Week 6 of 100 Days of Code: My ASP.NET Learning Journey: Reflections and the Road Ahead

Writing maintainable code and using scalable structural patterns are crucial for building robust applications. However, one often overlooked aspect is planning a proper testing environment, which is equally important, especially for enterprise applications. This week, I focused on researching various testing methodologies available to developers. I discovered that the most common types of testing implemented are unit testing and integration testing.

After diving deep into both, I was curious: Why do developers emphasize unit testing so much? This led me to an unexpected realization—there’s a whole debate (almost a war) in the developer community between advocates of unit testing and those who believe integration testing is sufficient.

Before sharing my opinion, here’s what I figured out:

• Unit Testing: Focuses on testing individual units of code (which can be as simple as a single line) in a fully mocked environment. It's designed to ensure that specific pieces of logic work correctly in isolation.
• Integration Testing: Tests the interaction between different parts of the system, often using real databases and services. It validates that various modules work together as expected.

In my opinion, integration testing is hands down more useful. If I were building a highly sensitive application where a minor bug could result in massive financial losses, I would absolutely implement unit tests to cover every possible edge case. However, for most applications, integration testing provides a predictable environment that mirrors real-world usage, making it highly effective for identifying issues that end-users might encounter.

Apart from testing, I also explored social authentication, specifically how to implement login with Google and Facebook. Since these platforms are widely used, understanding their authentication mechanisms was enlightening. Not only did I learn how to integrate them with ASP.NET, but I also gained insights into the general principles of social authentication. This knowledge is transferable, and I’m confident I can now implement social authentication in any language or framework.

Wrapping Up ASP.NET and What’s Next

This marks the final week of my journey learning ASP.NET. I’ve covered the core fundamentals, drawing heavily from official documentation and real-world practice. However, learning alone isn’t enough. To truly internalize these concepts, I plan to build real-world applications using ASP.NET. This hands-on approach will help solidify my understanding and expose me to challenges I haven’t encountered yet.

Since my 100 Days of Code challenge is about learning the entire .NET ecosystem and not just ASP.NET, I will now shift my focus to MAUI (Multi-platform App UI). Despite the mixed opinions about this framework, its growing popularity makes it an essential part of the .NET landscape. Ignoring MAUI would leave a gap in my .NET learning journey.

I’m aware that MAUI has a bit of a reputation—some love it, others not so much. But I believe in forming my own opinions through experience. Having prior knowledge of React Native but no exposure to other native app development technologies, I think I can provide a fresh perspective. I also plan to compare MAUI with Kotlin Multiplatform in the future, offering beginner-friendly insights for those deciding which technology to choose.

I’m excited about what lies ahead and look forward to sharing more of my experiences as I continue this journey. Stay tuned for more updates!

Tracking My Progress

I am maintaining a GitHub repository as a record of this challenge. Each day's work is documented in its own branch, serving as proof of my journey and a resource for others following along. You can check out my progress here: Boilerplate Repository.

Week 6 was an exciting start filled with challenges, breakthroughs, and plenty of learning. Follow my journey as I dive deeper into ASP.NET Core and share my experiences in the upcoming weeks!