Create Scalable Microservices Architecture with ASP.NET Core 8

Creating a Scalable Microservices Architecture with ASP.NET Core 8

Learn how to design and implement a distributed system using microservices and ASP.NET Core 8.

Introduction

Microservices architecture has become a standard approach for building distributed and scalable systems. Unlike monolithic applications, microservices allow developers to build independent services that can be deployed, scaled, and managed separately. With ASP.NET Core 8, you have access to powerful tools and libraries that simplify the development and deployment of microservices.

This blog will guide you through designing and implementing a scalable microservices architecture using ASP.NET Core 8, including key concepts, implementation strategies, and tools like Docker and Kubernetes.

What Are Microservices?

Microservices is an architectural style that structures an application as a collection of small, autonomous services modeled around a business domain. Each service is self-contained and communicates with other services through well-defined APIs.

Key Characteristics:

• Autonomy: Services are developed, deployed, and managed independently.
• Decentralization: Each service has its own database and logic.
• Scalability: Services can be scaled individually based on demand.
• Technology Agnostic: Different services can use different technologies.

Advantages of Microservices

Microservices architecture offers several benefits:

• Scalability: Scale individual services independently.
• Flexibility: Choose the best technology stack for each service.
• Fault Isolation: Issues in one service do not affect the entire system.
• Faster Deployment: Deploy changes to specific services without downtime.
• Better Team Collaboration: Different teams can work on different services simultaneously.

The following diagram illustrates Distributed system with Microservices:

Setting Up the Microservices Project

Follow these steps to set up a microservices project in ASP.NET Core 8:

1. Create a solution to house all the microservices:

dotnet new sln -n MicroservicesArchitecture
                

2. Create individual ASP.NET Core Web API projects for each service:

dotnet new webapi -n OrderService
dotnet new webapi -n ProductService
dotnet new webapi -n PaymentService
                

3. Add the projects to the solution:

dotnet sln add OrderService/OrderService.csproj
dotnet sln add ProductService/ProductService.csproj
dotnet sln add PaymentService/PaymentService.csproj
                

Implementing an API Gateway

An API Gateway acts as a single entry point for client requests. It routes requests to the appropriate microservice, performs load balancing, and handles cross-cutting concerns like authentication and rate limiting.

Install the Ocelot library to implement an API Gateway:

dotnet add package Ocelot
            

Configure the gateway in ocelot.json:

{
    "Routes": [
        {
            "DownstreamPathTemplate": "/api/orders",
            "DownstreamScheme": "http",
            "DownstreamHostAndPorts": [
                { "Host": "localhost", "Port": 5001 }
            ],
            "UpstreamPathTemplate": "/orders",
            "UpstreamHttpMethod": [ "GET", "POST" ]
        }
    ]
}
            

Containerization with Docker

Docker enables you to package your microservices into lightweight, portable containers. Each microservice can run in its own container, ensuring isolation and consistency.

Create a Dockerfile for each service. Here's an example for OrderService:

FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/aspnet:8.0 AS base
WORKDIR /app
EXPOSE 80
FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/sdk:8.0 AS build
WORKDIR /src
COPY ["OrderService/OrderService.csproj", "OrderService/"]
RUN dotnet restore "OrderService/OrderService.csproj"
COPY . .
WORKDIR "/src/OrderService"
RUN dotnet build "OrderService.csproj" -c Release -o /app/build
FROM build AS publish
RUN dotnet publish "OrderService.csproj" -c Release -o /app/publish
FROM base AS final
WORKDIR /app
COPY --from=publish /app/publish .
ENTRYPOINT ["dotnet", "OrderService.dll"]
            

Build and run the Docker container:

docker build -t orderservice .
docker run -d -p 5001:80 orderservice
            

Orchestrating with Kubernetes

Kubernetes (K8s) is a container orchestration tool that automates deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications.

Create a Kubernetes Deployment:

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: orderservice-deployment
spec:
  replicas: 3
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: orderservice
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: orderservice
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: orderservice
        image: orderservice:latest
        ports:
        - containerPort: 80
            

Create a Kubernetes Service:

apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: orderservice-service
spec:
  selector:
    app: orderservice
  ports:
    - protocol: TCP
      port: 80
      targetPort: 80
  type: LoadBalancer
            

Monitoring and Observability

Use tools like Prometheus, Grafana, and Jaeger for monitoring and tracing. ASP.NET Core integrates with OpenTelemetry for distributed tracing.

Conclusion

By following this guide, you can design and implement a scalable microservices architecture using ASP.NET Core 8. From API Gateways and Docker to Kubernetes and monitoring, this approach ensures flexibility, reliability, and efficiency for modern applications.

© 2025 Sandeep Mhaske | Scalable Microservices Architecture