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The Proud Cloud

ProudCloud Weekly #4

Published 17 days ago • 1 min read

Nick Proud

Microsoft MVP, CTO @ nexbotix.ai and Author at dometrain.com

September 27th, 2025

✉️ ProudCloud Weekly #4

Is C# like python now?

.NET brings a significant change to the way we can execute C# projects. With the new File-Based Apps feature, developers can now ditch the .csproj files if they wish, opting instead for running a single .cs file from the CLI.

This change makes C# more lightweight and approachable, especially for quick prototypes, scripts, or learning scenarios. You no longer need the overhead of project files just to test an idea — it’s as simple as running a single file, much like Python. That means faster iteration, less setup, and a smoother on-ramp for new developers.

Sadly, many .NET developers will ignore this new feature. They’re stuck in muscle memory. They cling to the old way of spinning up bloated project files for every experiment, wasting time and killing momentum. The truth is, .NET has moved on — and if you don’t adapt, you’ll get left behind while others are shipping ideas in the time it takes you to run dotnet new.

C# just went from enterprise heavyweight to scrappy side-hustler — no excuses, just code.

Getting started is as simple as creating a standalone .cs file. Within it, you can write whatever code you would write in a console app, or even a Minimal API.

Taking this further, the new #:package directive allows you to specify NuGet packages to be installed within the app. Let's say you wanted to add the latest version of Polly:

You can also use the #:sdk directive to switch from the regular .NET SDK to the web one, allowing you to add things like Minimal APIs to the app

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Speaking of Minimal APIs.......

video preview​

Check out my YouTube Channel

I show you how to create Minimal APIs and all sorts of other things in .NET

That's it for this issue. I hope you found the content useful. Stay tuned for more updates, and don't forget to stay in touch with me on LinkedIn. My DMs are open.

Keep learning and growing,

Nick Proud

ProudCloud.dev

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Stuff you should deffo check out 😁

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