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Sep.NET Architect Interview Questions: Top 50 Questions & Answers
.NET Architect Interview Questions are designed to test not only your coding abilities but also your understanding of software architecture, system design, scalability, and best practices in .NET development.
In this article, you will able to learn all the .NET architect Freshers, Intermediate, and Advanced level Interview Questions and Answers. Start your .NET journey with our Free ASP.NET course. Build strong foundations and take the first step toward a high-growth career.
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Who is a .Net Architect ?
.NET Architect is a senior-level professional responsible for designing and overseeing the architecture of applications built on the .NET framework. Their role goes beyond coding, they ensure that the application is scalable, maintainable, secure, and efficient.
They play a crucial role in technology selection, system design, cloud integration, and guiding development teams to follow best practices and design patterns. With the rise of microservices, cloud computing, and complex enterprise applications, .NET Architects have become vital for organizations looking to build efficient and future-proof software solutions.
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.NET Architect Interview Questions for Freshers
1. What is the role of a .NET Architect in a software development team?
The role of a .NET Architect in a software development team is to design and guide the architecture of .NET applications, ensuring they are scalable, maintainable, and high-performing.
- Design Architecture: Create the overall structure of .NET applications ensuring scalability and maintainability.
- Technology Selection: Choose appropriate .NET frameworks, libraries, and tools.
- Team Guidance: Mentor developers and enforce coding standards and best practices.
- Integration: Ensure smooth connection with databases, APIs, and external services.
- Non-Functional Requirements: Address performance, security, reliability, and fault tolerance.
- Documentation: Prepare architecture diagrams, technical specs, and reusable components.
- Stakeholder Communication: Translate business requirements into technical solutions and provide feasibility analysis.
2. Explain the Difference between .NET Framework, .NET Core, and .NET(5/6/7+)
Feature | .NET Framework | .NET core | .NET(5/6/7+) |
Platform | Windows only | Cross-platform (Windows, Linux, macOS) | Cross-platform |
Release year | 2002 | 2016 | 2020 |
Application Types | Web Forms, WPF, Windows Forms, ASP.NET | Console apps, ASP.NET Core, microservices | Web, desktop, mobile, cloud, IoT, AI/ML |
Open Source | Mostly proprietary | Fully open-source | Fully open-source |
Performance | Moderate | High, lightweight, modular | High, optimized for modern workloads |
Scalability | Limited Scalability | High, cloud-ready | High, cloud-ready, future-ready |
Maintenance | Legacy apps | Active development, modern apps | Active development, future of .NET |
3. What is the Common Language Runtime (CLR) and its importance?
Importance of CLR
- Platform Independence: Supports multiple .NET languages and ensures consistent execution.
- Automatic Memory Management: Reduces memory leaks and improves application stability.
- Security: Protects applications from unsafe code execution.
- Efficiency: Optimizes performance through JIT compilation and runtime services.
- Developer Productivity: Simplifies development by managing low-level operations like memory and threading.
4. What is Common Intermediate Language (CIL) in .NET?

5. Differentiate between Managed and Unmanaged code.
Feature | Managed Code | Unmanaged Code |
Definition | Code that runs under the control of CLR (Common Language Runtime) | Code that runs directly on the OS, outside CLR control |
Memory Management | Automatic memory management via Garbage Collection | Developer is responsible for manual memory management |
Security | CLR enforces type safety and code access security | No built-in runtime security; prone to vulnerabilities |
Language Support | Written in .NET languages like C#, VB.NET, F# | Written in native languages like C, C++ |
Interoperability | Can easily interact with other .NET languages | Requires interop services (like P/Invoke) to work with .NET |
Exception Handling | CLR handles structured exceptions | Uses OS-level exception handling; less uniform |
Example | C# code compiled to CIL running on CLR | C or C++ code compiled to native machine code |
6. How does Garbage Collection work in .NET?
Garbage Collection (GC) in .NET is the process of automatically managing memory by releasing objects that are no longer in use. It helps prevent memory leaks and improves application stability.
Garbage collection works as follows:
- Object Allocation: Objects are created in the managed heap when the application runs.
- Generation Assignment: Objects are classified into Generation 0, 1, or 2 based on their lifespan.
- Mark Phase: The GC identifies objects that are no longer referenced by the application.
- Sweep Phase: Unreferenced objects are removed from memory, freeing space.
- Compaction (Optional): Remaining objects are moved to reduce fragmentation in the heap.
