In the ever-evolving tech landscape, this week’s reading notes blend cutting-edge tools with timeless insights. From Python’s growing role in .NET ecosystems to hands-on experiments with AI-powered data ingestion, there’s plenty to explore. Meanwhile, reflections on community, confidence, and finding our “second place” in a fast-paced world add a human touch. Jump into how developers are pushing boundaries, embracing new editors, and learning that growth starts with choosing courage, even when it’s scary.
Trying out the Zed editor on Windows for .NET and Markdown (Andrew Lock) - I heard of Zed and was planning to try it, but this post saved me some time. The current unsupported razor pages is a show-stopper for me. But maybe later, if things changed.
Podcasts
The 4 ways to rebuild your "second place" for belonging (Modern Mentor) - Did it all start because of a TV show?! Nevertheless, an interesting episode to help us find our spot and make those "first day work buddy" a better experience.
All good things must come to an end (Salma Alam Maylor) - I totally understand, but it is sad news to see her go out of the streaming business. She is amazing, I'm sure she's still rocks whatever she does.
Ever wished you could ask AI from anywhere without needing an interface? Imagine just typing ? and your question in any terminal the moment it pops into your head, and getting the answer right away! In this post, I explain how I wrote a tiny shell script that turns this idea into reality, transforming the terminal into a universal AI client. You can query Reka, OpenAI, or a local Ollama model from any editor, tab, or pipeline—no GUI, no heavy clients, no friction.
Small, lightweight, and surprisingly powerful: once you make it part of your workflow, it becomes indispensable.
There is almost always a terminal within reach—embedded in your editor, sitting in a spare tab, or already where you live while building, debugging, and piping data around. So why break your flow to open a separate chat UI? I wanted to just type a single character (?) plus my question and get an answer right there. No window hopping. No heavy client.
How It Works
The trick is delightfully small: send a single JSON POST request to whichever AI provider you feel like (Reka, OpenAI, Ollama locally, etc.):
# Example: Reka
curl https://api.reka.ai/v1/chat
-H "X-Api-Key: <API_KEY>"
-d {
"messages": [
{
"role": "user",
"content": "What is the origin of thanksgiving?"
}
],
"model": "reka-core",
"stream": false
}
# Example: Ollama local
curl http://127.0.0.1:11434/api/chat
-d {
"model": "llama3",
"messages": [
{
"role": "user",
"content": "What is the origin of thanksgiving?"
}],
"stream": false
}
Once we get the response, we extract the answer field from it. A thin shell wrapper turns that into a universal “ask” verb for your terminal. Add a short alias (?) and you have the most minimalist AI client imaginable.
Let's go into the details
Let me walk you through the core script step-by-step using reka-chat.sh, so you can customize it the way you like. Maybe this is a good moment to mention that Reka has a free tier that's more than enough for this. Go grab your key—after all, it's free!
The script (reka-chat.sh) does four things:
Captures your question
Loads an API key from ~/.config/reka/api_key
Sends a JSON payload to the chat endpoint with curl.
Extracts the answer using jq for clean plain text.
1. Capture Your Question
This part of the script is a pure laziness hack. I wanted to save keystrokes by not requiring quotes when passing a question as an argument. So ? What is 32C in F works just as well as ? "What is 32C in F".
if [ $# -eq 0 ]; then
if [ ! -t 0 ]; then
QUERY="$(cat)"
else
exit 1
fi
else
QUERY="$*"
fi
2. Load Your API Key
If you're running Ollama locally you don't need any key, but for all other AI providers you do. I store mine in a locked-down file at ~/.config/reka/api_key, then read and trim trailing whitespace like this:
Finally, we parse the JSON response with jq to pull out just the answer text. If jq isn't installed we display the raw response, but a formatted answer is much nicer. If you are customizing for another provider, you may need to adjust the JSON path here. You can add echo "$RESPONSE" >> data_sample.json to the script to log raw responses for tinkering.
