
| Category | Topic | Key Learning Points | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Database Design | Database Fundamentals | ER modeling, schema design | 🔥 High |
| SQL | SQL Syntax | SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, JOINs | 🔥 High |
| Database Programming | Stored Procedures | Procedure creation, parameters | 🟡 Medium |
| Performance | Indexing | Index types, query optimization | 🔥 High |
| Database Design | Normalization | 1NF, 2NF, 3NF, denormalization | 🔥 High |
| Data Integrity | Transactions | ACID properties, isolation levels | 🔥 High |
| Performance | Query Optimization | Execution plans, performance tuning | 🟡 Medium |
| Database Systems | PostgreSQL | Advanced PostgreSQL features | 🟡 Medium |
| Database Systems | SQL Server | T-SQL, SQL Server specific features | 🔥 High |
| Database Systems | MySQL/MariaDB | MySQL optimization, replication | 🟡 Medium |
| NoSQL | MongoDB | Document databases, aggregation | 🟡 Medium |
| NoSQL | RavenDB | .NET-focused document database | 🔶 Low |
| Cloud NoSQL | Cosmos DB | Multi-model database, global distribution | 🟡 Medium |
| Cloud SQL | Azure SQL | Cloud database services | 🟡 Medium |
| ORM | Entity Framework Core | Code First, Database First, Migrations | 🔥 High |
| EF Advanced | Change Tracker API | Entity state management | 🟡 Medium |
| EF Performance | Loading Strategies | Lazy loading, eager loading, explicit loading | 🔥 High |
| Micro ORM | Dapper | High-performance data access | 🟡 Medium |
| Query Language | LINQ | Language Integrated Query | 🔥 High |
| Object Mapping | AutoMapper | Understanding .NET Object Mapping | 🟡 Medium |
| Pagination | Dynamic Pagination | Implementing Dynamic Pagination with Filters | 🟡 Medium |
⚡ Section 7: Performance & Scalability
| Category | Topic | Key Learning Points | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caching | Memory Cache | In-process caching strategies | 🔥 High |
| Distributed Caching | Redis | Distributed cache, session state | 🟡 Medium |
| Caching Patterns | Application-level Caching | Cache-aside, write-through patterns | 🟡 Medium |
| Background Processing | Native Background Service | IHostedService implementation | 🔥 High |
| Job Scheduling | HangFire | Background job processing | 🟡 Medium |
| Advanced Scheduling | Quartz.NET | Complex scheduling scenarios | 🔶 Low |
| Performance Optimization | ASP.NET Core Performance | Performance Optimization and Monitoring | 🔥 High |
| Best Practices | High Performance .NET | 15 Best Practices for High Performance .NET Applications | 🔥 High |
| API Performance | High Performance API | High Performance .NET Core API Guide | 🔥 High |
📡 Section 8: Communication & Integration
| Category | Topic | Key Learning Points | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| API Design | REST | RESTful principles, HTTP verbs, status codes | 🔥 High |
| Query APIs | GraphQL | Schema definition, resolvers, queries | 🟡 Medium |
| High Performance | gRPC | Protocol buffers, streaming | 🟡 Medium |
| Real-time | SignalR Core | WebSocket abstraction, hubs | 🟡 Medium |
| Real-time | WebSockets | Low-level WebSocket implementation | 🔶 Low |
| HTTP Communication | HTTP Client | HttpClient best practices, policies | 🔥 High |
| Message Brokers | MassTransit | Service bus abstraction | 🟡 Medium |
| Event Streaming | Apache Kafka | Event streaming, partitions | 🔥 High |
| Message Queues | RabbitMQ | AMQP protocol, queues, exchanges | 🔥 High |
| Cloud Messaging | Azure Service Bus | Cloud-native messaging | 🟡 Medium |
🧪 Section 9: Testing & Quality Assurance
| Category | Topic | Key Learning Points | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Testing Types | Unit Testing | Isolated component testing | 🔥 High |
| Testing Types | Integration Testing | Component interaction testing | 🔥 High |
| Testing Types | Snapshot Testing | Output verification testing | 🟡 Medium |
| Testing Types | End-to-End Testing | Full application workflow testing | 🟡 Medium |
| Testing Types | Performance Testing | Load and stress testing | 🟡 Medium |
| Unit Test Frameworks | xUnit | Test framework, assertions, fixtures | 🔥 High |