- Finalization: Objects with a Finalize() method are cleaned up before memory is reclaimed.
- Repetition: GC runs periodically or when memory is low, ensuring efficient memory management.
7. What are value types vs. reference types in C#?
Value Types in C#
Value types directly store the data itself. They are allocated on the stack, which makes memory access fast and efficient. Since each variable gets its own copy of the data, changes made to one variable do not affect another. This makes them suitable for small, simple data types. Examples include built-in types like int, float, bool, as well as struct and enum.
Reference Types in C#
Reference types, instead of storing the actual data, store a reference (memory address) that points to the object’s data on the heap. When a reference type variable is copied, only the address is copied, not the data itself. This means that multiple variables can point to the same object, and modifying one will affect all references to that object. Examples include class, object, string, array, and interface.
Key Difference
- Value types are self-contained and independent, best for lightweight objects.
- Reference types are shared and can be modified through multiple references, suitable for complex data structures and objects.
8. What is a delegate in C#?'
Delegates in C# is a type-safe object that holds a reference to a method. It allows to be passed as parameters, called dynamically, or used for event handling. It defines the signature of a method and holds a reference to a method with a matching signature, making it possible to invoke methods dynamically at runtime.
9. Explain Async/Await in C#.
async and await in C# are keywords used to write asynchronous code in a simple and readable way. Traditionally, handling asynchronous operations required callbacks or tasks, which often made code complex and difficult to read.
- A method marked with async can use the await keyword.
- await pauses execution until the awaited task finishes, without blocking the main thread.
- Once the task is done, execution resumes.
Example:
public async Task FetchDataAsync()
{
string result = await GetDataFromApi(); // Non-blocking call
Console.WriteLine(result);
}
10. What is Dependency Injection in .NET?
Dependency Injection in .NET (DI) is a software design pattern to achieve loose coupling between classes and their dependencies. Instead of a class creating its own dependencies, they are provided (or "injected") from the outside. This is typically achieved through constructor injection, where a dependency is passed into the class via its constructor.
Without DI:
public class Service
{
private Repository _repo = new Repository(); // tightly coupled
}
With DI:
public class Service
{
private readonly IRepository _repo;
public Service(IRepository repo) // dependency injected
{
_repo = repo;
}
}
11. What is an interface in C#?
- Interfaces are abstract by nature; no method body (until C# 8 default implementations).
- A class or struct that implements an interface must provide implementations for all its members.
- Supports polymorphism and decoupling.
Example:
public interface IShape
{
double Area();
void Display();
}
public class Rectangle : IShape
{
public double Width { get; set; }
public double Height { get; set; }
public double Area() => Width * Height;
public void Display() => Console.WriteLine($"Rectangle: {Width} x {Height}");
}
- IShape is an interface: only declares method signatures (Area(), Display()).
- Rectangle implements the interface, so it must define all methods.
- No shared code in interface; each class provides its own implementation.
12. What is an abstract class?
- Can have fields, constructors, properties, methods (concrete & abstract).
- Supports code reuse.
- Inherits using : keyword.
public abstract class Shape
{
public string Name { get; set; }
public Shape(string name) => Name = name;
public abstract double Area(); // Must be implemented by derived class
public void Display() => Console.WriteLine($"Shape: {Name}"); // Concrete method
}
public class Circle : Shape
{
public double Radius { get; set; }
public Circle(string name, double radius) : base(name) => Radius = radius;
public override double Area() => Math.PI * Radius * Radius;
}
- Shape is an abstract class: cannot be instantiated.
- Has shared property (Name) and concrete method (Display).
- Area() is abstract, so derived classes must implement it.
- Circle inherits Shape and provides its own implementation of Area().
13. What is the MVC pattern in .NET?
Component | Responsibility |
Model | Represents data and business logic. Can include data access and validation. |
View | Represents the UI. Displays data to the user and receives input |
Controller | Handles user input, interacts with Model, and returns a View. |
14. What is Entity Framework (EF) Core?
Key Features of Entity Framework:
- Cross-platform: Works on Windows, Linux, and macOS.
- Code-First / Database-First: Supports both approaches to define models.
- LINQ Support: Query database using C# LINQ syntax.
- Change Tracking: Automatically tracks changes in objects for persistence.
- Migrations: Allows schema evolution without losing data.
- Performance: Lightweight and optimized compared to EF 6.