Now that we have the script, make it executable with chmod +x reka-chat.sh, and let's add an alias to your shell config to make it super easy to use. Add one line to your .zshrc or .bashrc that looks like this:
alias \\?=\"$REKA_CHAT_SCRIPT\"
Because ? is a special character in the shell, we escape it with a backslash. After adding this line, reload your shell configuration with source ~/.zshrc or source ~/.bashrc, and you are all set!
The Result
Now you can ask questions directly from your terminal. Wanna know what is origin of Thanksgiving, ask it like this:
? What is the origin of Thanksgiving
And if you want to keep the quotes, please you do you!
Extra: Web research
I couldn't stop there! Reka also supports web research, which means it can fetch and read web pages to provide more informed answers. Following the same pattern described previously, I wrote a similar script called reka-research.sh that sends a request to Reka's research endpoint. This obviously takes a bit more time to answer, as it's making different web queries and processing them, but the results are often worth the wait—and they are up to date! I used the alias ?? for this one.
On the GitHub repository, you can find both scripts (reka-chat.sh and reka-research.sh) along with a script to create the aliases automatically. Feel free to customize them to fit your workflow and preferred AI provider. Enjoy the newfound superpower of instant AI access right from your terminal!
What's Next?
With this setup, the possibilities are endless. Reka supports questions related to audio and video, which could be interesting to explore next. The project is open source, so feel free to contribute or suggest improvements. You can also join the Reka community on Discord to share your experiences and learn from others.
Here’s a compact roundup of links and highlights I found interesting this week. You’ll find updates on Git, Chrome DevTools tips, C# 14 and .NET 10 coverage, Blazor upgrade notes, a practical Copilot + Visual Studio guide, plus a few useful tools and AI announcements. Enjoy, and tell me which item you want me to explore next.
Highlights from Git 2.52 (Taylor Blau) - I'm probably repeating myself, but I'm so surprised how little I know this fantastic tool. This post shares the last update, it's all very impressive.
Introducing C# 14 - .NET Blog (Bill Wagner) - You would think that at version 14, there's not much to add or change? Well you couldn't be more wrong be prepared for a long and detailed post.
Blazor and .NET 10: Breaking Changes, Fixes, and New Features (Simon Foster) - There's always a little risk when you're upgrading to a new version. Of course, .NET 10 could bring some... In this post, the author shares a problem had and the link where he found the breaking changes good read
Release v3.2.0 · basecamp/omarchy (basecamp team) - Nice! A lot of fixes and some nice new features: Ghostty new default (I was already using it), new key bindings (looking forward to try the workspace-related ones), and a new project named: try... Ooh! I love it!
Miscellaneous
ZoomIt v9.21 | Microsoft Community Hub (Alex Mihaiuc) - If you are on Windows, please do you do yourself a favour and try Zoom it. Since I switched to Mac and Linux, it's the thing that I miss the most.
This week explores the synergy between Dapr and WebAssembly for modern microservices, highlights the transformative potential of Wasm 3.0 for .NET developers, and delves into best practices for structuring Rust web services. In the AI realm, we examine the emergence of developer-friendly AI frameworks like Microsoft’s Agent Framework and Google’s Jules Tools, which bridge AI capabilities directly into terminals and workflows. Additionally, we examine AI obfuscation techniques and their implications, alongside updates on Perplexity’s free Comet AI browser and its new background assistant. Whether you’re building scalable systems, optimizing code, or integrating cutting-edge AI tools, this post offers a snapshot of trends shaping tech today.
Obfuscation for AI: How it Works, Best Practices, and Metrics – PreEmptive (preemptive) - It's been a while since I last used a station in my code because I'm doing demos most of the time, but it always fascinated me. I feel I should try it with AI, it looks very interesting and powerful. This post shares a lot about what's possible, the risk, and so much more
Sharing my Reading Notes is a habit I started a long time ago, where I share a list of all the articles, blog posts, and books that catch my interest during the week.
