In this Best Courses Guide (BCG), I’ve compiled a list of the free and paid best courses to learn ASP.NET Core, whether you’re already familiar with C# and .NET or just starting out.

I’ve made sure to include courses that cover all the essential topics an ASP.NET Core developer ought to know, from building MVC applications with RESTful APIs to exploring the cool new minimal APIs. And if you’re interested in front-end development, I’ve got you covered with courses on integrating Angular or using the cutting-edge Blazor framework.

To keep things up-to-date, I’ve focused on courses that use .NET 6 or later versions, since that’s what most developers (76% to be exact) are working with these days. And if reading is more your style, don’t worry — I’ve thrown in two of the best ASP.NET Core books too!

Click on the shortcuts for more details:

• Top Picks
• What is ASP.NET?
• Courses Overview
• Why You Should Trust Us
• BCG Methodology

Here are my top picks. Click on one to skip to the course details:

What is ASP.NET?

ASP.NET Core is a powerful, open-source web application framework developed by Microsoft.

It is designed to be cross-platform, meaning it can run on various operating systems like Windows, macOS, and Linux. ASP.NET Core is a significant improvement over the classic ASP.NET framework, offering a more lightweight, modular, and performant platform for building modern web applications and services.

One of the key advantages of ASP.NET Core is its seamless integration with the .NET ecosystem. Developers can write code using the C# programming language and leverage the extensive collection of .NET libraries and tools. This integration allows developers to utilize their existing .NET skills and knowledge when building web applications with ASP.NET Core.

According to Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2023, ASP.NET Core is the 6th most commonly used web technology out of all web technologies, and also the most popular web technology that isn’t a JavaScript framework, beating PHP’s Laravel and Java’s Spring Boot.

Full-Stack Web Development

One reason why ASP.NET Core has been steadily rising in popularity is its unified framework for the front-end and back-end.

On the back-end, it offers a robust set of features for handling server-side logic, such as:

• Routing: Mapping URLs to specific actions or pages in the application
• Middleware: Intercepting and processing requests and responses
• Dependency Injection: Managing the dependencies between different components of the application
• Database Integration: Working with databases using technologies like Entity Framework Core.

And while for the front-end, ASP.NET Core can seamlessly integrate with popular front-end JS frameworks and libraries like Angular, there’s no need to write JavaScript anymore. With Blazor, developers can write C# code that runs directly in the browser, leveraging the power of WebAssembly.

Courses Overview

• All of the resources are compatible with .NET 6 or above
• Four of the courses are free while the rest are paid
• Only one resource requires no prior knowledge of C# and .NET whatsoever, but the rest do. If you’d rather learn C# first, check out my C# BCG.

Best Free Full-Stack Course (Alen Omeri) 

Looking to learn ASP.NET Core by building a full-stack real-world web application from start to finish? Alen Omeri has got you covered in his ASP.NET Core Tutorial – Full Auction App.

In this free YouTube course, you’ll build a complete auction application. You’ll implement many features for the auction application, including:

• Creating the project and adding the necessary models for the application
• Connecting the project to a Microsoft SQL Server database
• Registering and authenticating users
• Building out the listing details page (with pagination) where users can view listing information and place bids
• Adding functionality for users to upload image files for their listings
• Implementing search functionality for listings
• Creating pages for users to view their own listings and bids
• Adding comments on listing detail pages.

And to be able to fulfill the project requirements, you’ll also pick up new skills, frameworks, and tools, in this course:

• ASP.NET Core: You’ll learn how to create ASP.NET Core MVC projects from scratch and implement common features like controllers, views, models, and more
• Entity Framework Core: Use Entity Framework Core to interact with the database and perform CRUD (create, read, update, delete) operations on the data.
• Bootstrap: Bootstrap’s CSS framework will be utilized to style and lay out different pages of the auction application
• Font Awesome: The Font Awesome icon library will be integrated to include useful icons on pages like the search bar
• JavaScript/jQuery: Basic JavaScript and jQuery will be used to add interactive elements and front-end logic.

