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Articles by Ziggy Rafiq
- DevOps
GitLab Shows Commits Behind Main, but Your IDE Says Already Up to Date: Causes, Fixes, and Best Practices
Overview When you open a GitLab Merge Request, do you find that your feature branch is six commits behind main, despite the fact that your development environment indicates everything is up to date? After fetching the latest changes, performing a pull, and checking your branch, you receive the famil
- Software Testing
Test Automation Best Practices with Microsoft Playwright
Master Microsoft Playwright with best practices for reliable, scalable, and maintainable test automation. Boost confidence and speed.
- DevOps
How to Perform a Complete Clean Installation of Rancher Desktop on macOS (Apple Silicon & Intel)
Follow this step-by-step guide by Ziggy Rafiq to perform a complete clean installation of Rancher Desktop on macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel). Create a stable Kubernetes development environment using Rancher Desktop, k9s, containerd, and Homebrew following enterprise DevOps best practices by removing old Lima virtual machines, Kubernetes configurations, container runtimes, and cached files.
- AI Agents
Getting Started with RAG in C# 14: Build Your First AI Knowledge
This project demonstrates document retrieval by Ziggy Rafiq, context building, and AI-powered responses using clean architecture and enterprise best practices using C# 14 and ASP.NET Core.
- ASP.NET Core
Real-World Multi-Tenant Customer System Built with C# 14, Keycloak, and ASP.NET Core
Explore building a robust multi-tenant customer system using C# 14, Keycloak for identity management, and In this article, Ziggy Rafiq demonstrates how to build a secure, multi-tenant customer management system using C# 14, ASP.NET Core, EF Core, and Keycloak. You will learn how to design scalable, compliant, and production-ready SaaS platforms, with a strong focus on real-world enterprise authentication, authorization, and tenant isolation—supported by practical, hands-on examples.
- Web Development
Responsive vs Adaptive Websites: A Developer’s Guide (With Real Business Code Examples)
With real business examples, code, pros/cons, and best-practice recommendations for modern websites, this senior developer guide compares responsive vs adaptive web design.
- Web API
Using C# 14 with gRPC Instead of REST: Build a Customer Microservice (with Benchmarks)
Discover why gRPC outperforms REST with Protobuf contracts, streaming, and JSON vs Protobuf BenchmarkDotNet benchmarks.
- Prompt Engineering
How to Build AI Prompts in C# 14
Explore C# 14-style prompt interpolation for building readable, maintainable AI prompts with dynamic values and structured metadata in .NET.
- C#
AI-driven development with C# 14 and .NET 10 - Best Practices
Master AI-driven .NET development with C# 14 & .NET 10! Learn prompt engineering best practices, enhanced interpolation, & build robust, scalable AI features.
- Vibe Coding
A New Era of Developer Productivity with Vibe Coding with C# 13
C# 13 and vibe coding revolutionize developer productivity by reducing boilerplate, simplifying patterns, and promoting clean architecture. Learn how primary constructors, pattern matching, interceptors, and async streams enhance code clarity and maintainability. Discover best practices for a more intuitive and efficient development process, focusing on flow, clarity, and joy in coding.
- Vibe Coding
Clean Code, Clean Architecture, and Sustainable Practices with Vibe Coding C# 13 in Enterprise Environments
Discover how 'Vibe Coding' in C# 13 transforms enterprise development by merging developer flow with clean architecture and sustainable practices. Learn to combat technical debt, reduce burnout, and build scalable, testable software. Explore C# 13 features, clean architecture principles, and vibe coding charters for a positive development culture. Embrace modern tools and patterns for innovation, not firefighting.
- Vibe Coding
The Modern .NET Developer's Guide to Vibe Coding with C# 13: Flow, Features and Best Practices
Discover the newest features of C# 13 with the guide Vibe Coding with C# 13 by Ziggy Rafiq - a modern developer's guide to clean, expressive, and high-performance .NET 9 coding.
- Azure
Best Practices and Code Examples for Azure Functions using C# 13
Ziggy Rafiq shares best practices for structuring, testing, and deploying production-grade serverless functions using Azure and xUnit in this article.
- ASP.NET Core
Testing with Moq for Clean and Reliable Code in ASP.NET Core with C# 13 and xUnit
With this tutorial, you will learn how to use C# 13, xUnit, and Moq to test your APIs in ASP.NET Core using best practices. The guide was written by Ziggy Rafiq.
- C#
Mastering the Factory Pattern in C# 13: Best Practices with Real-World Examples
With this best practices guide by Ziggy Rafiq, you will learn Factory Pattern in C# 13 with clean architecture, DI, and testable design.
- ASP.NET Core
Building a Clean ASP.NET Core API with C# 13, EF Core, and DDD
The guide is written by Ziggy Rafiq and follows real-world architecture and testing best practices to provide a clean, scalable REST API using ASP.NET Core, C# 13, EF Core, and MS SQL.
- C#
Clean Code and Best Practices with C# 13
Ziggy Rafiq teaches you how to create clean, maintainable, and testable C# 13 code using modern features, architecture patterns, and clean code principles.
- ASP.NET Core
Creating a "Pooled" Dependency Injection Lifetime in C# 13
Discover how Ziggy Rafiq demonstrates how to set up a custom "pooled" dependency injection lifetime in C# 13 using ObjectPool<t> with best practices, DI registration, and high-performance service examples.</t>
- C#
Smarter Code with Built-in AI Support in C# 14
With Artificial Intelligence in C# 14, developers can generate, refactor, and debug code more efficiently. Ziggy Rafiq examines how these tools can improve code quality and maintainability.
- C#
Here's what's new in C# 14
Learn about new syntax enhancements, performance improvements, and key language updates in this in-depth article by Ziggy Rafiq.
- C#
A C# 13 Tip for building Data Transfer Objects (DTOs) Using Records
C# records, introduced in C# 9 and improved in C# 13, offer immutable data models ideal for DTOs. They provide value semantics, concise syntax, automatic method generation, and enhanced data integrity for clean, maintainable code.
- ASP.NET Core
Compare ASP.NET SOAP Services vs Core APIs with Code
Discover the key differences between ASP.NET SOAP Web Services (ASMX) and ASP.NET Core SOAP APIs in this detailed guide by Ziggy Rafiq. Get code examples, best practices, and insights for both modern and legacy systems.
- C#
The SOLID Principles in C# 13
Ziggy Rafiq's detailed examples provide an overview of the SOLID principles of object-oriented design in C# 13. You'll learn how to adhere to SRP, OCP, LSP, ISP, and DIP to write maintainable, scalable, and extensible code.
- C#
Using C# 13's Method Overloading and Method Overriding
With practical examples, key differences, and tips for mastering these core OOP concepts, Ziggy Rafiq explores Method Overloading and Method Overriding in C# 13.
- Java
Java 21 JUnit Testing Best Practices
The best practices for JUnit testing in Java 21 by Ziggy Rafiq include leveraging new language features like record patterns and string templates. Develop maintainable and robust Java applications by leveraging test isolation, AAA patterns, and parameterized tests.