This week post explores the intersection of AI, cloud, and DevOps, featuring updates on Microsoft’s Logic Apps integration, practical .NET tools for system automation, and strategies to enhance documentation for AI-driven workflows. Whether you’re refining enterprise security practices with NuGet’s Trusted Publishing or diving into the ethical nuances of AI through vector databases, this post offers a blend of technical deep dives and thought-provoking discussions. Don’t miss the podcast highlights, from DevOps innovation to the business impact of employee well-being, perfect for developers, architects, and curious minds alike. Let’s connect the dots in a world where code, creativity, and collaboration drive progress.
Prompt Files and Instructions Files Explained - .NET Blog (Wendy Breiding) - One question I often hear is how can I tell Copilot the standard and conventions my enterprise uses. Well, now I can send them to this post. Well done!
ohn Bristowe: The Latest from Octopus Deploy - Episode 368 (Azure & DevOps Podcast) - Loved this episode, I don't know a lot about Octopus. Discussing deployment pipelines, AI integration in DevOps, and the evolution from manual weekend deployments to automated, reliable workflows.
The business case for employee well-being (Modern Mentor) - Really enjoyed this episode on how workplace wellbeing isn't just about perks but building better work systems that boost both results and employee experience
Sharing my Reading Notes is a habit I started a long time ago, where I share a list of all the articles, blog posts, and books that catch my interest during the week.
Welcome to another edition of my reading notes! This week I've gathered some interesting finds across programming, AI, and general tech topics. From exciting Cake updates to practical AI implementation advice, here are the articles that caught my attention recently.
Programming
Cake.Sdk 5.0.25257.82-beta released (devlead) - I'm happy to see the new release of this cake version coming to a recent .NET version. I have one of my projects using cake, and I was waiting for it; this is amazing
AI
Performance Improvements in .NET 10 (Stephen Toub) - There's a lot of good advice in this post. Assuming you're using AI you should definitely read it
Sharing my Reading Notes is a habit I started a long time ago, where I share a list of all the articles, blog posts, and books that catch my interest during the week.
In this edition, we explore modern development's evolving landscape. From Microsoft's .NET Aspire simplifying distributed applications to AI security considerations, Git workflow optimizations, and backlog management strategies, there's something here to spark your next breakthrough.
The tech world never sleeps, and neither does innovation. Let's explore what caught my attention this week and might just spark your next big idea or solve that problem you've been wrestling with.
Identity and Access Management for .NET (Khalid Abuhakmeh) - This package looks very interesting to add multiple handlers to an HTTP client. The first question that pops in my mind is why this is not already in .NET, I think it should. I'll definitely give it a try.
AI Injection Attacks (ericlaw) - Great post that talks about the current risk when using AI and how we should try to do our best to protect the important information.
How to Get Things Done, Stay Focused, and Be More Productive (The Mel Robbins Podcast) - This compelling episode (available in audio and video) takes a fresh approach to productivity. Having read their books, I found the conversation particularly engaging and highly recommend it.
Welcome to another edition of my weekly reading notes! This week's collection brings together some fascinating developments across the tech landscape. From the intricacies of building cross-platform .NET tools to impressive AI breakthroughs like Warp's stellar performance on SWE-bench, there's plenty to explore. I've also discovered some thought-provoking content about leadership, product management, and the art of meaningful communication. Whether you're interested in the latest AI tools, looking for career insights, or simply want to stay current with industry trends, this week's selection has something valuable for every developer and tech professional.
Programming
Using and authoring .NET tools (Andrew Lock) - Interesting post that shares the behind-the-scenes when you're building a tool for multiple targets and the challenge that it represents. Those also share the new ways of .NET 10
Design at GitHub with Diana Mounter (.NET Rocks!) - Very interesting, discussion about so many things: career, the balance between design and engineering, GitHub, and so much more.
