Recommended learning resources for C# and .NET in 2025.
As of 2025, the .NET ecosystem continues to thrive, with .NET 9 bringing powerful updates and C# remaining a top choice for developers. In the recent Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2024, .NET was the library most loved (outside the web)!
Finding the right resources is difficult if you want to become a full-stack or back-end developer in the Microsoft .NET stack or improve your knowledge. This curated list, updated for 2025, will guide you from beginner to advanced levels in C#, .NET, and ASP.NET.
So, let’s dive in.
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1. Learn C#
Start your journey with these carefully selected C# resources, ranging from beginner to advanced levels.
Beginner-friendly resources:
Microsoft Learn: C# Path - Free, interactive tutorials from Microsoft covering C# basics to advanced topics. Perfect for hands-on learners.
C# Fundamentals for Absolute Beginners (Microsoft) - A video series ideal for those new to coding.
C# for Beginners - Scott Hanselman and .NET Distinguished Engineer David Fowler teach you C# from the ground up! (also check Deep.NET and dotnet channel)
C# Tutorial—Full Course for Beginners - This freeCodeCamp 4h+ course will introduce you to all of the core concepts in C#.
Udemy: C# for Beginners — Coding From Scratch (.NET Core) - Focuses on core concepts with practical coding exercises.
C# Basics for Beginners (Udemy) - A highly rated course by Mosh Hamedani.
Exercism's C# Track - Hands-on exercises with mentor feedback (Free).
Intermediate resources:
Advanced C# Programming Course - A 15-hour course on the freeCodeCamp to learn advanced C# programming concepts.
CodeWars C# Kata - Progressive challenges to build problem-solving skills.
2. Learn .NET
Master the .NET platform with these official and advanced resources:
Learn.NET - Official tutorials covering .NET 9, cross-platform development, and cloud integration.
Become a Full-stack .NET Developer - Advanced Topics (Pluralsight) - A comprehensive path by Mosh Hamedani.
3. Learn ASP.NET
Build web apps with these ASP.NET Core resources.
Fundamentals:
ASP.NET Core Fundamentals by Scott Alen: This course covers all the features you'll need to build your first application using ASP.NET Core.
ASP.NET Core Full Course for Beginners by Julio Casal: A free YouTube course focusing on building a RESTful API for a game catalog backend
ASP.NET Core - Cross-Platform Development (Udemy) - Learn how to develop an ASP.NET Core application for any operating system using cross-platform tools and the dotnet CLI.
Advanced Web Development:
Pro ASP.NET Core 6: Develop Cloud-Ready Web Applications Using MVC, Blazor, and Razor Pages - A book by Adam Freeman
Minimal APIs in .NET - Building lightweight, performant APIs.
Real-time ASP.NET with SignalR - Building real-time web applications.
gRPC in ASP.NET Core - Implementation guide for high-performance RPCs.
ASP.NET Core Security - Comprehensive security and authentication patterns.
4. Books
Deepen your knowledge with these must-reads.
Beginner
Learn C# in One Day and Learn It Well - A concise, beginner-friendly book by Jamie Chan (the best for beginners)
The C# Yellow Book by Rob Miles (the best book overall - free)
The C# Player's Guide - A book by RB Whitaker that takes an interesting approach, humor, casual tone, and examples involving dragons and asteroids (with over 100 hands-on challenges)
C# 13 and .NET 9 – Modern Cross-Platform Development Fundamentals - One of the popular books on this topic, focused on beginner to intermediate programmers.
Intermediate
C# in Depth: Fourth Edition - Jon Skeet’s masterpiece (the best for intermediate)
C# 12 in a Nutshell: The Definitive Reference - A book by Joseph Albahari gives you a complete C# 12, top to bottom.
ASP.NET Core in Action by Andrew Lock. This book will teach you the latest ASP.NET Core applications and .NET patterns, including minimal APIs and minimal hosting.
Dependency Injection Principles, Practices, and Patterns, by Mark Seeman and Steven van Deursen, is a solid book that teaches how to use DI to reduce hard-coded dependencies between application components.
Advanced
Concurrency in C# Cookbook - Stephen Cleary’s advanced guide to multitasking in C# (the best for advanced)
Writing High-performance .NET Code - A book by Ben Watson demystifies the CLR, teaching you how and why to write code with optimum performance.
Pro .NET Memory Management by Konrad Kokosa - Understand .NET memory management internal workings, pitfalls, and techniques to avoid a wide range of performance and scalability problems in your software.
5. YouTube Channels
Learn from top .NET creators:
IAmTimCorey - Practical tutorials on C#, .NET, and real-world projects.
Programming with Mosh - Clear, concise C# and ASP.NET lessons.
Nick Chapsas - Deep dives into .NET performance and modern practices.
Milan Jovanovic - Expert tips on clean architecture, .NET and APIs.
Zoran Horvat - Advanced C# design patterns and techniques.
Nick Cosentino - Many C# related videos for all levels, including beginners.
6. Learn good practices
Master software engineering principles.
Essential reading:
Clean code - Robert C. Martin’s classic, still relevant for .NET in 2025.
Code Complete, 2nd Edition - Steve McConnell’s essential guide for developers.
Design Patterns In Use (E-book) - is an essential guide for software developers and designers who want to deepen their understanding of design patterns and their practical applications, with examples in C#.
Advanced topics:
Domain-Driven Design in C# - Microsoft's guide to DDD.
Advanced Unit Testing - Learn how to make unit tests work for you instead of against you (and The Art of Unit Testing - Roy Osherove’s book).
Master Design Patterns & SOLID Principles in C# - A 12-hour course on freeCodeCamp.
Adaptive Code: Agile coding with design patterns and SOLID principles - A book by Gary McLean Hall that teaches you how to code with the best practices.
Check my full book recommendation:
7. Additional materials
Stay ahead with these 2025-focused extras:
.NET Developer Roadmap 2025 - A minimal, clickable PDF roadmap updated for .NET 9 and beyond.
Awesome .NET Libraries - A GitHub collection of tools, frameworks, and software.
.NET Architecture Guides (Microsoft) - Best practices for microservices and cloud-native apps.creat
Here is the minimal .NET Developer Roadmap for 2025.
Moving forward
Remember to choose resources that match your current skill level and learning style. The .NET ecosystem is vast, so focus on mastering fundamentals before moving to advanced topics. Regular practice and hands-on project work will help reinforce your learning.
Anything else to add? Write in the comments.
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