From Patchwork to Craftsmanship: Building a Full-Stack Web App in ASP.NET Core with Clean Architecture (Part 1)

For a long time, I ran through software projects with the notion that “as long as the code functions without breaking, my work is done”. I was willing to go to any length to have that ecstatic moment when everything functions perfectly, and there are no pesky bugs feasting on my nerves. If it worked, I’d think, “Nobody’s watching how it’s built as long as it functions”. I was Merely patching together a rickety wooden framework instead of constructing a solid structure. But then, one day, during a conversation with my technical lead at work, I was advised to read a book that would forever impact my perspective.

I opened “Clean Code” by Robert C. Martin and found a nugget of wisdom that spoke to me on a deep level. It was in the first chapter, a line on craftsmanship, and it raised a question that would become my guiding light: “How do we elevate our work from ordinary to exceptional?” Craftsmanship is the answer.”

Craftsmanship, it seemed, held the key to unlocking a new level of coding excellence. Knowledge and work, according to Uncle Bob (as Robert C. Martin is popularly called), were two vital components to mastering this craft. You had to learn the concepts, patterns, practises, and heuristics that a genuine craftsman knows, and then you had to work hard and practise to get that knowledge into your fingers, eyes, and gut. It was similar to learning to play a musical instrument in that becoming masterful required both theory and practise.

Energised and inspired, I set out on an adventure to convert my code from the digital equivalent of a hastily written doctor’s prescription to a piece of organised and structured art. I sought the advice of a mentor — a code sensei, if you will — to help me on this journey. This sage introduced me to the world of clean architecture, a concept that promised aesthetically structured projects as well as efficient, maintainable and scalable software.

This article isn’t just about my personal growth; it’s the first in a four-part series that will take us through the realms of building a full-stack web application with ASP.NET Core and Blazor WebAssembly while implementing clean architecture principles, craftsmanship, and, of course, my particularly lighthearted take on it all.