Benzene

Getting Started: Project Templates

Benzene.Templates is a dotnet new template pack with starter projects for every host Benzene supports out of the box: ASP.NET Core, AWS Lambda (API Gateway, SQS, SNS), Azure Functions, and a self-hosted Kafka worker. Each one generates a complete, buildable project with a single demo handler (HelloWorldMessageHandler) wired end to end — the fastest way to get a real Benzene service running before you write a line of your own code.

Prerequisites

1. Install the template pack

dotnet new install Benzene.Templates

One-time, per machine. Confirm it installed correctly:

dotnet new list --author Benzene

2. Generate a project

dotnet new benzene.asp -n MyOrderService -o ./MyOrderService
cd MyOrderService
dotnet build

Swap benzene.asp for any of the short names below. -n sets the project/namespace name (every occurrence of the placeholder gets renamed); -o sets the output directory.

Short name What it generates
benzene.asp ASP.NET Core service — no cloud account needed, the quickest way to try Benzene locally
benzene.aws.apigateway AWS Lambda triggered by API Gateway, with a SAM template.yaml
benzene.aws.sqs AWS Lambda triggered by an SQS queue
benzene.aws.sns AWS Lambda triggered by an SNS topic
benzene.azure.http Azure Functions (isolated worker), HTTP trigger
benzene.kafka.worker Self-hosted Kafka consumer (Confluent.Kafka), for a long-running worker/container

Every generated project has its own README.md with run/deploy instructions and links back to the matching getting-started guide for that host — the template gets you to a buildable starting point; the guide covers everything beyond it (validation, other event sources, testing, observability).

What you get

Every template (except benzene.kafka.worker, which is fire-and-forget by design — see its own README) generates the identical starter handler:

[Message("hello:world")]
[HttpEndpoint("GET", "/hello/{name}")]
public class HelloWorldMessageHandler : IMessageHandler<HelloWorldRequest, HelloWorldResponse>
{
    public Task<IBenzeneResult<HelloWorldResponse>> HandleAsync(HelloWorldRequest message)
    {
        var response = new HelloWorldResponse { Message = $"Hello {message.Name}!" };
        return Task.FromResult(BenzeneResult.Ok(response));
    }
}

That's deliberate — it's the same handler shape that runs unchanged behind every transport Benzene supports (see Getting Started's "core idea in 60 seconds"), so trying a second template after your first one feels familiar rather than like starting over.

Visual Studio

Not yet independently verified against a real Visual Studio 2026 install from this repo — confirm the exact click-path before treating this as final.

Templates installed via dotnet new install are expected to surface automatically in File → New → Project, without a separate Visual Studio extension:

  1. dotnet new install Benzene.Templates from any terminal (once).
  2. Visual Studio → File → New → Project → type "Benzene" in the search box.
  3. Pick a template (e.g. "Benzene AWS Lambda (API Gateway)"), name the project, choose a location, Create.

Rider

Not yet independently verified against a real Rider install from this repo — confirm the exact click-path before treating this as final.

JetBrains Rider is expected to discover dotnet new-installed templates directly, without a plugin:

  1. dotnet new install Benzene.Templates from a terminal (once) — Rider's own terminal panel works too.
  2. Rider → New Solution → search "Benzene" in the template list.
  3. Pick a template, configure the name/location, Create. If Rider was already open when you ran dotnet new install, reopen the New Solution dialog (or restart Rider) to pick up the newly-installed template.

Troubleshooting

See Also