🚀 Get Started with ConnectSoft¶

Welcome! This guide will help you quickly get started with the ConnectSoft platform, whether you're launching a new SaaS solution, creating a microservice, or building reusable libraries using our production-ready templates.

🧭 What You'll Find in ConnectSoft¶

✅ Pre-built Templates for microservices, SaaS apps, API gateways, and libraries.
✅ Reusable Frameworks: Messaging, domain modeling, persistence, logging, security.
✅ Built-in DevOps Support: CI/CD pipelines, Pulumi, GitOps, test scaffolding.
✅ AI-Ready: Semantic Kernel and OpenAI integration templates.
✅ Multitenancy & Observability out-of-the-box.

🛠️ Requirements¶

Before starting, ensure you have the following installed:

📦 Step 1: Install ConnectSoft Templates¶

You can install all available project templates using the dotnet new CLI:

dotnet new install ConnectSoft.Templates

You’ll now be able to use any of our templates like:

dotnet new connectsoft-microservice --name MyService
dotnet new connectsoft-library --name MyUtilities
dotnet new connectsoft-api-library --name MyApiAgent
dotnet new connectsoft-authserver --name IdentityServer
dotnet new connectsoft-saas-platform --name MyPlatform

You can view all templates and options:

dotnet new --list | grep ConnectSoft

🧩 Step 2: Choose a Template¶

Template Name	Description
connectsoft-library	Base template for reusable .NET Core libraries
connectsoft-api-library	Build typed HTTP SDKs for external APIs
connectsoft-microservice	Full-featured microservice with observability and health
connectsoft-authserver	Authorization server template using OpenIddict
connectsoft-apigateway	Reverse proxy with routing, rate-limiting, observability
connectsoft-saas-platform	Multi-tenant SaaS system with identity, subscription, features

Explore each in the Templates Documentation

🧪 Step 3: Build & Run Locally¶

Once generated, simply navigate into the folder and run:

cd MyService
dotnet build
dotnet run

Most templates include:

Swagger/OpenAPI UI for testing and documentation
Health checks (/health)
Logging and metrics setup
Docker support (docker build .)
Azure DevOps pipeline YAML files
Pulumi configuration for cloud deployment
Sample data and migrations

🔄 Step 4: Configure Environment¶

Each template comes with config stubs like:

{
  "App": {
    "Environment": "Development"
  },
  "Api": {
    "BaseUrl": "https://api.example.com",
    "ApiKey": "secret"
  },
  "Resiliency": {
    "RetryCount": 3,
    "CircuitBreaker": true
  }
}

Adjust appsettings.Development.json or use dotnet user-secrets.

✅ Step 5: Add Features or Customize¶

All templates are modular and easy to extend. Add:

Domain logic using our DDD base
Messaging via MassTransit or NServiceBus
Observability using OpenTelemetry
Azure AD, Auth, and Identity integration
Pulumi for IaC and multitenant provisioning

Want a guided setup? Check our Guides & Use Cases

📤 Step 6: Deploy to Cloud¶

Each template supports local and cloud deployment via: - Docker + Docker Compose - Kubernetes (with manifests or Pulumi) - Azure App Services / AKS / Functions - CI/CD (Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions)

Look for the /deployment or /infra folder.

📚 Next Steps¶

🧠 Need Help?¶

Check out:

ConnectSoft helps you go from idea to production with modern .NET, fast.