There are programming books that aim to be comprehensive references to individual subjects like security, dependency injection, unit testing, web testing, containerization, cloud deployment, design patterns, and soft skills including interview preparation.

This book is different. It is a step-by-step guide to learning all those tools and skills for professional .NET developers. It is concise and aims to be a brisk, fun read that is packed with practical hands-on walkthroughs of each topic. The breadth of the overarching narrative comes at the cost of some depth, but you will find many signposts to explore further if you wish.

In my experience, the hardest part of learning a new tool or skill is getting started. Once I have had the most important key concepts explained and been walked through some practical tasks, I then feel comfortable going deeper by exploring the official documentation on my own. You can feel confident experimenting on your own once you have seen how the basics work correctly.

This book is best for those who already know the fundamentals of the C# language and .NET libraries, have built some apps and services with .NET on their own, and now want to learn skills that are more relevant for working with a team in a professional organization.

I will cover the most important aspects of tools and skills for .NET professionals so that you can participate in conversations with colleagues about those tools and skills and get productive fast.