15. How do you handle exceptions in C#?
- try →Block of code to monitor for exceptions.
- catch → Block to handle the exception.
- finally → Block that always executes, used for cleanup.
- throw → Used to throw an exception manual
try
{
int num1 = 10, num2 = 0;
int result = num1 / num2; // Will throw DivideByZeroException
Console.WriteLine(result);
}
catch (DivideByZeroException ex)
{
Console.WriteLine($"Error: {ex.Message}");
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
Console.WriteLine($"General error: {ex.Message}");
}
finally
{
Console.WriteLine("Cleanup code executed.");
}
Explanation:
- try monitors for exceptions.
- catch handles specific exceptions first (DivideByZeroException) and then general exceptions (Exception).
- finally executes regardless of exception, e.g., closing files or database connections.
16. What is LINQ in C#?
17. What is ASP.NET Core?
Benefits
- Cross-platform → Develop and run anywhere.
- Supports modern web development patterns: REST APIs, MVC, Blazor.
- Built-in dependency injection → Cleaner, modular code.
18. What is the difference between var and dynamic?
- var is a compile-time type inference keyword in C#.
- The compiler determines the variable’s type based on the assigned value.
- Once inferred, the type cannot change.
Example:
var number = 10; // Compiler infers int
// number = "Hello"; // Error! Cannot change type
dynamic
- dynamic is a runtime type-resolved keyword in C#.
- The type of the variable is determined at runtime.
- The variable can hold any type, but type errors appear only at runtime.
Example:
dynamic data = 10; // Initially int
data = "Hello"; // Allowed, type changes at runtime
.NET Architect Interview Questions for Intermediates
Let’s start with Intermediate-level .NET Architect Interview Questions and Answers.
19. How would you design a microservices architecture in .NET?
- Domain-driven design (DDD): Break the system into bounded contexts (Catalog, Orders, Payments, etc.). Each is an independent microservice.
- Independent data storage: Every service has its own database (no shared DB).
- API Gateway: Single entry point for clients (routing, auth, rate limiting).
- Communication: Synchronous (REST/gRPC) for request-response. Asynchronous (message bus like RabbitMQ/Kafka) for events and decoupling.
- Resilience: Circuit breakers, retries, timeouts (Polly in .NET).
- Scalability: Services can scale independently in containers/Kubernetes.
- Security: Centralized authentication (IdentityServer/Azure AD), JWT for authorization.
- Observability: Centralized logging (Serilog), tracing (OpenTelemetry), metrics (Prometheus/Grafana).
- DevOps: CI/CD pipelines, Docker images, Kubernetes deployment.
- Patterns to apply: CQRS (separate read/write), Saga/Outbox for consistency, API versioning.
20. Explain CQRS pattern and its implementation in .NET.
- Command model: Handles operations that change the system state (e.g., create, update, delete).
- Query model: Handles operations that only read data, without modifying state.
// Command: used for writes
public record CreateOrderCommand(string Product, int Quantity)
: IRequest<Guid>;
// Query: used for reads
public record GetOrderByIdQuery(Guid Id)
: IRequest<OrderDto>;
public class CreateOrderHandler : IRequestHandler<CreateOrderCommand, Guid>
{
private readonly OrdersDbContext _db;
public CreateOrderHandler(OrdersDbContext db) => _db = db;
public async Task<Guid> Handle(CreateOrderCommand cmd, CancellationToken ct)
{
var order = new Order { Id = Guid.NewGuid(), Product = cmd.Product, Quantity = cmd.Quantity };
_db.Orders.Add(order);
await _db.SaveChangesAsync(ct);
return order.Id;
}
}
public class GetOrderByIdHandler : IRequestHandler<GetOrderByIdQuery, OrderDto>
{
private readonly OrdersDbContext _db;
public GetOrderByIdHandler(OrdersDbContext db) => _db = db;
public async Task<OrderDto> Handle(GetOrderByIdQuery query, CancellationToken ct)
{
var order = await _db.Orders.FindAsync(new object[] { query.Id }, ct);
return new OrderDto(order.Id, order.Product, order.Quantity);
}
}
[HttpPost]
public async Task<IActionResult> Create(CreateOrderCommand command)
=> Ok(await _mediator.Send(command));
[HttpGet("{id}")]
public async Task<IActionResult> Get(Guid id)
=> Ok(await _mediator.Send(new GetOrderByIdQuery(id));
