Web API Project Setup

This document explains how to run and debug your ASP.NET Core Web API project in VS Code.

Prerequisites

Make sure you have the following extensions installed in VS Code:

• C# (ms-dotnettools.csharp) ✓ Already installed
• C# Dev Kit (ms-dotnettools.csdevkit) ✓ Already installed
• .NET Install Tool (ms-dotnettools.vscode-dotnet-runtime) ✓ Already installed

Project Structure

src/
├── web-api.sln                 # Solution file
├── web-api.web/               # Main Web API project
│   ├── Program.cs             # Application entry point
│   ├── web-api.web.csproj     # Project file
│   ├── web-api.web.http       # HTTP test file
│   └── Properties/
│       └── launchSettings.json # Launch configuration
└── web-api.tests/             # Unit tests project
    ├── UnitTest1.cs
    └── web-api.tests.csproj

Running the Application

Option 1: Using VS Code Debug/Run

1. Open the project in VS Code
2. Press F5 or go to Run and Debug panel (Ctrl+Shift+D)
3. Select one of the launch configurations:
   • Launch Web API - Basic launch
   • Launch Web API (HTTP) - HTTP only with browser launch
   • Launch Web API (HTTPS) - HTTPS with browser launch
   • Attach to Web API - Attach to running process

Option 2: Using VS Code Tasks

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+P to open command palette
2. Type "Tasks: Run Task"
3. Select one of the available tasks:
   • build - Build the solution
   • run web-api - Run the web API project
   • watch - Run with hot reload (file watching)
   • test - Run unit tests
   • publish - Publish the application

Option 3: Using Terminal

# Navigate to the project directory
cd "c:\Temp\web-api\src\web-api.web"

# Run the application
dotnet run

# Or run with specific profile
dotnet run --launch-profile http
dotnet run --launch-profile https

API Endpoints

The application currently provides:

• GET /weatherforecast - Returns weather forecast data
• GET /openapi - OpenAPI/Swagger documentation (Development only)

Testing the API

Using the HTTP file

1. Open web-api.web.http in VS Code
2. Click "Send Request" above any HTTP request
3. View responses in the output panel

Using Browser

• HTTP: http://localhost:5113/weatherforecast
• HTTPS: https://localhost:7259/weatherforecast

Using curl

# HTTP
curl http://localhost:5113/weatherforecast

# HTTPS
curl https://localhost:7259/weatherforecast

Debugging

Setting Breakpoints

1. Open any .cs file (e.g., Program.cs)
2. Click in the gutter to the left of line numbers to set breakpoints
3. Press F5 to start debugging
4. Make requests to your API to hit the breakpoints

Debug Configurations Available

• Launch Web API: Standard debugging with internal console
• Launch Web API (HTTP): Debug HTTP-only mode with browser launch
• Launch Web API (HTTPS): Debug HTTPS mode with browser launch
• Attach to Web API: Attach debugger to running process

Hot Reload

Use the "watch" task for development with automatic reloading:

dotnet watch run --project "c:\Temp\web-api\src\web-api.web"

Development URLs

• HTTP: http://localhost:5113
• HTTPS: https://localhost:7259
• OpenAPI/Swagger (Development): http://localhost:5113/openapi

Building and Testing

Build

dotnet build "c:\Temp\web-api\src\web-api.sln"

Run Tests

dotnet test "c:\Temp\web-api\src\web-api.tests"

Publish

dotnet publish "c:\Temp\web-api\src\web-api.sln"

VS Code Configuration Files

The following configuration files have been created in .vscode/:

• tasks.json - Build, run, test, and watch tasks
• launch.json - Debug configurations
• settings.json - Project-specific settings

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Port already in use: Change ports in Properties/launchSettings.json
2. HTTPS certificate issues: Run dotnet dev-certs https --trust
3. Build errors: Ensure .NET 9.0 SDK is installed
4. Extension issues: Restart VS Code or reload window

Useful Commands

# Check .NET version
dotnet --version

# Restore packages
dotnet restore

# Clean build
dotnet clean && dotnet build

# Trust HTTPS certificate
dotnet dev-certs https --trust