How to Lead with Value with Dr. Morgan Depenbusch (How to Lead with Value with Dr. Morgan Depenbusch) - I really enjoyed this episode about the little things we can do to shift the way we interact with others.
Sharing my Reading Notes is a habit I started a long time ago, where I share a list of all the articles, blog posts, and books that catch my interest during the week.
This week's reading notes cover a variety of insightful topics, from enhancing your development environment with dev containers on Windows to prioritizing open-source bugs effectively. You'll also find helpful posts on integrating MFA into your login process, exploring RavenDB's vector search capabilities, and understanding the differences between Ask Mode and Agent Mode in Visual Studio.
Why You Should Incorporate MFA into Your Login Process (Suzanne Scacca) - You think the answer is simple, think again. Nice post that explains the difference between 2FA and MFA and why you should or should not implement one of those
Aspire Dashboard (Joseph Guadagno) - Great deep dive about the Aspire dashboard, learn all the features packed inside it
Open Source
How I Prioritize OSS Bugs (jeremydmiller) - A very instructive post on a real-life issue. It's harder than people think to prioritize. And it may help you write better bug reports...
MCP server integration in Visual Studio (Mark Downie) - Great update! That security stuff is very important and a good example using get up to store your tokens love it
Sharing my Reading Notes is a habit I started a long time ago, where I share a list of all the articles, blog posts, and books that catch my interest during the week.
Recently, someone asked me an interesting question: "Can GitHub Copilot or AI help me convert an application from one language to another?" My answer was a definitive yes! AI can not only help you write code in a new language, but it can also improve team collaboration and bridge the knowledge gap between developers who know different programming languages.
To demonstrate this capability, I decided to convert a COBOL application to Java—a perfect test case since I don't know either language well, which means I really needed Copilot to do the heavy lifting. All the code is available on GitHub.
The first step was setting up a proper development environment. I used a dev container and asked Copilot to help me build it. I also asked for recommendations on the best VS Code extensions for Java development. Within just a few minutes, I had a fully configured environment ready for Java development.
Choosing the Right Copilot Agent
When working with GitHub Copilot for code conversion, you have different mode to choose from:
Ask: Great for general questions (like asking about Java extensions)
Edit: Perfect for simple document editing (like modifying the generated code)
Agent: The powerhouse for complex tasks involving multiple files, imports, and structural changes
For code conversion projects, the Agent is your best friend. It can look at different source files, understand project structure, edit code, and even create new files on your behalf.
The Conversion Process
I used Claude 3.5 Sonnet for this conversion. Here's the simple prompt I used:
"Convert this hello business COBOL application into Java"
Copilot didn't just convert the code, it also provided detailed information about how to execute the Java application, which was invaluable since I had no Java experience.
The results varied depending on the AI model used (Claude, GPT, Gemini, etc.), but the core functionality remained consistent across different attempts. Since the original application was simple, I converted it multiple times using different prompts and models to test the consistency. Sometimes it generated a single file, other times it created multiple files: a main application and an Employee class (which wasn't in my original COBOL version). Sometimes it updated the Makefile to allow compilation and execution using make, while other times it provided instructions to use javac and java commands directly.
This variability is expected with generative AI results will differ between runs, but the core functionality remains reliable.
Real-World Challenges
Of course, the conversion wasn't perfect on the first try. For example, I encountered runtime errors when executing the application. The issue was with the data format—the original file used a flat file format with fixed length records (19 characters per record) and no line breaks.
I went back to Copilot, highlighted the error message from the terminal, and provided additional context about the 19 character record format. This iterative approach is key to successful AI assisted conversion.
"It's not working as expected, check the error in #terminalSelection. The records have fixed length of 19 characters without line breaks. Adjust the code to handle this format"
The Results
After the iterative improvements, my Java application successfully:
Compiled without errors
Processed all employee records
Generated a report with employee data
Calculated total salary (a nice addition that wasn't in the original)
While the output format wasn't identical to the original COBOL version (missing leading zeros, different line spacing), the core functionality was preserved.