21. Describe MVC vs. MVVM patterns in .NET.
Feature | MVC (Model-View-Controller) | MVVM(Model-View-ViewModel) |
Primary Use | Web applications (ASP.NET Core MVC) | Client applications (WPF, Xamarin, MAUI) |
Components | Model, View, Controller | Model, View, ViewModel |
UI Binding | Manual updates via Controller | Automatic two-way binding via ViewModel |
Data Flow | User → Controller → Model → View | User → View → ViewModel → Model → View (binding) |
Responsibility | Controller handles input & updates View | ViewModel handles presentation logic and exposes data for View |
Complexity | Simpler, easier for web pages | More boilerplate for rich client apps |
Example | ASP.NET Core MVC, Razor Views | WPF, Xamarin.Forms, .NET MAUI |
22. What do you mean by Domain-Driven Design (DDD) in .NET?
Domain-Driven Design (DDD) is an approach to software development that focuses on modeling the core business domain and its logic in the application. The main idea is that the software reflects real-world business concepts and rules, making it easier to maintain, extend, and align with business needs.
23. What is Repository pattern?
The Repository Pattern is a design pattern that abstracts data access logic and centralizes it in a single layer, allowing the business/domain logic to interact with a consistent interface without worrying about how data is persisted (database, API, or in-memory).
Purpose:
- Decouple business logic from data access.
- Make unit testing easier (can mock repositories).
- Promote single responsibility and clean architecture.
24. What are Factory vs. Abstract Factory patterns.
Feature | Factory Pattern | Abstract Factory Pattern |
Definition | A creational pattern that creates objects without exposing the instantiation logic to the client. | A creational pattern that provides an interface to create families of related objects without specifying concrete classes |
Purpose | To instantiate one type of object through a factory method. | To instantiate multiple related objects (object families) in a consistent way. |
Number of Factories | Single factory class | Multiple factory classes (interface + concrete factories) |
Complexity | Simple, easy to implement. | More complex, used for systems needing consistency among products |
Example | ShapeFactory creating Circle or Square. | GUIFactory creating WindowsButton + WindowsCheckbox or MacButton + MacCheckbox |
25. What is Middleware in ASP.NET Core?
Middleware in ASP.NET Core is software components that are assembled into an HTTP request pipeline. Each component handles requests and responses, and can either pass the request to the next component or short-circuit the pipeline.
- Middleware can perform tasks like authentication, logging, error handling, routing, or response modification.
- Middleware is executed in the order it’s registered in the Startup or Program class.
The below diagram shows a middleware request pipeline consisting of many delegates called one after another. Where black arrows mark the direction of execution. Each delegate in the diagram performs some operations before or after the next delegate.
26. What is caching and types of Catching in .NET?
Caching is a technique to store frequently accessed data temporarily in memory or a fast storage layer so that subsequent requests can retrieve it quickly instead of querying the database or performing expensive operations.
Types of Caching in .NET:
- In-Memory Caching: Stores data in server memory. Good for single-server apps.
- Distributed Caching: Stores data in external cache (e.g., Redis, SQL Server) for multiple servers.
- Response Caching: Caches HTTP responses in web applications to reduce repeated processing.
- Output Caching: Stores controller/view output to serve identical responses faster.
27. What is the Factory pattern in .NET?
Factory Pattern in C# is a creational design pattern that provides an interface for creating objects, but lets subclasses decide which class to instantiate. It encapsulates object creation, making the system more flexible and decoupled.
Benefits of Factory Pattern:
- Decouples object creation from client code.
- Easier to maintain and extend – add new types without changing client code
- Promotes code reuse and flexibility.
- Polymorphism – client can use interface without knowing the concrete class.
28. How do you implement unit testing in .NET?
Unit testing is the process of testing individual units or components of code (usually methods or classes) in isolation to ensure they work as expected.
Steps to Implement Unit Testing
- Create a Test Project: In Visual Studio: Add → New Project → xUnit Test Project.
- Write Test Cases: Use [Fact] (xUnit) for individual tests. Use [Theory] for parameterized tests.
- Mock Dependencies (if needed): Use Moq to simulate database, services, or external dependencies.
- Run Tests: Use Test Explorer in Visual Studio or dotnet test CLI command.
- Check Results: Ensure all tests pass; failing tests indicate bugs.
29. What is Blazor, and how does it work?
Blazor is a modern web framework by Microsoft that allows you to build interactive web applications using C# instead of JavaScript. It is part of the ASP.NET Core ecosystem and enables full-stack development in .NET. It uses C# for both client-side and server-side logic. Blazor compiles C# into WebAssembly (client-side) or runs on the server with SignalR.
