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Initialize Module Project - Skills Guide

Skill Type: Project Scaffolding & Modular Architecture
Technology Stack: .NET, ABP Framework, Entity Framework Core, MongoDB
Complexity Level: Intermediate
Last Updated: 2025

📋 Overview

Module template is used to develop reusable application modules or independent services. Modules are sub-applications consumed by your main project, and using them is a best practice for microservice solutions.

Key Capabilities

  • ✅ Reusable application modules
  • ✅ DDD-layered architecture
  • ✅ Multiple frontend support (MVC, Angular, Blazor)
  • ✅ Multiple database providers (EF Core, MongoDB)
  • ✅ Built-in test infrastructure
  • ✅ NuGet packaging support

Prerequisites

  • ABP CLI installed
  • .NET 9.0+ SDK
  • Visual Studio 2022+
  • NuGet package manager

🚀 Quick Start

Option 1: Using ABP CLI

The abp new command creates an ABP solution based on a template.

Available Frontends: MVC, Angular, Blazor
Available Database Providers: Entity Framework Core, MongoDB

abp new-module GridLab.Gmss.ModuleName -u mvc -d ef

Option 2: Using ABP Studio

ABP Studio provides a visual interface for module creation. An active internet connection is required for first access.

ABP Studio Create Module

📁 Solution Structure

Based on your selected options, the generated solution follows this structure:

Module Solution Structure

Folder Organization

Folder Purpose
src/ Module source code, layered per DDD principles
test/ Unit and integration tests

Project Dependency Diagram

ABP Layered Project Dependencies

🧪 Test Projects

The solution includes dedicated test projects for each layer:

Test Project Tests Description
.Domain.Tests Domain layer Entities, value objects, domain services
.Application.Tests Application layer Application services, DTOs
.EntityFrameworkCore.Tests EF Core Custom repositories, DB configuration
.MongoDB.Tests MongoDB Custom repositories, DB configuration
.TestBase Shared Base classes and utilities for all tests
.HttpApi.Client.ConsoleTestApp HTTP APIs Console app demonstrating API usage from .NET

Test Infrastructure Features

  • ✅ Fully integrated with ABP Framework and all application services
  • ✅ SQLite in-memory database for EF Core tests
  • ✅ Mongo2Go library for MongoDB tests (Mongo2Go)
  • ✅ Authorization disabled for easy service testing
  • ✅ Integration-first approach for comprehensive coverage

💡 Tip: You can still create unit tests with mock/fake objects for faster execution, though they require more setup effort.

⚠️ Note: Domain & Application tests use EF Core by default. If you remove EF Core or prefer MongoDB for these layers, manually update project references and module dependencies.

📦 NuGet Configuration

NuGet behavior is controlled by settings in NuGet.Config or nuget.config files. See Common NuGet Configurations for details.

Setup Steps

  1. Get a copy of NuGet.Config from the nuget-config project
  2. Place it under the project root directory
  3. Or create a new NuGet.Config manually

📚 Best Practices

✅ Do's

  • Follow DDD principles for layer separation
  • Keep modules focused on a single bounded context
  • Write integration tests for all application services
  • Use the .Contracts layer for shared types
  • Publish modules as NuGet packages for reuse
  • Use localization for all user-facing strings

❌ Don'ts

  • Don't create cross-layer dependencies that bypass the architecture
  • Don't include infrastructure concerns in the Domain layer
  • Don't skip test coverage for critical business logic
  • Don't hardcode configuration values

📖 Additional Resources