Clean Architecture in .NET 8: A 2026 Starter Template with 4 Projects, EF Core, and JWT Auth

Short summary

Experienced developer shares a .NET 8 starter template implementing Clean Architecture across four projects—API, Application, Infrastructure, and Domain—with strict dependency direction. The template includes JWT auth, EF Core, Docker, xUnit tests, and CI integration. Key insight: business logic belongs on domain entities themselves, not in services, enabling unit testing without database dependencies and enforcing invariants at the class level.

• •Four-project structure (API → Application → Infrastructure → Domain) with compiler-enforced dependency direction
• •Domain entities encapsulate business logic and invariants—DecreaseStock() validates on the object, not in services
• •MIT-licensed GitHub template includes JWT, EF Core, Docker, xUnit, and CI; no database required for unit tests

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