- Client sends events to the server via SignalR.
- Server executes C# code and sends DOM updates back to the browser.
- C# code is compiled to WebAssembly.
- Runs entirely in the browser, interacting with DOM and APIs.
30. What is the role of NuGet in .NET?
NuGet is the official package manager for .NET. It allows developers to easily share, consume, and manage reusable libraries and dependencies in .NET applications.
- Dependency Management: Automatically resolves and installs required packages for a project.
- Version Control: Manages package versions to avoid conflicts.
- Reusable Components: Allows sharing of libraries across multiple projects.
- Integration: Works with Visual Studio, CLI (dotnet add package), and CI/CD pipelines.
- Central Repository: Accesses thousands of packages from the NuGet Gallery.
Advanced .NET Architect Interview Questions
Let's start Advanced .NET Architect Interview Questions,
31. How do you optimize performance in .NET applications?
You can optimize performance in .NET applications by:
- Efficient Coding:Write clean, memory-friendly code; avoid unnecessary object creation and heavy loops.
- Optimize Data Access: Use parameterized queries, stored procedures, connection pooling, and EF caching.
- Asynchronous Programming: Leverage async/await to free threads for I/O-bound operations.
- Caching: Use in-memory or distributed caches (Redis) for frequently accessed data.
- Right Collections: Choose the appropriate collection type and predefine capacity to reduce resizing overhead.
- Efficient Serialization: Use fast serializers like System.Text.Json and avoid deep object graphs.
32. What is Span and Memory?
Span<T> is astack-only type in C# that represents a contiguous region of memory, allowing efficient, allocation-free access and manipulation of arrays or memory slices.
33. How do you secure .NET applications?
- Authentication & Authorization: Use ASP.NET Identity, JWT, or OAuth2 for user authentication and role-based access control.
- Input Validation: Prevent SQL Injection, XSS, and other attacks by validating and sanitizing user input.
- Encryption: Encrypt sensitive data at rest (database) and in transit (HTTPS/TLS).
- Secure Configuration: Avoid storing secrets in code; use Azure Key Vault or environment variables.
- Logging & Auditing: Track security events and suspicious activity.
- Security Headers: Apply CSP, HSTS, X-Frame-Options, etc., for web apps.
34. What tools do you use for monitoring .NET apps?
- Application Insights (Azure): Cloud-based APM for real-time metrics, exceptions, and performance monitoring.
- dotTrace: CPU profiler to detect slow methods and performance bottlenecks.
- dotMemory: Memory profiler to identify leaks and optimize object usage.
- PerfView: Free Microsoft tool for CPU, memory, and GC analysis using ETW data.
- Logging Frameworks (Serilog, NLog, Log4Net): Capture logs for analysis and alerting.
- Prometheus + Grafana: Collect metrics and visualize them in dashboards for real-time monitoring.
35. What is Containerization with .NET.
Containerization is the process of packaging a .NET application along with its dependencies, libraries, and runtime into a lightweight, portable unit called a container. This ensures the application runs consistently across environments, from development to production.
36. What is gRPC, and when to use it in .NET?
gRPC (Google Remote Procedure Call) is a high-performance, open-source RPC framework that enables communication between client and server using protocol buffers (protobuf) for serialization. It supports multiple languages, streaming, and HTTP/2 for faster communication.
When to Use gRPC in .NET
- Microservices Communication: High-performance internal API calls between services.
- Real-time Streaming: For chat, telemetry, or live updates.
- Low-Latency Scenarios: When speed and efficiency are critical.
- Cross-Language Services: When clients and servers are implemented in different languages.
37. What is serverless computing in .NET?
Serverless computing allows developers to run .NET applications without managing the underlying servers. The cloud provider automatically handles scaling, provisioning, and infrastructure management, so you focus only on your code.
38. How do you ensure scalability in .NET apps?
Ensuring Scalability in .NET Applications:
- Use Asynchronous Programming: Leverage async/await for I/O-bound operations to free up threads and improve throughput.
- Implement Caching: Use in-memory caching (MemoryCache) or distributed caching (Redis) to reduce repeated database calls.
- Database Optimization: Optimize queries, use indexing, stored procedures, and connection pooling.
- Load Balancing: Distribute traffic across multiple server instances using load balancers.
