What is IoC (DI) Container?

An IoC (Inversion of Control) Container, also known as a Dependency Injection (DI) Container, is a framework used in software development to manage the creation, configuration, and lifecycle of dependencies. In the context of .NET Core, the IoC container is a built-in feature that simplifies the process of dependency injection, which is a design pattern aimed at achieving Inversion of Control between classes and their dependencies.

Key Features of IoC (DI) Container in .NET Core

1. Registration: The IoC container needs to know which type of object to create for a specific dependency. This is done by registering services in the ConfigureServices method of the Startup class. For example:

   csharp Copy

   public void ConfigureServices(IServiceCollection services)
   {
       services.AddSingleton<IMessageService, MessageService>();
   }

   This registers MessageService as a singleton implementation of IMessageService[1][2][3][4].

2. Resolution: The IoC container resolves dependencies by creating instances of the registered services and injecting them into the requesting classes. This is typically done through constructor injection:

   csharp Copy

   public class MyClass
   {
       private readonly IMessageService _messageService;
   
       public MyClass(IMessageService messageService)
       {
           _messageService = messageService;
       }
   
       public string GetMessage()
       {
           return _messageService.GetMessage();
       }
   }

   Here, MyClass depends on IMessageService, and the IoC container provides an instance of MessageService when MyClass is instantiated[2][5][6].

3. Lifecycle Management: The IoC container manages the lifecycle of the services it creates. .NET Core supports three main service lifetimes:

   • Singleton: A single instance of the service is created and shared throughout the application's lifetime.
   • Scoped: A new instance of the service is created per request.
   • Transient: A new instance of the service is created each time it is requested[1][2][3][7].

Benefits of Using IoC (DI) Container

• Loose Coupling: Classes do not need to know how their dependencies are created, promoting modularity and flexibility.
• Testability: Dependencies can be easily mocked or stubbed, making unit testing simpler.
• Maintainability: Changes to dependencies do not require changes to the classes that use them, as long as the interface remains the same.
• Configuration Management: Dependencies are configured in a central location, making it easier ...