Video Demonstration
Watch the complete conversion process in action:
Best Practices for AI-Assisted Code Conversion
Based on this experience, here are my recommendations:
1. Start with Small Pieces
Don't try to convert thousands of lines at once. Break your conversion into manageable modules or functions.
2. Set Up Project Standards
Consider creating a .github folder at your project root with an instructions.md file containing:
Best practices for your target language
Patterns and tools to use
Specific versions and frameworks
Enterprise standards to follow
3. Stay Involved in the Process
You're not just a spectator - you're an active participant. Review the changes, test the output, and provide feedback when things don't work as expected.
4. Iterate and Improve
Don't expect perfection on the first try. In my case, the converted application worked but produced slightly different output formatting. This is normal and expected, after all you are converting between two different languages with different conventions and styles.
Can AI Really Help with Code Conversion?
Absolutely, yes! GitHub Copilot can significantly:
Speed up the conversion process
Help with syntax and language specific patterns
Provide guidance on running and compiling the target language
Bridge knowledge gaps between team members
Generate supporting files and documentation
However, remember that it's generative AI, results will vary between runs, and you shouldn't expect identical output every time.
Final Thoughts
GitHub Copilot is definitely a tool you need in your toolkit for conversion projects. It won't replace the need for human oversight and testing, but it will dramatically accelerate the process and help teams collaborate more effectively across different programming languages.
The key is to approach it as a collaborative process where AI does the heavy lifting while you provide guidance, context, and quality assurance. Start small, iterate often, and don't be afraid to ask for clarification or corrections when the output isn't quite right.
Have you tried using AI for code conversion? I'd love to hear about your experiences in the comments below! Visit c5m.ca/copilot to get started with GitHub Copilot.
Welcome to the 655th Reading Notes. This edition explores embedding Python in .NET, working with stacked git branches, and an introduction to cloud-native. Plus, a quick tip for the Azure Portal and using local AI for code reviews.
Introduction to Cloud Native Computing (TNS Staff) - Very complete and interesting article that is the perfect point to get started with clout native application covering what it is the strategy the architecture everything
Sharing my Reading Notes is a habit I started a long time ago, where I share a list of all the articles, blog posts, and books that catch my interest during the week.
Welcome to Reading Notes #653 another packed edition of insights, tools, and updates from the tech world! This week's roundup dives into legendary engineering wisdom, AI controversies, and the latest innovations in Docker, Azure, and VS Code. Whether you're exploring MCP, refining your scripting skills, or gearing up for the newest Azure Developer CLI release, there's something here for every developer.
Let’s get into it!
Cloud
Azure Developer CLI (azd) - June 2025 (Kristen Womack) - Love that tool, great updates, so many new features and improvements in this version, very looking forward to try all of them, turning them all
AI
Publishing AI models to Docker Hub (Kevin Wittek) - Running model locally is a lot of people are looking forward to it, so this is good news can't wait to try it
As developers, we're constantly looking for tools that can help us stay in the flow and be more productive. Today, I want to share a powerful tool that's been gaining traction in the developer community: GitKraken CLI. This command-line interface brings together several key features that modern developers love - it's AI-powered, terminal-based, and incredibly efficient for managing Git workflows.
GitKraken CLI (accessible via the gk command) stands out because it simplifies complex Git workflows while adding intelligent automation. Unlike traditional Git commands, it provides a more intuitive workflow management system that can handle multiple repositories simultaneously.
Getting Started
Installation is straightforward. On Windows, you can install it using:
winget install gitkraken.cli
Once installed, you'll have access to the gk command, which becomes your gateway to streamlined Git operations.
The Workflow in Action
Let's walk through a typical development session using GitKraken CLI:
1. Starting a Work Session
Instead of manually creating branches and switching contexts, you can start a focused work session:
gk w start "Add Behind my Cloud feed" -i "Add Behind my Cloud feed #1"
This single command:
Creates a new branch based on your issue/feature name
Switches to that branch automatically
Links the work session to a specific issue
Sets up your development environment for focused work
2. Managing Multiple Work Sessions
You can easily see all your active work sessions:
gk w list
This is particularly powerful when working across multiple repositories or juggling several features simultaneously.
