Blog
Mert Özen's blog posts on software development, backend, frontend, and DevOps.
Configuration and the Options Pattern: appsettings Layers and Separating Settings from Code
We cover separating settings from code: appsettings files and environment layers, managing connection strings safely, reading settings with strong types via the Options pattern, and keeping secrets out of code.
Logging: ILogger, Serilog and Structured Logging
We cover logging: the basics of ILogger, log levels, the difference between plain-text and structured logging, and why Serilog makes this job much more powerful in serious projects.
Global Error Handling: Catching All Errors in a Single Place
We cover catching unexpected errors from anywhere in the app in a single place: escaping scattered try-catch blocks, setting up exception middleware, and returning a clean, safe response to the user.
Dependency Injection in Depth: Singleton, Scoped and Transient Lifetimes
We cover the lifetime concept at the heart of dependency injection. The difference between singleton, scoped and transient, when to use each, and the subtle bugs a wrong choice causes.
DTO-Entity Conversion: Writing It by Hand or Using AutoMapper?
We discuss the conversion between entity and DTO. The upsides of manual mapping, when AutoMapper is a convenience and when a hidden cost, and a practical look at which to choose in your project.
Is the Repository Pattern Really Necessary? Let's Talk About the Service Layer
We discuss placing a layer between the controller and DbContext instead of using it directly. What the service layer is for, whether the repository pattern is really necessary, and when it pays off.
Introduction to Entity Framework Core: DbContext and Your First Migration
We start storing our data in a real database. What EF Core is, what DbContext represents, how tables are defined with DbSet, and how the database is created with the first migration, step by step.
Model Validation: Validating Incoming Data with Data Annotations and FluentValidation
We cover validating incoming data: defining quick rules with Data Annotations, the automatic validation of [ApiController], and FluentValidation for complex rules. What to choose and when?
What Is a DTO and Why Shouldn't We Return the Entity Directly?
We cover what DTOs are and why you shouldn't return database objects directly: the concrete benefits of using DTOs for security, privacy, flexibility, and contract stability.
Model Binding: Binding Request Data to Your Method (Route, Query, Body, Header)
We cover how .NET automatically binds request data to your method parameters: reading from the route, query string, body and headers, attributes like [FromBody], and common mistakes.
HTTP Status Codes and Returning the Right Response: IActionResult and Results
We cover HTTP status codes and the ways to return the right response. Which code for which situation, the difference between IActionResult and Results, and small details that help API consumers.
Writing Your First Controller: Routing, Attributes and Action Methods
We write our first real controller. How routing works, what attributes do, how action methods are built, and how an incoming request reaches the right method, step by step.