| Unit Test Frameworks | NUnit | Alternative test framework | 🟡 Medium |
| Test Doubles | NSubstitute | Mocking framework, test isolation | 🔥 High |
| Assertions | FluentAssertions | Readable test assertions | 🔥 High |
| Test Data | Bogus | Fake data generation | 🟡 Medium |
| Test Data | AutoFixture | Automatic test data creation | 🟡 Medium |
| Integration Testing | WebApplicationFactory | ASP.NET Core integration tests | 🔥 High |
| Integration Testing | TestServer | In-memory test server | 🟡 Medium |
| Snapshot Testing | Verify | Approval testing framework | 🟡 Medium |
| E2E Testing | Playwright | Browser automation | 🟡 Medium |
| Load Testing | K6 | Performance testing scripts | 🟡 Medium |
| Load Testing | JMeter | Load testing tool | 🔶 Low |
| Benchmarking | BenchmarkDotNet | Performance benchmarking | 🟡 Medium |
📊 Section 10: Observability & Monitoring
| Category | Topic | Key Learning Points | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Logging | Microsoft.Extensions.Logging | Built-in logging framework | 🔥 High |
| Structured Logging | Serilog | Structured logging, sinks | 🔥 High |
| Enterprise Logging | NLog | Configuration-based logging | 🟡 Medium |
| Log Management | ELK Stack | Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana | 🟡 Medium |
| Monitoring | Application Insights | Application performance monitoring | 🔥 High |
| Monitoring | Datadog | Application performance monitoring | 🔶 Low |
| Metrics | Prometheus | Metrics collection, alerting | 🟡 Medium |
| Visualization | Grafana | Metrics visualization, dashboards | 🟡 Medium |
| Distributed Tracing | OpenTelemetry – Jaeger | Request tracing, performance analysis | 🟡 Medium |
🐳 Section 11: Containerization & Orchestration
| Category | Topic | Key Learning Points | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Containerization | Docker | Container creation, Dockerfile, images | 🔥 High |
| Container Registry | Azure Container Registry | Image storage, security scanning | 🟡 Medium |
| Orchestration | Kubernetes | Pod management, services, deployments | 🟡 Medium |
| Package Management | Helm | Kubernetes package management | 🔶 Low |
☁️ Section 12: Cloud & DevOps
| Category | Topic | Key Learning Points | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud Platforms | Azure | Azure services, resource management | 🔥 High |
| Cloud Platforms | AWS | EC2, S3, RDS, Lambda | 🟡 Medium |
| Cloud Platforms | Google Cloud | GCP services, compute engine | 🔶 Low |
| CI/CD | CI/CD Concepts | Pipeline design, deployment strategies | 🔥 High |
| CI/CD Tools | GitHub Actions | Workflow automation, secrets | 🔥 High |
| CI/CD Tools | GitLab CI | Pipeline configuration, runners | 🟡 Medium |
| CI/CD Tools | Azure Pipelines | YAML pipelines, release management | 🟡 Medium |
| CI/CD Tools | Jenkins | Build automation, plugins | 🔶 Low |
| CI/CD Tools | Travis CI | Continuous integration service | 🔶 Low |
🔧 Section 13: Essential .NET Libraries
| Category | Topic | Key Learning Points | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| CQRS/Mediator | MediatR | Command/Query separation, handlers | 🔥 High |
| Resilience | Polly | Retry policies, circuit breakers | 🔥 High |
| Validation | FluentValidation | Rule-based validation, custom validators | 🔥 High |
| Performance | BenchmarkDotNet | Micro-benchmarking, performance testing | 🟡 Medium |
| HTTP Client | Refit | Type-safe REST client generation | 🟡 Medium |
| Reverse Proxy | YARP | Application gateway, load balancing | 🔶 Low |
| API Documentation | Swashbuckle | OpenAPI/Swagger documentation | 🔥 High |
🚀 Getting Started
- Fork this repository to track your progress
- Start with Level 1 – Focus on High Priority items first
- Practice each concept with hands-on coding exercises
- Build projects to reinforce learning
- Check off completed topics in your fork
- Move to the next level once you’ve mastered the fundamentals
- Contribute back by sharing resources or improvements
📝 Priority Legend
- 🔥 High Priority: Essential skills every C# developer should master
- 🟡 Medium Priority: Important for professional development
- 🔶 Low Priority: Specialized knowledge for specific scenarios