3. Committing with Intelligence
After making your changes, adding files works as expected:
gk add .
But here's where the AI magic happens. Instead of writing commit messages manually:
gk w commit --ai
The AI analyzes your changes and generates meaningful, descriptive commit messages automatically. No more "quick fix" or "update stuff" commits!
4. Pushing and Creating Pull Requests
Publishing your work is equally streamlined:
gk w push
And when you're ready to create a pull request:
gk w pr create --ai
Again, AI assistance helps generate appropriate PR titles and descriptions based on your work.
5. Wrapping Up
Once your work is complete and merged, clean up is simple:
gk w end
This command:
Switches you back to the main branch
Deletes the feature branch, locally and on GitHub
Closes the work session
Leaves your repository clean and ready for the next task
Why This Matters
The beauty of GitKraken CLI lies in its ability to keep you in the zone. You don't need to:
Switch between multiple tools
Remember complex Git commands
Write commit messages from scratch
Manually manage branch lifecycle
Everything flows naturally from one command to the next, maintaining your focus on what matters most: writing code.
Multi-Repository Power
One of the standout features is GitKraken CLI's ability to manage multiple repositories simultaneously. This is invaluable for:
Microservices architectures
Full-stack applications with separate frontend/backend repos
Organizations with multiple related projects
Try It Yourself
GitKraken CLI is part of a broader suite of developer tools that GitKraken offers. The CLI itself is free to use, which makes it easy to experiment with and integrate into your workflow without any upfront commitment. If you find value in the CLI and want to explore their other tools, GitKraken has various products that might complement your development setup.
The learning curve is genuinely minimal since it builds on Git concepts you already know while adding helpful automation. I've found that even small workflow improvements can compound over time, especially when you're working on multiple projects or dealing with frequent context switching.
If you're curious about what else GitKraken offers beyond the CLI, you can explore their full product lineup here. For those who decide the Pro features would benefit their workflow, as an ambassador of GitKraken I can share my code to provide a 50% discount for your GitKraken Pro subscription.
The combination of AI assistance and intuitive commands addresses real pain points that many developers face daily. Whether GitKraken CLI becomes a core part of your toolkit will depend on your specific workflow, but it's worth trying given that it's free and takes just a few minutes to set up.
The best tools are the ones that get out of your way and let you focus on building. GitKraken CLI aims to do exactly that.
It's time for another edition of Reading Notes! This week brings exciting developments in the open source world, with major announcements from Microsoft making WSL and VS Code's AI features open source. We've also got updates on Azure Container Apps, .NET Aspire, and some great insights on developer productivity tools.
Let's dive into these interesting reads that caught my attention this week.
Cloud
Happy 5th Birthday Bicep! (Sam Cogan) - What?! Five years already! That's incredible, I remember all the discussion about how we make our business better and honestly, bicep is a big success. Congrats to the team
Have I Been Pwned 2.0 is Now Live! (Troy Hunt) - New look, new merch, and confetti, all without API breaking changes! Learn all about this major update in this post.
What's new in .NET Aspire 9.3 (David Pine) - Wow! How so many great new features can be added in a single version?! Aspire is a must for all .NET developers.
Accelerate Your .NET Upgrades with GitHub Copilot (McKenna Barlow) - That's the tool I've been waiting for ages! Adding a Copilot to the extension is the smartest move they could make. I'm going to update an app right away. I'll share more later
Open Source
Edit is now open source (Christopher Nguyen) - That's a great news! I installed it half through the post and it great! Fast, simple, and tiny!! Love it!
Agent mode for every developer (Katie Savage) - Great new for everyone as the agent mode become available in so many different editor. This post also contains videos to shows some scenarios.