Channel	freeCodeCamp
Provider	YouTube
Instructor	Alen Omeri (from Code A Future)
Prerequisites	Basic C# experience
Workload	2–3 hours
Views	53K
Likes	1.1K
Cost	Free
Exercises	Code demo and project
Certificate	None

Best Free Back-end Course (Julio Casal) 

Julio Casal will show you how to be a back-end developer in his free YouTube course!

In ASP.NET Core Full Course For Beginners, you’ll build a game catalog backend for a video game store. Your job is to develop a RESTful API that’ll provide operations to create, list, update, and delete game data stored in a relational database. It’ll also be responsible for providing game data to the front-end application.

Some of the key topics covered in the course include:

• POST, PUT, and DELETE HTTP methods to create, update, and delete resources in the API
• DTO (Data Transfer Object) to define the structure of data being transferred between the client and server
• Entity Framework Core for database database integration, including generating migrations and seeding initial data
• Dependency injection to inject services like a database context into classes so they can be used across an ASP.NET Core application
• Handling scenarios where resources cannot be found, such as when trying to delete a non-existent game
• Asynchronous programming to make the application more efficient
• Integrating the API endpoints with the frontend.

By the end of the course, you’ll have the skills to start your journey in backend development using C# and ASP.NET Core, even if you have never created a web application before.

Channel	Julio Casal
Provider	YouTube
Instructor	Julio Casal
Prerequisites	Basic C#, Web Dev, and Database experience
Workload	3–4 hours
Views	1.3K
Likes	30K
Cost	Free
Exercises	Code demo and project
Certificate	None

Best Free Front-end Course for Blazor (Julio Casal) 

Interested in front-end web development instead? Julio Casal has another free YouTube course: Blazor Full Course For Beginners.

You’ll develop a game catalog web application where administrators can manage information about games. Using concepts such as data modeling, client-server interaction, middleware, and component-based UI development, you’ll:

• Use Razor syntax to combine HTML, CSS, and C# code
• Create custom Razor components to improve your UI layout
• Add forms and data bindings to capture user input and validate them client-side
• Utilize dependency injection to access Blazer services
• Implement routing and navigation between components
• Add interactivity to components with events
• Call a backend API by configuring HTTP clients
• Handle slow backend responses with loading indicators
• Style and layout application components with Bootstrap.

If you liked this course, check out Julio’s comprehensive online courses on his website. They discuss full-stack development, microservices, REST APIs, and unit testing.

Channel	Julio Casal
Provider	YouTube
Instructor	Julio Casal
Prerequisites	Basic C# or Java and HTML/CSS experience
Workload	5 hours
Views	1K
Likes	106
Cost	Free
Exercises	Code demo and project
Certificate	None

Best Paid Course Provider (Dometrain)

Dometrain is the best course provider for deep dives into specific topics in the .NET ecosystem.

Founded by Nick Chapsas, a well-known .NET developer and content creator, this paid learning platform hosts courses led by numerous expert .NET developers, including Nick Chapsas himself. Dometrain aims to help developers stay up-to-date with the latest technologies and best practices in the .NET ecosystem

Here are some of the courses you can find from Dometrain:

• Getting Started: C# by Nick Cosentino

• • • Teaches programming and C# for beginners or those with experience in other languages
    • Covers the fundamentals of one of the most popular programming languages

• Getting Started: Clean Architecture in .NET by Amichai Mantinband

• • • Explains the principles and rules of Clean Architecture in .NET
    • Helps beginners understand and implement this popular software architecture approach

• From Zero to Hero: Entity Framework Core in .NET by Hannes Lowette

• • • Comprehensive course on Entity Framework (EF) Core, a popular ORM in .NET
    • Covers basic to advanced concepts, testing, and different database providers

• From Zero to Hero: REST APIs in .NET by Nick Chapsas

• • • When people say, “I want to build an API”, nowadays, they almost always mean a REST API
    • Thus, you’ll learn how to build scalable and robust REST APIs in .NET

• From Zero to Hero: Dependency Injection in .NET by Nick Chapsas

• • • Covers Dependency Injection, a core pillar of modern .NET applications
    • Teaches how to write cleaner, more testable code using this technique

• From Zero to Hero: Minimal APIs in .NET with C# by Nick Chapsas

• • Introduces Minimal APIs, a new feature in .NET 6 for building fast and scalable APIs
  • Explores how to leverage this approach for creating high-performance, expressive APIs.

