Building Modern SaaS Applications with C# and .NET: Build, deploy, and maintain professional SaaS applications

Description

Embark on a tech-tastic adventure and build Software as a Service (SaaS) applications using the Microsoft tech stack Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBook Key FeaturesUnderstand the core concepts of Software as a Service and their importance in building modern applicationsBuild a wide array of key elements for SaaS applications using practical examplesLearn to test, deploy, upgrade, and maintain a SaaS applicationBook Description There are several concepts that must be mastered to deliver functional and efficient SaaS applications. This book is perfect for developers and teams with experience in traditional application development looking to switch to SaaS and deliver slick and modern applications. You'll start with a general overview of SaaS as a concept and learn with the help of an example throughout the book to bring life to the technical descriptions. You'll use the Microsoft .NET tech stack for development and C# as the programming language to develop your desired SaaS application. Delivering SaaS requires a deep understanding of all layers in the application stack. As you progress, you'll learn how to approach the database layer, the API, and the UI to confidently approach application development using the SaaS model. Additionally, you'll explore how to test, deploy, maintain, and upgrade each component of the application. By the end of this book, you will be well equipped to approach all aspects of delivering software using the SaaS paradigm. What you will learnExplore SaaS and understand its importance in modern application developmentDiscover multi-tenancy and its impact on design decisions for SaaSBuild, test, and deploy a database, API, and UI for a SaaS applicationApproach authentication and authorization like a proScale a SaaS applicationEmploy C# and .NET to build SaaS applicationsWho this book is for If you are a software developer with an interest in developing apps using the 'SaaS' paradigm, or a tech lead, scrum master, or a director and founder - this book will help you understand how to build a SaaS application. If you are a Java developer looking to start fresh with distributed systems, this book is for you. A basic understanding of Java, Spring/Spring Boot, and Web services will help you get the most out of this book. Table of ContentsSaaS: The Modern Distribution Model That We All NeedBuilding a Simple Demo ApplicationWhat is multi-tenancy, and why it's important in SaaS applicationsBuilding Databases, and planning for data-rich applicationsDeveloping Restful APIsWhy are Microservices important, and how to implement themBuilding and Testing a User InterfaceAuthentication and AuthorizationTesting across the stackMonitoring and LoggingRelease Often, Release EarlyGrowing Pains - Operating at ScaleWrapping it Up Cover Title Page Copyright and Credits Contributors Table of Contents Preface Part 1: Getting Started Chapter 1: SaaS – the Modern Distribution Model that We All Need What is SaaS? What other types of applications are there? Desktop application On-premises web application What is “the cloud”? Where did it all begin? Why is SaaS a popular choice for businesses large and small? Which tools are required to build SaaS apps? Database development API development Frontend development Authentication and authorization Hosting Docker Which techniques will be used to build SaaS apps? Test-driven development (TDD) Domain-driven design (DDD) Microservices Multi-tenancy Reactive design Progressive web apps (PWAs) No installations needed Browser-based delivery Scalability Upgradability Iterate quickly Analytics Global market Flexible payment model Security How does this affect the development process? Release often, release early Testing, testing, testing You’d better be full stack Know thy user What to expect from this book How to assess and pay off technical debt Summary Further reading Chapter 2: Building a Simple Demo Application Technical requirements Setting up Visual Studio Code Docker Dev containers What is a dev container? Configuring the Docker containers Configuring dev containers in VSCode Starting the environment Configuring VSCode Exiting the environment Building out a sample application Database technologies API technology User interface technology Starting the application Adding a solution file Where do we go from here? Summary Further reading Questions Part 2: Building the Backend Chapter 3: What Is Multi-Tenancy, and Why Is It Important in SaaS Applications? Technical requirements What is multi-tenancy? Disambiguating customers, tenants, and users What are the alternatives to multi-tenancy? The advantages and disadvantages of multi-tenancy Options for data storage with multi-tenant applications Key considerations Design considerations through the application layers One database per tenant Shared schema One schema per tenant One table per tenant Examples Security considerations Potential security pitfalls Good security practices for multi-tenant applications Summary Further reading Chapter 4: Building Databases and Planning for Data-Rich Applications Technical requirements The importance of data in a SaaS application Building a database Types of database What is ACID? Entity Framework Testing data-rich applications Upgrading a database Applying the migrations Summary Further reading Questions Chapter 5: Building Restful APIs Technical