AutoFac with ASP.NET Web Forms - Dependency Injection

Описание: How to set up AutoFac Dependency Injection Container with the older .Net Framework Web Forms

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* Using AutoFac on Older .NET Framework Web Projects (ASP.NET WebForms Dependency Injection):*

In this video, we explore *how to use AutoFac with older ASP.NET WebForms projects* built on the **.NET Framework**.

If you’re maintaining or upgrading a legacy web application, you’ll know that *WebForms* didn’t come with a built-in dependency injection (DI) container. Unlike modern .NET frameworks like *ASP.NET MVC* or *Razor Pages**, developers using WebForms had to rely on **third-party DI containers* such as *AutoFac**, **Ninject**, or **Unity* to achieve clean dependency management and separation of concerns.

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🧠 What You’ll Learn

A *quick introduction to AutoFac* and its purpose as a dependency injection container.
Why *dependency injection* is important even for older *ASP.NET WebForms* applications.
How to *install and configure AutoFac* and *AutoFac.Web* using NuGet.
How to set up a *Composition Root* — a dedicated project to manage all your dependency registrations.
How to use *AutoFac* to inject services such as repositories, utility classes, and data access layers.
How to *resolve dependencies* inside a WebForm page using the *Page_Init* event.
Best practices to keep your DI configuration **scalable and maintainable**.

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⚙️ Key Setup Steps

1. Install *AutoFac* and *AutoFac.Web* via NuGet on:

Your *WebForms project*
The *Composition Root project*
Any *test projects* that use dependency injection

2. Register all dependencies in a single centralized place — your **Composition Root**.
This ensures all classes are instantiated in one location and reduces tight coupling.

3. Use a *utility class* to build and manage your AutoFac container.
This class can handle connection strings and create concrete repository instances.

4. In your WebForms pages, resolve dependencies in the *Page_Init* event — this approach works even on **older .NET Framework versions (up to 4.8)**.

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💡 Example in the Video

We demonstrate how to set up a simple *ProductManagementService* that depends on:

A *TimeProvider*
A *ProductDataAccessor (repository)*

Instead of manually creating new instances, *AutoFac* handles all dependency resolution automatically. This makes your code cleaner, easier to maintain, and simpler to test — especially as your classes evolve over time.

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🧩 Why Use Dependency Injection in Legacy Projects?

Even though *WebForms* is a legacy technology, many organizations still maintain and extend existing WebForms apps. Introducing DI using **AutoFac**:

Improves *testability*
Simplifies *maintenance*
Reduces *technical debt*
Allows better *scalability* as your codebase grows

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🧰 Tools & Frameworks Mentioned

ASP.NET WebForms (.NET Framework)
AutoFac
AutoFac.Web
Visual Studio
NuGet Package Manager

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📺 Related Topics

Dependency Injection in .NET Framework
AutoFac setup tutorial
ASP.NET WebForms lifecycle events
How to modernize legacy .NET applications
Building maintainable web applications


🔹 Watch the Full Series

1️⃣ *Series Overview and Topics*
👉 [   • ASP.NET - Web Forms. Basics Course - Intro...  ](   • ASP.NET - Web Forms. Basics Course - Intro...  )

2️⃣ *ASP.NET - Web Forms Quick Introduction*
👉 [   • ASP.NET - Web Forms. Quick Intro. Web Deve...  ](   • ASP.NET - Web Forms. Quick Intro. Web Deve...  )

3️⃣ *Web Forms in Visual Studio 2022*
👉 [   • How To Use ASP.NET - Web Forms in Visual S...  ](   • How To Use ASP.NET - Web Forms in Visual S...  )

4️⃣ *ASP.NET - Web Forms. Core Concepts*
👉 [   • ASP.NET - Web Forms. Core Concepts  ](   • ASP.NET - Web Forms. Core Concepts  )

5️⃣ *AutoFac Dependency Injection with Web Forms*
👉 [   • AutoFac with ASP.NET Web Forms - Dependenc...  ](   • AutoFac with ASP.NET Web Forms - Dependenc...  )

🎬 *Full Playlist:*
[   • ASP.NET - Web Forms. Basics  ](   • ASP.NET - Web Forms. Basics  )

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