Sitecore ASP.NET Core SDK

Version: 0.x (alpha public release)

The open-source ASP.NET Core SDK lets developers integrate Sitecore XM Cloud content into their ASP.NET Core applications.

The ASP.NET Core SDK connects front-end web apps built with ASP.NET Core to XM Cloud. The SDK retrieves layout data in JSON format, which is then used to display XM Cloud content to the app's visitors. This means that the web app uses Sitecore as a headless content management system (CMS). For more information, see Architecture.

Note

If you don't have an ASP.NET Core app, create one based on the XM Cloud ASP.NET Core Starter Kit.

To render Sitecore content in JavaScript or TypeScript web apps instead, use the Sitecore JavaScript Rendering SDK (JSS).Introducing Sitecore JavaScript Rendering SDK

Development tasks with the ASP.NET Core SDK

The most common development task you'll perform with the ASP.NET Core SDK is to build model-bound views with a Sitecore data source. In this task, you build templates in the Content Editor for a Sitecore data source, then use the ASP.NET Core SDK to build views and models to render those templates. These views then render XM Cloud content to your site visitors.

Other development tasks you can perform with the ASP.NET Core SDK include:

  • Build view components - use view components to render custom logic where you access third-party data sources.

  • Build partial views - use partial views for lightweight components on a Sitecore page that don't contain their own content, such as structural components that only contain placeholders.

  • Generate a sitemap.

  • Configure redirects.

  • Configure localization and content translation, and build a language switcher.

When to choose the ASP.NET Core SDK

The ASP.NET Core SDK is for development teams who want to build ASP.NET Core web applications and have working knowledge of C# and the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architectural pattern. Knowledge of Razor views, tag helpers, and content modelling in XM Cloud is an advantage.Content modeling and presentation

We recommend that development teams who want to build single-page applications (SPA) or have working knowledge of JavaScript or TypeScript use the Sitecore JavaScript Rendering SDK (JSS) instead.Introducing Sitecore JavaScript Rendering SDK

Benefits of the ASP.NET Core SDK

The ASP.NET Core SDK greatly simplifies developing ASP.NET Core apps connected to XM Cloud. For example, the SDK:

  • Works seamlessly with the ASP.NET Core framework: it supports model binding, view components, partial views, Razor views, service registration, and middleware.

  • Simplifies deserializing the complex, often deeply nested layout data.

  • Contains tag helpers for rendering Sitecore fields.

  • Contains middleware that maps incoming HTTP requests to Sitecore Experience Edge requests.

  • Includes hot reloading, which enables faster debugging and iteration cycles.

A front-end web app, previously known as a rendering host or rendering app, is a web-based application that displays content to site visitors. The content, or layout data, is retrieved from XM Cloud that the app connects to using a Sitecore SDK, such as the ASP.NET Core SDK.

The front-end web app does more than just render content: it also handles user requests, routing, data fetching, and other Sitecore digital experience platform (DXP) capabilities.

Sitecore XM Cloud is a SaaS CMS that delivers layout data in JSON format to front-end applications.

Layout data is a JSON object that represents the structure of a page or a component in Sitecore. The layout data is used to display the page in a front-end application. The ASP.NET Core SDK uses GraphQL to retrieve layout data.

Experience Edge is a service where XM Cloud content, such as webpages, site layout, navigation, and other elements, are published. Experience Edge delivers this content to various channels, such as web apps, mobile apps, airport check-in kiosks, email, SMS, wearables, AI-enabled voice assistants, VR headsets, IoT devices, and more.

Do you have some feedback for us?

If you have suggestions for improving this article,