A Pragmatic Guide to ASP.NET Core Minimal APIs in 2026
When to reach for Minimal APIs, when to stick with controllers, and how to structure a maintainable codebase.
- Author
- Randhir Jassal
- Published
- Reading time
- 7 min read
- Views
- 17 views
Why Minimal APIs
Minimal APIs cut boilerplate while keeping the full ASP.NET Core pipeline. They shine for small services, BFFs, and edge endpoints.
When to keep MVC
Reach for controllers when you need conventions like model binding inheritance, action filters, or complex routing.
app.MapGet("/health", () => Results.Ok(new { ok = true }));
Structuring for scale
Group endpoints by feature, register handlers as classes, and lean on the DI container.
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