Tech Stack Overview

Purpose

This page defines the AIC default technology stack for modern .NET delivery.

The stack is intentionally opinionated. It reduces debate, improves repeatability and helps teams move quickly while preserving quality and security.

Stack Layers

Layer	Default AIC choice	Notes
Language	C#	Production baseline is C# 14 with .NET 10.
Runtime	.NET 10 LTS	Default production runtime.
Preview track	.NET 11 / C# 15	Approval required for production use.
Web APIs	ASP.NET Core	Minimal APIs or controllers depending complexity.
Desktop Windows	WPF	For Windows-only line-of-business applications.
Cross-platform apps	.NET MAUI	For mobile or cross-platform desktop requirements.
Primary persistence	MongoDB	Default operational data store for AIC products and platforms.
Relational / ORM	EF Core	Secondary option where relational consistency, reporting or customer constraints justify it.
High-performance SQL	Dapper	Targeted use only where SQL is explicitly required.
Caching	Redis	Default distributed cache, session cache, rate-limit store and short-lived coordination layer.
Testing	NUnit, Moq, dotnet test	NUnit is the default test framework; Moq is the default mocking library unless a project exception is approved.
Static analysis	Roslyn analyzers, ReSharper	Enforced locally and in CI.
Formatting	.editorconfig, dotnet format, ReSharper cleanup	Consistent style across IDEs.
Observability	OpenTelemetry-compatible logs, metrics and traces	Correlation required.
Distributed local dev	Aspire where useful	Especially for multi-service applications, MongoDB, Redis and message brokers.
API documentation	OpenAPI	Generated and reviewed.
CI/CD	Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions	Customer environment may dictate.
Package management	NuGet central package management	Approved feeds only.
Secrets	Managed secrets platform	No secrets in source control.
Containers	Docker / OCI images	When deployment model requires it.

Default Technology Choices

Adopt by default

Use these unless there is a clear reason not to:

• .NET 10 LTS

• C# 14

• ASP.NET Core

• MongoDB as the primary persistence layer

• Redis for distributed caching and short-lived coordination

• WPF for Windows-only desktop apps

• .NET MAUI for justified cross-platform apps

• NUnit for automated tests

• Moq for mocking and test doubles

• ReSharper and Roslyn analyzers

• .editorconfig

• global.json

• OpenAPI for APIs

• structured logging

• OpenTelemetry-compatible telemetry

Use with review

Use these after architecture review:

• .NET 11 preview / C# 15

• EF Core / relational database as the main persistence layer

• Native AOT

• gRPC

• Blazor Hybrid

• Dapper-heavy data access

• event sourcing

• CQRS at infrastructure scale

• microservices

• custom security frameworks

• custom serialization protocols

Avoid for new greenfield projects

Avoid unless required by customer, legacy integration or specific constraint:

• unsupported .NET versions

• .NET Framework for new systems

• manually managed deployment packages without CI/CD

• direct database access from UI projects

• business logic in controllers, views or pages

• ad hoc repository structures

• unapproved NuGet feeds

• unmaintained packages

• using relational persistence by habit when MongoDB is better aligned to the domain

• using in-memory cache as a substitute for Redis in distributed systems

Stack Selection Decision

Before selecting technology, answer:

1. What user or operational need does it serve?

2. Is it supported for the expected life of the solution?

3. Does AIC have delivery capability in it?

4. Does the customer permit it?

5. Does it meet security and accreditation requirements?

6. Can it be tested and operated?

7. Can it be maintained by a future team?

8. Does it create reusable IP?

9. Does it reduce or increase project risk?

10. Is there a simpler supported option?

Technology Exception Record

Any non-standard technology must record:

• technology name

• owner

• reason

• alternatives considered

• security assessment

• licensing assessment

• support model

• operational impact

• exit plan

• approval