An aside on Nick Chapsas: Nick runs one of the most popular YouTube channels on C# and .NET development, with 275K subscribers at time of writing. He regularly releases mini guides and practical tips, which are extremely useful to not only anyone just starting out, but also if you’ve been developing for a while.

Institution	Dometrain
Provider	Independent
Prerequisites	None
Workload	N/A
Cost	Paid
Exercises	Projects
Certificate	None

Best Free Blazor Tutorial (Blazor School) 

Whereas Julio’s Blazor course focused on the traditional server-side hosting model (Blazor Server), Blazor School covers both Blazor Server and Blazor WebAssembly that’s been gaining traction in recent years, also for free.

Blazor School has separate tracks for each. While they share many similarities in implementation, there are some major differences between the two. Blazor Server makes sure to compare them when they appear.

Some topics you’ll cover in both tracks include:

• Components: Focus on creating reusable components, managing data flow, understanding the component lifecycle (OnInit, OnParametersSet, OnAfterRender, etc.), and utilizing lifecycle methods for tasks like data binding
• Directives: Explore the use of directives to enhance component functionality, including event handling and DOM interaction, while understanding their relationship with the component lifecycle
• JavaScript Interaction: Master the techniques for invoking JavaScript functions from C# and handling JavaScript events within Blazor components
• Dependency Injection: Emphasize the importance of using services for logic management through dependency injection, promoting loose coupling between components
• Third-party APIs: Understand how to make HTTP requests with the HttpClient class for interacting with external APIs
• Multilingual Support: Understand multilingual implementation in Blazor Server, focusing on website localization and language selection
• Browser Storage: Get acquainted with LocalStorage and SessionStorage for storing data in the browser
• Deployment and Hosting: Gain knowledge on deploying and hosting Blazor Server applications, including server configuration and security setup.

By the way, they’ve also published several ASP.NET Core 7 books on Amazon.

Blazor School has a supportive Discord community, with volunteer mentors available and a dedicated help channel that anyone can join! But if you need expert support, they offer professional services.

Institution	Blazor School
Provider	Independent
Author	Huy Tran
Prerequisites	Familiarity with C# and basic knowledge of HTML/CSS & JavaScript
Workload	N/A
Cost	Free
Exercises	Code examples
Certificate	None

Best Paid Comprehensive Book for C# Developers (Andrew Lock)

For those who prefer reading over watching videos, ASP.NET Core in Action (3rd edition) is one of the most comprehensive resources available, spanning approximately 1000 pages.

This paid book caters to both beginners and experienced C# developers looking to learn ASP.NET Core and create scalable, high-performance web applications. No prior web development knowledge is assumed, as evidenced by the abundance of helpful diagrams and code examples throughout the book.

The author, Andrew Lock, is a seasoned .NET developer and Microsoft MVP with over 20 years of professional experience, and his expertise shines through the numerous best practices and tips provided.

The book is split into five parts:

• Introduction: 
  • Introduction to ASP.NET Core and its features for building small JSON APIs in .NET 7.
  • You’ll mainly focus on the newest feature added in .NET 6, minimal APIs, covering topics such as middleware pipeline, endpoints, routing, and model binding
• Essentials: 
  • Essential topics for building complete web applications, including dependency injection, service registration and lifetime, configuration management, API documentation using OpenAPI, and data persistence with Entity Framework Core
• Razor Pages & MVC:
  • Building server-rendered page-based HTML applications using Razor Pages and MVC.
  • Topics covered include routing, page handlers, model binding, Razor templates, Tag Helpers, and filters
• Cross-cutting concerns in ASP.NET Core development: 
  • Cross-cutting concerns in ASP.NET Core development, i.e singular aspects that affect multiple parts of a codebase.
  • Examples include user authentication and authorization, logging, publishing and configuring applications for production, and implementing HTTPS
• Advanced Topics: 
  • Advanced topics for extending ASP.NET Core applications, such as custom Razor components, background tasks, and testing with xUnit and the Test Host.

