Testing, Performance, And Operations

Primary docs:

• https://learn.microsoft.com/aspnet/core/test/integration-tests
• https://learn.microsoft.com/aspnet/core/host-and-deploy/
• https://learn.microsoft.com/aspnet/core/host-and-deploy/health-checks
• https://learn.microsoft.com/aspnet/core/performance/

Testing Strategy

Use layered testing instead of relying on one style:

• unit tests for pure services and business logic
• integration tests for request pipeline, DI, database, auth, and framework wiring
• browser tests for end-to-end user flows

Integration Tests

Use Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Testing and WebApplicationFactory<Program> for integration tests.

Guidance from the official docs:

• use a test host and HttpClient
• replace services with test doubles when needed
• control redirects when asserting auth behavior
• handle antiforgery correctly for form posts
• prefer SQLite in-memory over the EF Core in-memory provider for more realistic database tests

For SPA or browser-driven scenarios, Microsoft recommends browser automation such as Playwright for .NET.

Performance Defaults

Reach for built-in features before custom optimization layers:

• output caching
• response caching where appropriate
• response compression
• HTTP request timeouts
• rate limiting
• static file handling

General performance guidance:

• measure first
• keep database and network round trips visible
• reduce payload size
• use streaming or pagination when data is large
• keep synchronous blocking out of hot paths

Health Checks And Observability

Add health checks for dependencies that matter operationally.

Use separate checks or tags when you need:

• liveness
• readiness
• dependency-specific health surfaces

Also ensure:

• structured logs
• request tracing where applicable
• metrics for critical paths such as auth, API latency, and background work

Hosting And Deployment

Typical deployment flow:

1. dotnet publish
2. deploy the publish output
3. run behind a process manager
4. place a reverse proxy in front when the environment requires it

Know the deployment environment:

• IIS or Windows Service on Windows
• Kestrel plus Nginx or another reverse proxy on Linux
• container hosting when the platform expects it

Behind proxies or load balancers:

• configure forwarded headers
• validate scheme, host, and remote IP behavior
• test auth redirects and callback URLs in the deployed topology

Operational Safeguards

• add health checks for databases and critical external services
• fail fast on invalid configuration where possible
• keep secrets out of publish artifacts
• verify data-protection key persistence in multi-instance deployments