- Microservices Architecture: Break the application into smaller, independent services that can scale individually.
39. What are emerging trends in .NET development?
5 key emerging trends in .NET development are:
- .NET MAUI for Cross-Platform Apps: Write once, run on Windows, Android, iOS, and macOS with a single codebase.
- Blazor Framework: Build interactive web apps using C# instead of JavaScript via WebAssembly and Blazor Server.
- Cloud-Native & Microservices: Growing use of Docker, Kubernetes, serverless, and gRPC for scalable .NET solutions.
- Minimal APIs & Performance: Lightweight APIs and runtime improvements in .NET 6/7/8 for faster applications.
- AI/ML with ML.NET: Seamless integration of AI features like predictions, sentiment analysis, and recommendations.
40. What is AOT compilation in .NET?
- Normally, .NET apps run with JIT, which compiles IL (Intermediate Language) to machine code on the fly.
- With AOT, the compilation happens at build/publish time, producing a self-contained native executable.
41. How do you implement rate limiting in ASP.NET Core?
In ASP.NET Core 7+, Microsoft introduced a built-in Rate Limiting Middleware, so you don’t need third-party libraries anymore.
Steps to Implement Rate Limiting in ASP.NET Core:
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.RateLimiting;
using System.Threading.RateLimiting;
var builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder(args);
// Configure rate limiting
builder.Services.AddRateLimiter(options =>
{
options.AddFixedWindowLimiter("Fixed", opt =>
{
opt.PermitLimit = 5; // Allow 5 requests
opt.Window = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(10); // In a 10-second window
opt.QueueProcessingOrder = QueueProcessingOrder.OldestFirst;
opt.QueueLimit = 2; // Requests beyond this get rejected
});
});
var app = builder.Build();
// Enable rate limiter
app.UseRateLimiter();
app.MapGet("/test", () => "Request successful")
.RequireRateLimiting("Fixed"); // Apply limiter to this endpoint
app.Run();
- Each client can only make 5 requests every 10 seconds.
- Extra requests get queued (up to 2).
- If the queue is full, the server returns HTTP 503 (Service Unavailable).
42. What is the role of appsettings.json in ASP.NET Core?
In ASP.NET Core, the appsettings.json file plays the role of a central configuration file for your application.
Role of appsettings.json:
- Stores Configuration Data: Holds key-value pairs for settings like database connections, logging, API keys, and environment-specific configs.
- Supports Hierarchical Settings: You can structure settings in a nested JSON format, making them easy to manage.
- Environment-Specific Configuration:ASP.NET Core supports files like appsettings.Development.json or appsettings.Production.json that override the default appsettings.json depending on the environment.
- Strongly Typed Binding: You can bind JSON sections to C# classes using the IOptions<T> pattern.
- Dynamic Reloading: Changes in appsettings.json can be reloaded at runtime (when configured with reloadOnChange: true).
43. What is the purpose of ConfigureAwait(false) in async methods?
- Writing library code (no assumptions about caller’s context).
- In ASP.NET Core apps (no synchronization context, so it reduces overhead).
- In background tasks where you don’t need UI/thread affinity.
44. What is Observability in .NET microservices (logging, tracing, metrics)?
- Logging: Logging captures runtime information, events, errors, and system behavior. It provides historical insights that help diagnose issues and understand application flow.
- Distributed Tracing: Distributed tracing tracks requests as they flow through multiple services. It helps visualize the journey of a request, measure latency, and identify bottlenecks.
- Metrics: Metrics are quantitative measurements of system health, performance, and resource usage. They provide insights into how well services are performing over time.
45. What is the Mediator pattern, and how is it used in .NET?
The Mediator pattern is a behavioral design pattern that reduces coupling between components by introducing a mediator object that handles communication between them. Instead of components communicating directly, they send messages to the mediator, which then coordinates the interaction.
It is Used in .NET by:
- Widely used in .NET applications to implement Command and Query Responsibility Segregation (CQRS).
- Components (commands or queries) don’t call each other directly; they pass through a mediator.
- MediatR is the most popular library for implementing the Mediator pattern.
- Supports commands, queries, and notifications in a decoupled way.
46. How do you design for eventual consistency in .NET microservices using event sourcing?
Eventual consistency ensures that, in a distributed system, all services eventually reach the same state, even if updates are not instantaneous.Event sourcing is a pattern where state changes are stored as a sequence of events instead of overwriting the current state. The current state is derived by replaying these events.Together, event sourcing and eventual consistency help maintain data integrity across microservices without synchronous blocking.
