The aim of this book is to teach you and other experienced programmers the most effective ways to program using the C# language in the environment it was designed for, the .NET Framework. To this end, the book offers plenty of strong opinions and pays special attention to one of .NET’s most prominent features: web services.

Right out of the chute, you’ll build a simple web service and create an application that consumes it, quickly gaining a basic familiarity with the resources Microsoft has placed at your disposal. Then, with this practical introduction under your belt, you’ll delve into the details of C# and its relationship with .NET—details that, by the end of the book, will enable you to tackle a wide variety of sophisticated programming challenges and accomplish many other things, as well.