requirements What are RESTful APIs? Idempotency Safety HTTP status codes Dealing with errors JSON data formatting Matching API operations to HTTP verbs GET POST DELETE PUT PATCH Data transfer objects Designing better with REST An example API design Versioning public APIs Example code showing how to version an API Testing APIs Summary Further reading Questions Chapter 6: Microservices for SaaS Applications Technical requirements What are microservices and why use them? The difference between loose and tight coupling Docker Best practices for building microservices Design for failure Focus on decoupling Embrace automation Use contract-driven development Monitor and log aggressively Implement security Focus on scalability Separate data stores Mixing microservices and RESTful APIs Splitting up a single REST API into microservices Common pitfalls and how to avoid them Some practical advice A microservice architecture example The services A practical example UserService API gateway Running the combined application Summary Further reading Questions Part 3: Building the Frontend Chapter 7: Building a User Interface Technical requirements Introduction to the tech stack What is WebAssembly? The development environment UX considerations – knowing your customer User personas User journey mapping Accessibility Visually appealing design Navigation and information architecture Responsive design Feedback and user testing Building a simple UI Planning the UI Writing a ticket What is Blazor? Setting up the Blazor project Building the UI Connecting the UI to the backend Dealing with CORS issues Logic, including calling the API Building usable UIs Responsive UI frameworks Responsive design techniques Designing for different screen sizes Accessibility Summary Further reading Questions Chapter 8: Authentication and Authorization Technical requirements What are authentication and authorization Authentication Authorization The synergy of authentication and authorization Criticality of secure authentication and authorization Multi-tenancy and microservices Multi-tenancy considerations Microservices architecture considerations Managing users, roles, and permissions User provisioning and deprovisioning Role management and assignment Permission management and fine-grained access control Summary Further reading Questions Part 4: Deploying and Maintaining the Application Chapter 9: Testing Strategies for SaaS Applications Technical requirements Testing strategies for SaaS applications The importance of testing for SaaS applications Testing best practices Test-driven development (TDD) Testing techniques The testing pyramid – unit, integration, and E2E testing Unit testing Integration testing E2E testing An overview of testing tools and frameworks for SaaS applications General testing of .NET applications Testing APIs Testing Blazor applications The challenges of writing tests for databases A practical demonstration Summary Further reading Questions Chapter 10: Monitoring and Logging Overview Monitoring Key aspects of monitoring Monitoring tools How to do this Best practices for monitoring Logging Key aspects of logging Logging tools How to do this Best practices for logging Monitoring and logging considerations for SaaS applications Summary Further reading Questions Chapter 11: Release Often, Release Early Understanding CI/CD CI CD Environments Benefits of adopting CI/CD Is CI/CD DevOps? Configuring CI/CD pipelines Source control integration Build triggers and build agents Defining build tasks and stages Release triggers and environments Deploying to multiple tenants Deploying microservices in SaaS applications Approvals and gates for quality control CI/CD pipelines and tools overview Popular CI/CD tools Factors to consider when choosing a CI/CD tool Building a flexible and adaptable CI/CD process SaaS-specific considerations Containerization Upgrades Security and compliance in CI/CD pipelines Summary Further reading Questions Chapter 12: Growing Pains – Operating at Scale The challenges of operating at scale Performance and response time Reliability and availability Security and compliance Infrastructure scalability Cost and resource management Data consistency and integrity Planning for scaling and growth Embracing DevOps and automation Scaling the database Sharding Scaling Partitioning Caching Indexing and query optimization Data archiving and retention Scaling the API Load balancing and API gateway optimization API versioning and backward compatibility Rate limiting and throttling Caching strategies for API performance Asynchronous communication and message queuing Stateless and idempotent API design Security and authentication at scale Scaling the UI Best practices for designing scalability and performance for the UI Optimizing static assets and bundling Implementing progressive loading and lazy loading techniques Leveraging caching strategies for UI components Summary Further reading Questions Part 5: Concluding Thoughts Chapter 13: Wrapping It Up Well done! Commitment to learning Mastering SaaS development skills Embracing industry best practices Personal and professional growth What have you learned? How can you use these skills? Apply your knowledge to your current job or projects Freelance or consulting opportunities Build your own SaaS product or start-up Contribute to open source projects Stay up to date with industry trends and best practices Mentor and teach others What to do next Summary Index Other Books You May Enjoy