The book can either be read online or in paperback. Either purchase gives you access to liveBook, Manning’s online reading platform, where you can ask and answer technical questions, and receive help from the author and other users. You can find the book’s project code in this GitHub repo.

Publisher	Manning
Provider	Independent
Author	Andrew Lock
Prerequisites	Basic C# experience
Workload	N/A
Rating (Amazon & Goodreads)	4.7/5.0 (11) & 4.8/5.0 (5)
Cost	Paid
Exercises	Coding projects
Certificate	None

Best Paid Introductory Book for Non-C# Programmers (Mark J. Price)

If you’re a programmer new to C# and .NET or in need of a refresher, then Mark J. Price’s Modern Cross-Platform Development Fundamentals (8th edition) is for you.

Mark is a Microsoft Specialist with over 20 years of experience. His paid book covers a broader scope than Andrew’s, serving as a step-by-step guide to learning modern C#, proven practices using cross-platform .NET, the fundamentals of web development with ASP.NET Core, as well as other application types like mobile and IoT.

Fundamental knowledge of OOP will get you the most out of the book.

The book is split into three fundamental parts:

• Language

• • • Setting up the development environment, creating simple C# and .NET applications, and learning C# grammar and vocabulary for declaring and working with variables. (Chapters 1-2)
    • Controlling flow, converting types, handling exceptions, writing reusable functions, debugging, testing, and using new C# features like pattern matching and guard clauses. (Chapters 3-4)
    • OOP concepts, building types with classes, records, interfaces, inheritance, and nullable reference types (Chapters 5-6)

• Libraries

• • • Packaging and distributing .NET types, including working with common .NET types for manipulating numbers, text, collections, files, streams, serialization, and databases using Entity Framework Core (EF Core). (Chapters 7-10)
    • Querying and manipulating data using Language INtegrated Queries (LINQ), including new LINQ methods introduced in .NET 6 and .NET 7. (Chapter 11)

• ASP.NET Core web development

• • Web development using ASP.NET Core, including Razor Pages, MVC pattern, Web API, consuming web services, and building user interfaces with Blazor. (Chapters 12-15)

You can either read the book online or in paperback. Additionally, there’s also a Discord community, whose invite link can be found in the book. There are also coding exercises and questions for practice, solutions available on the public GitHub repo.

Publisher	Packt
Provider	Independent
Author	Mark J. Price
Prerequisites	Basic programming experience
Workload	N/A
Rating (Amazon & Goodreads)	4.6/5.0 (62) & 4.0/5.0 (7)
Cost	Free
Exercises	Coding exercises and coding projects
Certificate	None

Best Paid Course with Angular (Neil Cummings)

Build a web application using ASP.NET Core for the backend and Angular for the frontend!

Neil Cummings’ paid course is the most popular ASP.NET Core course on Udemy, and for good reasons:

• It puts your basic knowledge of ASP.NET Core and Angular to practice
• It provides a step-by-step guide on building a practical, real-world application. Specifically in this course, a dating app
• It’ll help you set up the development environment, creating API controllers and services in ASP.NET Core, building Angular components and services, building UI with Bootstrap, and integrating the frontend and backend
• Has a Private Messaging system to the app with real-time presence and live messaging between users
• And finally, you’ll publish the application to Heroku free of charge.

By the end of the course, you’ll have a solid understanding of how to create a functional, full-stack web application using ASP.NET Core and Angular.

Provider	Udemy
Instructor	Neil Cummings
Prerequisites	Basic ASP.NET Core and Angular experience
Workload	35 hours
Enrollments	104K
Rating	4.6/5.0 (23K)
Cost	Paid
Exercises	Coding project
Certificate	Paid

Best Paid Concise Course (Bhrugen Patel)

Here’s a well-established paid Udemy course on ASP.NET Core with over 70K learners: .NET Core MVC – The Complete Guide 2023 by Bhrugen Patel.

This 17-hour course will guide you through creating an online bookstore using the MVC (Model-View-Controller) architecture. You’ll learn how to enable customers to browse products, add them to their cart, and make purchases using credit cards, while providing admins with the tools to manage orders and transactions.

