ASP.NET Core and PostgreSQL Connection

Overview

• Topic: Connecting ASP.NET Core to PostgreSQL
• Project: Student Management System
• Framework Used: .NET 6

Project Setup

• Create a new ASP.NET Core web application using the Model-View-Controller (MVC) template.
• Initial configurations include:
  • Program.cs
  • appsettings.json (where database connections are stored)

Domain Class Creation

• Define a domain class for the student named Student:
  • Properties include:
    • ID (Primary Key)
    • FirstName
    • MiddleName
    • LastName
    • FullName (combination of first, middle, and last names)
    • Gender (nullable)

Setting Up the Database Context

• Create a folder named Context and define a class named ApplicationDbContext that derives from DbContext.
• Install Entity Framework Core and its PostgreSQL provider package (Npgsql.EntityFrameworkCore.PostgreSQL).

Database Connection Configuration

• In appsettings.json, define the connection string for PostgreSQL:
  • Example: "ConnectionStrings": { "DefaultConnection": "Host=localhost;Port=5432;Database=University;Username=postgres;Password=yourpassword" }
• Register the ApplicationDbContext in Program.cs:
  • Use builder.Services.AddDbContext<ApplicationDbContext>(options => options.UseNpgsql(connectionString));

Database Creation

• Create the database named University using PostgreSQL interface.
• After database creation, check to ensure no tables exist initially.

Entity Migration

• Create the initial migration for the Student table:
  • Command: Add-Migration InitialMigration
  • Update the database: Update-Database
• Changes made to connect to PostgreSQL vs. MS SQL Server include service configuration and NuGet packages used.

CRUD Operations

• Scaffolding the Student Controller:
  • Use scaffolding to create a controller with views for the Student model:
    • This will include Create, Read, Update, Delete (CRUD) operations.
• Launch application to test CRUD functionalities:
  • Create a new student entry and verify it is saved in the database.
• Edit and delete records, confirming changes reflect in PostgreSQL.

Conclusion

• Successfully demonstrated how to create a CRUD operation using ASP.NET Core with PostgreSQL.
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