Editor's note
I put together a mixed issue this time, with fundamentals and deeper runtime work side by side. The plugin-system piece stands out for its practical take on unloadability, and the EF Core model article is a useful reality check on caching and DbContext behavior. The delegates and pattern-matching refreshers round it out for developers who want a cleaner mental model of core language features.
Delegates, plugins, JWT, and EF Core
Jasen Fici
January 07, 2026
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Today's Articles
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Jasen's take on today's picks
Introduction to Delegates in C#
A solid refresher on delegates, including multicast behavior and the built-in Func, Action, and Predicate types.
Real Plugin Systems in .NET: AssemblyLoadContext, Unloadability, and Reflection‑Free Discovery
A practical look at plugin architectures in .NET, especially unloadability and avoiding reflection-heavy discovery pitfalls.
Create and Read JWT Tokens in C# .NET
A straightforward JWT guide focused on creating and reading tokens, with enough basics to get moving quickly.
RFC 6570: URI Templates for API Discoverability in .NET
RFC 6570 is a nice reminder that discoverable APIs can be more expressive than plain string-concatenated routes.
TDD in .NET: Anti-Patterns & When NOT to Use TDD
A skeptical take on TDD that’s worth reading if you’ve ever felt test-first wasn’t the right tool for a task.
How .NET 10’s Microsoft Agent Framework is Revolutionizing AI
This .NET 10 agent framework article is a timely look at where Microsoft is pushing AI-assisted application patterns.
Microsoft’s top .NET posts of 2025 offer a quick way to catch up on the topics that resonated most last year.
Type-Safe Collections in C#: How NonEmptyList Eliminates Runtime Exceptions
NonEmptyList is an interesting example of using the type system to prevent empty-collection bugs before runtime.
7 Mistakes .NET Developers Should Avoid
A short career-focused list, but some of the advice is useful if you’re trying to avoid common .NET developer missteps.
launchSettings.json Explained — The File Every ASP.NET Dev Ignores (Until It Breaks Something)
launchSettings.json gets more attention than it usually does, and for ASP.NET Core developers that’s often overdue.
Introduction to Pattern Matching in C#
Pattern matching remains one of the most readable ways to simplify branching logic in modern C#.
Clean Architecture is an effective approach to organizing application code
Clean Architecture gets another practical explanation here, with emphasis on boundaries rather than buzzwords.
Strategy vs Factory in C#: The Confusion That Breaks Real Systems
Strategy versus Factory is one of those design questions that trips up real codebases, so this comparison is timely.
What Is the EF Core Model DbContext, OnModelCreating, and the Truth About Caching
The EF Core internals piece does a good job explaining model creation, DbContext, and why caching matters.