Ready to start coding with .NET Core? Follow this step-by-step guide to set up the perfect development environment for Windows, macOS, or Linux!

🌟 What You'll Need

✔ .NET SDK (The essential toolkit)

✔ Code Editor/IDE (Choose your weapon!)

✔ Optional Extras (Docker, databases, etc.)

🚀 Step 1: Install the .NET SDK

Download the latest .NET SDK from:

🔗 https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download

Verify installation by running in terminal:

dotnet --version

(Should display the installed version, e.g. "8.0.100")

💻 Step 2: Choose Your IDE

Option 1: Visual Studio (Windows/macOS)

• Best for: Full-featured development
• Get it: visualstudio.microsoft.com
• Must-have workloads:
• ASP.NET and web development
• .NET Core cross-platform development

Option 2: VS Code (All Platforms)

• Best for: Lightweight, customizable coding
• Install: code.visualstudio.com
• Essential extensions:
• C# for Visual Studio Code
• NuGet Package Manager
• .NET Core Test Explorer

Option 3: JetBrains Rider (Paid, All Platforms)

• Best for: Professional development with great refactoring

🔧 Step 3: Recommended Tools

ToolPurposePostmanAPI testingDockerContainerizationGitVersion controlSQL Server / MySQLDatabase options🧪 Step 4: Verify Your Setup

Create and run a test project:

dotnet new console -n HelloWorld
cd HelloWorld
dotnet run

(You should see "Hello, World!" output)

🚨 Troubleshooting Tips

🔹 Path issues? Restart your terminal after installation

🔹 Version conflicts? Use global.json to pin SDK versions

🔹 Missing templates? Run dotnet new --install for additional templates

🎉 You're Ready to Code!

Now that your environment is set up, you can:

• Build web apps with dotnet new mvc
• Create APIs with dotnet new webapi
• Explore Blazor for interactive web UIs

Pro Tip: Bookmark the official docs:

📚 https://docs.microsoft.com/dotnet/core/

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