Key ASP.NET Core concepts covered include:

• MVC Architecture: Understand why the Model-View-Controller pattern is so commonly used when building web applications (hint: separation of concerns)
• Authentication and Authorization: Learn to manage users, passwords, roles, and authentication using ASP.NET Core Identity, along with integrating external authentication providers like Google and Facebook
• Entity Framework Core: Utilize .NET objects from Entity Framework Core for database operations — say goodbye to manually writing SQL queries
• Repository Pattern: Improve your application’s maintainability and testability by decoupling data retrieval from business logic
• N-Tier Architecture: Boost scalability and manageability by structuring your application into distinct logical layers and physical tiers
• Deployment: Deploy your application on Azure with production-ready features, including Stripe integration for payments.

For those looking for a short, focused drill on ASP.NET Core and MVC architecture, this is the perfect place to start.

However, Bhrugen Patel’s teaching style leans towards methodical and structured learning, which might not appeal to everyone. I recommend watching the first 9.5 hours available for free on his YouTube channel to see if his approach suits your learning style before diving into the full course.

Provider	Udemy
Instructor	Bhrugen Patel
Prerequisites	Basic C# and SQL experience
Workload	17 hours
Enrollments	70K
Rating	4.6 (14K)
Cost	Paid
Exercises	Code demos
Certificate	Paid

Best Paid Comprehensive Course (Harsha Vardhan)

Harsha Vardhan’s Asp.Net Core 8 (.NET 8) | True Ultimate Guide is a paid Udemy course designed for C# developers new to ASP.NET Core. It’s the longest and most comprehensive course in this guide, clocking in at 80 hours, but for good reason:

• Real-World Projects:
  • You’ll build two portfolio projects: a Stocks Trading Platform and a Contacts Manager Web App. These projects help you understand not just the theory, but also how to apply it in practice
• Comprehensive:
  • The course is well-organized, with each concept explained thoroughly.
  • Harsha re-explains topics as needed, ensuring you grasp the material.  Some of the concepts you’ll master include CRUD, MVC architecture, Entity Framework Core, Unit Testing, and Dependency Injection.
  • Plus, you’ll follow industry-level best practices, such as SOLID principles and Clean Architecture
• Hands-on:
  • Harsha recognizes that the best way to strengthen your coding skills is by coding yourself. So, he provides coding quizzes, assignments, and interview questions to reinforce your learning and prepare you for technical interviews
• Bonus material:
  • If you’re coming here from an introductory C# course, you’ll benefit a lot from his recap of intermediate C# topics. The course also explores optional subjects such as Angular, Web API, and the newly-added Minimal API. And at the end of each module, you’ll find a cheatsheet summarizing key points.

If you find the length of this course daunting, you can watch at a faster speed or skip optional lectures. After all, you can always come back later.

Provider	Udemy
Instructor	Harsha Vardhan
Prerequisites	Intermediate C# and HTML experience
Workload	81 hours
Enrollments	21K
Rating	4.6 (3.1K)
Cost	Paid
Exercises	Portfolio projects, coding exercises, technical interview questions
Certificate	Paid

Why You Should Trust Us

Class Central, a Tripadvisor for online education, has helped 60 million learners find their next course. We’ve been combing through online education for more than a decade to aggregate a catalog of 200,000 online courses and 200,000+ reviews written by our users. And we’re online learners ourselves: combined, the Class Central team has completed over 400 online courses, including online degrees.

Best Courses Guide (BCG) Methodology

I built this ranking following the now tried-and-tested methodology used in previous BCGs (you can find them all here). It involves a three-step process:

1. Research: I started by leveraging Class Central’s database and the internet. Then, I made a preliminary selection of 400+ ASP.NET Core courses by rating, reviews, and bookmarks.
2. Evaluate: I read through reviews on Class Central, Reddit, and course providers to understand what other learners thought about each course and combined it with my own experience as a learner.
3. Select: Well-made courses were picked if they presented valuable and engaging content, fit a set of criteria and be ranked according to comprehensive curriculum, affordability, release date, ratings and enrollments.