🔷 ASP.NET Core MVC Project Structure (.NET 7)

In this section, you’ll learn about the default project structure in an ASP.NET Core MVC application created with Visual Studio. Each file and folder in the solution serves a specific purpose in organizing, configuring, and running the application.

💡 Note: The ASP.NET Core project structure is synchronized with the physical file system. Any file or folder added to the project directory will automatically appear in Solution Explorer—there's no need to manually include it.

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📁 Solution File (.sln)

The solution file (e.g., SampleMVCCoreApp.sln) is created at the top level. A solution can contain one or more projects. It helps manage multiple projects and maintain dependencies among them.

• Right-click on the solution name > "Open Folder in File Explorer" to locate the .sln file.

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📁 Project Node

Under the solution node, you'll find the main project folder (e.g., SampleMVCCoreApp). This node contains all files and configurations specific to your MVC application.

Double-clicking the project file (e.g., SampleMVCCoreApp.csproj) shows key settings such as:

• Target .NET Framework

• Project folders

• NuGet package references

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🔗 Connected Services

The Connected Services node enables easy integration with:

• Cloud providers like Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud

• Authentication services

• External APIs or databases

Empty by default until services are added.

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📦 Dependencies

The Dependencies node lists everything your app depends on, including:

• NuGet packages

• Framework references

• Project references

▸ Analyzers

Tools for static code analysis, helping enforce coding standards and detect potential issues.

▸ Frameworks

Lists the target frameworks used, such as:

• Microsoft.NETCore.App (for .NET Core)

• Microsoft.AspNetCore.App (for ASP.NET Core)

You can expand each to explore the assemblies or press F4 for more details.

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🛠️ Properties

The Properties folder contains:

• launchSettings.json – configuration for different launch profiles (e.g., development, staging, production).

This file controls how the application behaves when run from Visual Studio, including:

• Application URL

• Environment variables

• Web browser settings

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🌐 wwwroot

The wwwroot folder is the web root of the application. It serves all static files (CSS, JS, images, fonts, libraries) directly to the browser.

Typical structure:

wwwroot/
├── css/
├── js/
├── images/
├── lib/

Only files inside wwwroot are accessible over HTTP.

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📁 MVC Folders: Controllers, Models, Views

These folders represent the core MVC architecture:

• Controllers/ – Request-handling logic

• Models/ – Application data and business logic

• Views/ – UI templates (Razor .cshtml files)

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⚙️ appsettings.json

This is the main configuration file in ASP.NET Core. It uses JSON to store settings such as:

• Connection strings

• Logging levels

• Custom application settings

Unlike web.config in traditional ASP.NET, appsettings.json is lightweight, structured, and environment-friendly.

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🏁 Program.cs

The Program.cs file is the entry point of the application. ASP.NET Core apps are console apps that start and configure a web host.

Sample code:

    var builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder(args);
    builder.Services.AddControllersWithViews();
    var app = builder.Build();

    app.UseStaticFiles();
    app.UseRouting();
    app.UseAuthorization();

    app.MapControllerRoute(
        name: "default",
        pattern: "{controller=Home}/{action=Index}/{id?}");

    app.Run();

This uses top-level statements introduced in C# 9.0, eliminating the need for an explicit Main() method.

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✅ Summary

The ASP.NET Core MVC project structure is modular, intuitive, and built for scalability. It promotes:

• Separation of concerns (via MVC folders)

• Easy configuration (via appsettings.json)

• Maintainability (through services, dependency injection, and modular files)