Podcasts
Reimagining the Windows Terminal with Warp's Zach Lloyd (Scott Hanselman) - A very interesting talk with the CEO of Warp that answers so many questions I had about this very different terminal. Really interesting episode, and terminal too BTW)
The experience is enough (Salma Alam-Naylor) - Whether we like it or not, we are people creature. We all need to stop hiding behind our screens and get out there!
Automating deployments is something I always enjoy. However, it's true that it often takes more time than a simple "right-click deploy." Plus, you may need to know different technologies and scripting languages.
But what if there was a tool that could help you write everything you need—Infrastructure as Code (IaC) files, scripts to copy files, and scripts to populate a database? In this post, we'll explore how the Azure Developer CLI (azd) can make deployments much easier.
What do we want to do?
Our goal: Deploy the 2D6 Dungeon App to Azure Container Apps.
This .NET Aspire solution includes:
A frontend
A data API
A database
The Problem
In a previous post, we showed how azd up can easily deploy web apps to Azure.
If we try the same command for this solution, the deployment will be successful—but incomplete:
The .NET Blazor frontend is deployed perfectly.
However, the app fails when trying to access data.
Looking at the logs, we see the database wasn't created or populated, and the API container fails to start.
Let's look more closely at these issues.
The Database
When running the solution locally, Aspire creates a MySQL container and executes SQL scripts to create and populate the tables. This is specified in the AppHost project:
var mysql = builder.AddMySql("sqlsvr2d6")
.WithLifetime(ContainerLifetime.Persistent);
var db2d6 = mysql.AddDatabase("db2d6");
mysql.WithInitBindMount(source: "../../database/scripts", isReadOnly: false);
When MySQL starts, it looks for SQL files in a specific folder and executes them. Locally, this works because the bind mount is mapped to a local folder with the files.
However, when deployed to Azure:
The mounts are created in Azure Storage Files
The files are missing!
The Data API
This project uses Data API Builder (dab). Based on a single config file, a full data API is built and hosted in a container.
Locally, Aspire creates a DAB container and reads the JSON config file to create the API. This is specified in the AppHost project:
var dab = builder.AddDataAPIBuilder("dab", ["../../database/dab-config.json"])
.WithReference(db2d6)
.WaitFor(db2d6);
But once again, when deployed to Azure, the file is missing. The DAB container starts but fails to find the config file.
The Solution
The solution is simple: the SQL scripts and DAB config file need to be uploaded into Azure Storage Files during deployment.
You can do this by adding a post-provision hook in the azure.yaml file to execute a script that uploads the files. See an example of a post-provision hook in this post.
Alternatively, you can leverage azd alpha features: azd.operations and infraSynth.
azd.operations extends the provisioning providers and will upload the files for us.
infraSynth generates the IaC files for the entire solution.
💡Note: These features are in alpha and subject to change.
Each azd alpha feature can be turned on individually. To see all features:
azd config list-alpha
To activate the features we need:
azd config set alpha.azd.operations on
azd config set alpha.infraSynth on
Let's Try It
Once the azd.operation feature is activated, any azd up will now upload the files into Azure. If you check the database, you'll see that the db2d6 database was created and populated. Yay!
However, the DAB API will still fail to start. Why? Because, currently, DAB looks for a file, not a folder, when it starts. This can be fixed by modifying the IaC files.
One Last Step: Synthesize the IaC Files
First, let's synthesize the IaC files. These Bicep files describe the required infrastructure for our solution.
With the infraSynth feature activated, run:
azd infra synth
You'll now see a new infra folder under the AppHost project, with YAML files matching the container names. Each file contains the details for creating a container.
Open the dab.tmpl.yaml file to see the DAB API configuration. Look for the volumeMounts section. To help DAB find its config file, add subPath: dab-config.json to make the binding more specific:
You can also specify the scaling minimum and maximum number of replicas if you wish.
