The Ultimate C# Guide
C# and .NET from First Steps to Async and LINQ
By ChatGPT — 2025 Edition
Part I – C# & .NET Fundamentals
What is C#? .NET Ecosystem
C# is a modern, multi-paradigm language on the .NET platform. Build web (ASP.NET
Core), desktop, mobile (MAUI/Xamarin), cloud, and games (Unity).
Cross-platform via .NET SDK; package management with NuGet; project files are
MSBuild-based.
// dotnet new console -n HelloApp // dotnet run using System; class
Program { static void Main() => Console.WriteLine("Hello, C#!"); }
Pro Tip: Tip: Keep the .NET SDK updated; use `global.json` to pin SDK version per repo.
Mini Exercise: Exercise: Create a console app and reference a NuGet package.
Types, Nullability & Control Flow
Value types (structs) and reference types (classes). Enable nullable reference types for
safer code (`enable`).
#nullable enable string? name = "Utku"; if (name is { Length: > 0 })
Console.WriteLine(name);
Pro Tip: Tip: Use pattern matching and switch expressions for expressive branching.
Mini Exercise: Exercise: Write a switch expression that maps an int score to a letter grade.
Collections & LINQ
Use List, Dictionary, HashSet. LINQ adds powerful query operators.
var nums = new[] {1,2,3,4}; var squares = nums.Select(x =>
x*x).ToArray();
Pro Tip: Tip: Prefer immutable collections when concurrency matters; consider `ImmutableArray`.
Mini Exercise: Exercise: Build a frequency map with LINQ's GroupBy.
OOP & Records
Classes, interfaces, inheritance, and encapsulation. Records provide value-based equality
for data models.
public record User(string Name, int Age);
Pro Tip: Tip: Prefer records for DTOs and configuration models.
Mini Exercise: Exercise: Convert a POCO class to a record and observe equality
semantics.
Part II – Async, Errors, Files, DI
Exceptions & Logging
Use try/catch/finally; prefer specific exception types. Built-in logging via
Microsoft.Extensions.Logging.
try { /* ... */ } catch (IOException ex) {
Console.Error.WriteLine(ex.Message); }
Pro Tip: Tip: Avoid swallowing exceptions; log with context and rethrow or handle.
Mini Exercise: Exercise: Add structured logging to a small app.
Async/Await & Tasks
Asynchronous code with `Task` and `async/await`. Avoid blocking calls in async flows.
static async Task<int> FetchAsync(){ await Task.Delay(10); return 42;
}
Pro Tip: Tip: Propagate cancellation with `CancellationToken`.
Mini Exercise: Exercise: Run multiple tasks concurrently and await with `Task.WhenAll`.
File I/O & JSON (System.Text.Json)
Read/write files with `File` and `Stream`. Serialize with `JsonSerializer`.
using System.Text.Json; var json = JsonSerializer.Serialize(new {
Name="Utku" });
Pro Tip: Tip: Configure `JsonSerializerOptions` for casing and converters.
Mini Exercise: Exercise: Persist app settings as JSON and reload on startup.
Dependency Injection (ASP.NET Core style)
Built-in DI container in .NET; register services with lifetimes (Singleton/Scoped/Transient).
// var services = new ServiceCollection().AddSingleton<IMySvc,
MySvc>();
Pro Tip: Tip: Depend on abstractions (interfaces) and inject via constructors.
Mini Exercise: Exercise: Wire a small console app with DI and logging.
Part III – Practical Apps & Testing
Mini Project 1: CLI TODO
Build a To-Do manager with JSON persistence and LINQ queries.
// parse args; read/write JSON; filter and sort
Pro Tip: Tip: Add `Serilog` for structured logs.
Mini Exercise: Exercise: Implement search and tag filtering.
Mini Project 2: HTTP Client
Use `HttpClient` and record models to call a public API.
// using var client = new HttpClient(); await
client.GetStringAsync(url);
Pro Tip: Tip: Reuse `HttpClient` instances or `IHttpClientFactory`.
Mini Exercise: Exercise: Add retry with exponential backoff.
Unit Testing
Choose xUnit/NUnit/MSTest. Test async methods and edge cases.
// dotnet new xunit; dotnet test
Pro Tip: Tip: Keep tests deterministic; mock time and I/O.
Mini Exercise: Exercise: Write tests for failure paths as well as happy paths.
Conclusion
This guide covered the language foundations, tooling, idioms, and practical projects. Keep
iterating with small programs, read source code from reputable projects, and adopt a
test-first mindset. Mastery comes from consistent practice and building real things.
— End of The Ultimate C# Guide —
