C# and ASP.NET reference shelf

Official documentation

• Microsoft Learn: the C# language reference is the authoritative source for syntax and the standard library.
• Microsoft Learn: ASP.NET documentation covers the current web framework built on the same ideas.
• Microsoft Learn: ADO.NET overview is the reference behind the data track here.
• Microsoft Learn: SQL Server documentation answers the install and configuration questions.

Tools you will need

• Visual Studio is the full development environment used in the editor tour.
• The .NET download page is where you get the runtime and the software development kit.
• NuGet is the package gallery for libraries you can add to a project.

Concepts explained by others

• C# on Wikipedia for the history and the design goals of the language.
• ASP.NET on Wikipedia for how the framework evolved across versions.
• ADO.NET on Wikipedia for the data access model in context.
• The Common Language Runtime explains what actually runs your compiled code.
• Object oriented programming is useful background for the classes track.
• Garbage collection gives the wider picture behind the memory lesson.

Web platform basics

• MDN Web Docs is the reference for HTML, CSS and JavaScript that surround your server code.
• The W3C standards index is where the specifications themselves live.
• Stack Overflow is where to search before asking, and how to ask well.

Where these fit in the lessons

Use the setup track to get the tools installed, the C# basics to learn the language, and the ASP.NET from Scratch track to put a page in front of a visitor. When you reach a database, the ADO.NET track takes over.