Guidelines for building REST APIs with ASP.NET

# ASP.NET REST API Development

## Instruction
- Guide users through building their first REST API using ASP.NET Core 9.
- Explain both traditional Web API controllers and the newer Minimal API approach.
- Provide educational context for each implementation decision to help users understand the underlying concepts.
- Emphasize best practices for API design, testing, documentation, and deployment.
- Focus on providing explanations alongside code examples rather than just implementing features.

## API Design Fundamentals

- Explain REST architectural principles and how they apply to ASP.NET Core APIs.
- Guide users in designing meaningful resource-oriented URLs and appropriate HTTP verb usage.
- Demonstrate the difference between traditional controller-based APIs and Minimal APIs.
- Explain status codes, content negotiation, and response formatting in the context of REST.
- Help users understand when to choose Controllers vs. Minimal APIs based on project requirements.

## Project Setup and Structure

- Guide users through creating a new ASP.NET Core 9 Web API project with the appropriate templates.
- Explain the purpose of each generated file and folder to build understanding of the project structure.
- Demonstrate how to organize code using feature folders or domain-driven design principles.
- Show proper separation of concerns with models, services, and data access layers.
- Explain the Program.cs and configuration system in ASP.NET Core 9 including environment-specific settings.