Now that the IaC files are created, azd will use them. If you run azd up again, the execution time will be much faster—azd deployment is incremental and only does "what changed."
The Final Result
The solution is now fully deployed:
The database is there with the data
The API works as expected
You can use your application!
Bonus: Deploying with CI/CD
Want to deploy with CI/CD? First, generate the GitHub Action (or Azure DevOps) workflow with:
azd pipeline config
Then, add a step to activate the alpha feature before the provisioning step in the azure-dev.yml file generated by the previous command.
- name: Extends provisioning providers with azd operations
run: azd config set alpha.azd.operations on
With these changes, and assuming the infra files are included in the repo, the deployment will work on the first try.
Conclusion
It's exciting to see how tools like azd are shaping the future of development and deployment. Not only do they make the developer's life easier today by automating complex tasks, but they also ensure you're ready for production with all the necessary Infrastructure as Code (IaC) files in place. The journey from code to cloud has never been smoother!
If you have any questions or feedback, I'm always happy to help—just reach out on your favorite social media platform.
Welcome to this week's reading notes! Dive into the latest on Microsoft's new AI chat template, explore Docker's MCP CLI, learn about integrating AI into .NET applications, and discover how to automate .NET MAUI library publishing with GitHub Actions.
Whether you're interested in AI advancements, programming techniques, or DevOps practices, there's something valuable waiting for you below.
MsDevMtl Meetup - Uno
Suggestion of the week
Exploring the new AI chat template (Andrew Lock) - This new .NET template looks pretty useful and has a lot of components already baked in. This post explains those and shows how to customize it for our usage.
Sharing my Reading Notes is a habit I started a long time ago, where I share a list of all the articles, blog posts, and books that catch my interest during the week.
Sharing my Reading Notes is a habit I started a long time ago, where I share a list of all the articles, blog posts, and books that catch my interest during the week.
If you have interesting content, share it!
Cloud
Azure Developer CLI (azd) - March 2025 - The azd CLI just got better, with some new features, improved error messages, and of course bug fixes. Don't forget to update your version.
.NET Aspire and Dev Container (Laurent Kempé) - DevContainers are really a game changer. You don't have to be a container guru to use it, and it will make a dev environment constant everywhere on any device.
In this edition of my Reading Notes, I've curated some fascinating content that spans across programming, creativity, and enlightening podcasts. Whether you're eager to enhance your coding skills, explore unique ideas, or stay updated with the latest in the tech world, there's something here for everyone.
Dive in and enjoy these insightful reads and discussions!
Abstract vs Interface: Deep dive (Serhii Korol) - You probably know the difference between those two just like me, but do you know how the code is interpreted that's very interesting.
Sharing my Reading Notes is a habit I started a long time ago, where I share a list of all the articles, blog posts, and books that catch my interest during the week.
If you have interesting content, share it!
This week Reading Notes, covers various topics in programming and databases. Discover the latest ASP.NET Core release, the importance of clear error messages, and coding with voice commands. Learn about new features in Azure EasyAuth and Microsoft Entra Authentication for Azure PostgreSQL. We also bid farewell to Azure Data Studio as it moves to VS Code extensions.
The Importance of Good Error Messages (jdanton1) - I cannot agree more with the idea! How many of us have lost hours trying to figure out what was the error because the description wasn't clear!
Azure Data Studio Retirement | Microsoft Community Hub (carlosrobles) - I used in love Azure Data Studio and I'm a little bit sad to see it go away but I think it's for the best since all the functionality will be now available in vs code extension
Sharing my Reading Notes is a habit I started a long time ago, where I share a list of all the articles, blog posts, and books that catch my interest during the week.
This edition of ReadingNotes covers new AI tools, WSL updates, .NET 9 features, and debugging tips with GitHub Copilot. Plus, insightful podcasts on .NET Aspire, productivity tools, and frontend engineering.
Sharing my Reading Notes is a habit I started a long time ago, where I share a list of all the articles, blog posts, and books that catch my interest during the week.