Use event sourcing where every state change is stored as an immutable event in an event store. Services publish these events asynchronously via a message broker (e.g., Kafka, Azure Service Bus), and other services subscribe and update their local state. This ensures eventual consistency across microservices, decouples services, and allows replaying events for auditing or recovery. Idempotent handlers and versioned events are used to handle failures and schema change
47. What is the difference between middleware and filters in ASP.NET Core?
Middleware is application-wide and processes every HTTP request in the pipeline, useful for cross-cutting concerns like logging or authentication. Filters run around specific MVC controller actions, letting you perform logic before or after an action executes, like authorization, validation, or exception handling
Aspect | Middleware | Filters |
Definition | Components in the request/response pipeline that can handle, modify, or terminate requests globally. | Components that execute before or after controller actions for specific endpoints |
Scope | Application-wide (all requests pass through the pipeline). | Controller or action-specific (can be applied selectively). |
Execution Order | Executes in the order they are registered in Program.cs. | Executes based on type (Authorization → Resource → Action → Exception → Result). |
Use Cases | Logging, authentication, error handling, routing, CORS, compression. | Authorization, validation, caching, exception handling, custom pre/post-processing for actions. |
Pipeline Type | Part of the HTTP request pipeline. | Part of the MVC action pipeline. |
Example | app.UseAuthentication(), app.UseCors(). | [Authorize], [ValidateModel], [ExceptionFilter]. |
48. What are Polly policies in .NET, and how do you use them for resilience?
Polly is a .NET library that provides resilience and transient-fault-handling capabilities for applications. A policy in Polly defines how your application should respond to failures like exceptions, timeouts, or HTTP errors.
- Retry: Automatically retries failed operations a specified number of times.
- Circuit Breaker: Stops calling a failing service temporarily to prevent cascading failures.
- Timeout: Cancels operations that take too long.
- Fallback: Provides a default response if the main operation fails.
- Bulkhead Isolation: Limits concurrent calls to prevent resource exhaustion.
- Cache: Caches results to avoid repeated calls to a failing service.
49. What is the difference between horizontal and vertical scaling in .NET applications?
Aspect | Vertical Scaling | Horizontal Scalling |
Definition | Adding more resources (CPU, RAM, storage) to a single server. | Adding more instances/servers of the application. |
Approach | Upgrade the existing machine. | Deploy multiple servers behind a load balancer. |
Cost & Limits | Limited by hardware capacity; can get expensive. | More flexible and cost-effective; easier to add/remove instances. |
Failure Impact | Single point of failure; if the server fails, app goes down. | Fault-tolerant; failure of one instance does not affect others. |
Example in .NET | Upgrading a VM running an ASP.NET Core API from 4GB to 16GB RAM. | Deploying multiple ASP.NET Core API instances on Azure App Service or Kubernetes pods behind a load balancer. |
Performance | Improves processing power for CPU/memory-bound tasks. | Improves throughput and load distribution for high traffic. |
50. How do you Implement Saga Pattern for Distributed Transactions in .NET Microservices?
Steps to Implement Saga Pattern in .NET
- Each microservice performs its own transaction independently.
- Example: OrderService deducts inventory, PaymentService processes payment.
- After each local transaction, publish an event to a message broker (e.g., RabbitMQ, Kafka, Azure Service Bus).
- Other microservices subscribe to these events and perform their local transactions.
- Example: InventoryService listens to OrderCreated event and reserves stock.
- If any step fails, trigger compensating transactions to rollback previous actions.
- Example: If payment fails, InventoryService cancels reserved stock.
- Orchestration: A central coordinator (Saga orchestrator) tells each service what to do.
- Choreography: Services react to events and coordinate themselves without a central controller.
Conclusion
Preparing for a .NET Architect interview requires a blend of deep technical knowledge, architectural thinking, and practical experience. A strong candidate should not only understand advanced .NET concepts, microservices design, cloud-native patterns, and API management but also be able to apply these concepts to build scalable, resilient, and maintainable systems.
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FAQs
- India: ₹15–35 LPA (depends on experience and location)
- USA: $120,000–$180,000 per year
- Designing scalable and secure .NET application architecture
- Making technology stack decisions and integration strategies
- Guiding development teams and code reviews
- Ensuring adherence to coding standards and design patterns