🚀 Generating .NET Core Projects with AI (Codeium/Windsurf)

🔹 What is Windsurf (Codeium)?

• Windsurf is an AI coding assistant (formerly called Codeium) that integrates into popular IDEs like Visual Studio Code and JetBrains Rider.

• It provides AI Autocomplete, Chat, Refactor, and Generate features, allowing developers to create everything from functions to entire project structures.

• Unlike traditional autocomplete, Windsurf can scaffold a complete .NET Core Web API project with just a natural language prompt.

🔹 Why Use AI for .NET Core Projects?

As backend developers, we often repeat the same steps:

• Creating project structure

• Setting up Entity Framework

• Configuring connection strings

• Writing CRUD endpoints

With AI, these repetitive steps can be automated, so we can spend more time on business logic and architecture.

🔹 Example. Generating a CRUD Web API with AI

Let’s ask Windsurf to generate a simple Product Management API:

👉 Prompt to AI

Generate a new .NET 8 Web API project named "ProductService".
- Add CRUD endpoints for Products (Id, Name, Price, Quantity).
- Use Entity Framework Core with SQL Server.
- Include DbContext, migration setup, and connection string in appsettings.json.
- Register DbContext with dependency injection in Program.cs.
- Enable Swagger for API testing.

📝 simplified version from AI

Program.cs

var builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder(args);

// Add services
builder.Services.AddControllers();
builder.Services.AddEndpointsApiExplorer();
builder.Services.AddSwaggerGen();
builder.Services.AddDbContext<AppDbContext>(options =>
    options.UseSqlServer(builder.Configuration.GetConnectionString("DefaultConnection")));

var app = builder.Build();

// Configure middleware
if (app.Environment.IsDevelopment())
{
    app.UseSwagger();
    app.UseSwaggerUI();
}

app.UseAuthorization();
app.MapControllers();
app.Run();

AppDbContext.cs

public class AppDbContext : DbContext
{
    public AppDbContext(DbContextOptions<AppDbContext> options) : base(options) { }

    public DbSet<Product> Products { get; set; }
}

Product.cs

public class Product
{
    public int Id { get; set; }
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public decimal Price { get; set; }
    public int Quantity { get; set; }
}

ProductsController.cs

[ApiController]
[Route("api/[controller]")]
public class ProductsController : ControllerBase
{
    private readonly AppDbContext _context;

    public ProductsController(AppDbContext context)
    {
        _context = context;
    }

    [HttpGet]
    public async Task<ActionResult<IEnumerable<Product>>> GetProducts()
        => await _context.Products.ToListAsync();

    [HttpPost]
    public async Task<ActionResult<Product>> Create(Product product)
    {
        _context.Products.Add(product);
        await _context.SaveChangesAsync();
        return CreatedAtAction(nameof(GetProducts), new { id = product.Id }, product);
    }
}

Now you have a working backend API with just one AI prompt!

🔹 Benefits of Using AI for .NET Core Development

• Speed → Faster project scaffolding and setup

• Consistency → Standardized boilerplate code across teams

• Learning → Junior devs can see ready-made best practices

• Focus → Engineers spend more time on architecture, less on repetition

🔹 Limitations & Best Practices

• AI-generated code should always be reviewed for security and performance.

• Use AI for boilerplate, but still design your own architecture and domain models.

• Treat AI like a pair programmer — it helps, but you are still the final decision-maker.

🔹 Conclusion

Windsurf (formerly Codeium) is not just autocomplete — it can generate entire .NET Core projects with controllers, EF Core integration, and more. For developers aiming to save time and experiment with AI-assisted workflows, it’s a powerful tool to have in your toolkit.

With a single prompt, you can bootstrap an application and immediately start adding business logic — a big productivity boost for backend developers and aspiring Technical Leads.