Project Structure & Configuration
Understand .NET Core project structure, configuration system, and best practices. This is a foundational concept in cross-platform .NET development that professional developers rely on daily. The explanations below are written to be beginner-friendly while covering the depth and nuance that comes from real-world .NET Core experience. Take your time with each section and practice the examples
55 min•By Priygop Team•Last updated: Feb 2026
Typical .NET Core Project Structure
Example
MyApp/
├── Program.cs # Application entry point
├── MyApp.csproj # Project file
├── appsettings.json # Configuration file
├── appsettings.Development.json
├── Properties/
│ └── launchSettings.json # Launch configuration
├── Controllers/ # MVC Controllers (if applicable)
├── Models/ # Data models
├── Services/ # Business logic services
├── wwwroot/ # Static files (web apps)
└── bin/ # Build output
└── Debug/
└── net6.0/Configuration System
Example
using Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration;
using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
using Microsoft.Extensions.Hosting;
public class Program
{
public static void Main(string[] args)
{
var host = CreateHostBuilder(args).Build();
host.Run();
}
public static IHostBuilder CreateHostBuilder(string[] args) =>
Host.CreateDefaultBuilder(args)
.ConfigureAppConfiguration((context, config) =>
{
config.AddJsonFile("appsettings.json", optional: false, reloadOnChange: true);
config.AddJsonFile($"appsettings.{context.HostingEnvironment.EnvironmentName}.json",
optional: true, reloadOnChange: true);
config.AddEnvironmentVariables();
config.AddCommandLine(args);
})
.ConfigureServices((context, services) =>
{
// Register services here
services.Configure<MyOptions>(context.Configuration.GetSection("MyOptions"));
});
}Configuration Best Practices
- Use appsettings.json for default configuration — a critical concept in cross-platform .NET development that you will use frequently in real projects
- Use environment-specific files (appsettings.Development.json)
- Store sensitive data in User Secrets or Azure Key Vault
- Use strongly-typed configuration with IOptions<T>
- Validate configuration at startup — a critical concept in cross-platform .NET development that you will use frequently in real projects
- Use configuration providers in order of precedence