Hands-On Microservices with C# 8 and .NET Core 3: Refactor Your Monolith Architecture into Microservices Using Azure, Third Edition

Moving from a monolith to microservices is not just a matter of splitting code into smaller pieces. It means rethinking service boundaries, data, communication, deployment, and the way teams work. Hands-On Microservices with C# 8 Core 3 takes that broader view, pairing architectural concepts with a practical Azure-centered development path.

Start with the architecture, not the buzzword

Gaurav Aroraa and Ed Price first examine what microservices are—and what they are not—alongside monolithic and service-oriented designs. Topics include synchronous and asynchronous messaging, fault tolerance, scaling, modularity, deployment challenges, and the prerequisites for making a transition. That groundwork helps frame microservices as a set of deliberate trade-offs rather than a default answer to every software problem.

Refactor a monolith in considered steps

Using the FlixOne application as a case study, the book explores how to identify service candidates and address the dependencies that make change difficult. It considers database refactoring, sharding and partitioning, dependency injection, testing, automation, versioning, and deployment. The emphasis is on understanding the existing system before deciding how to divide it.

Work with and Azure toolset

The technical context is C# 8 Core 3, with material on Entity Framework Core, Visual Studio 2019, domain-driven design, service communication, and API gateways. The book also introduces Azure Service Fabric and, in its wider treatment of microservices, containers and service-mesh concepts.

For developers shaping distributed applications

This edition is most relevant to C# developers who want a practical introduction to microservice architecture or are weighing how to evolve an established application. Its architectural discussions are useful alongside the implementation examples: the central challenge is not simply building services, but deciding how they should fit together.

Explore the foundations, compromises, and implementation choices behind Azure-oriented microservices with this hands-on guide from Digital Delights.