wshaddix/dotnet-skills/validation-patterns

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Comprehensive validation patterns for ASP.NET Core applications. Covers FluentValidation integration, DataAnnotations, IValidatableObject, IValidateOptions<T>, MediatR pipeline behavior, and client-side validation. Use when implementing validation in ASP.NET Core applications, setting up FluentValidation, creating custom validators, configuring options validation, or implementing cross-field validation.

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npx vskill@latest install wshaddix/dotnet-skills/validation-patterns

SKILL.md

Validation Patterns in ASP.NET Core

Rationale

Validation is critical for both security and user experience. Poor validation leads to invalid data, security vulnerabilities, and confusing error messages. These patterns provide a comprehensive approach to validation at multiple layers.

Validation Strategy

LayerPurposeTechnology
Client-SideImmediate feedback, reduce server loadjQuery Validation, HTML5
Model BindingData type/format validationModel Binders
ApplicationBusiness rule validationFluentValidation, DataAnnotations
ConfigurationStartup validationIValidateOptions<T>
DatabaseConstraint enforcementEF Core Configurations

Validation Approach Decision Tree

Choose the validation approach based on complexity:

  1. DataAnnotations (default) -- declarative [Required], [Range], [StringLength], [RegularExpression] attributes. Best for simple property-level constraints.
  2. `IValidatableObject` -- implement Validate() for cross-property rules. Best for date range comparisons, conditional required fields.
  3. Custom `ValidationAttribute` -- subclass ValidationAttribute for reusable property-level rules.
  4. `IValidateOptions<T>` -- validate configuration/options classes at startup with access to DI services.
  5. FluentValidation -- third-party library for complex, testable validation with fluent API. Best for async validators, database-dependent rules.

Pattern 1: DataAnnotations

The System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations namespace provides declarative validation through attributes.

csharp
using System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations;
public sealed class CreateProductRequest
{
[Required(ErrorMessage = "Product name is required")]
[StringLength(200, MinimumLength = 1)]
public required string Name { get; set; }
[Range(0.01, 1_000_000, ErrorMessage = "Price must be between {1} and {2}")]
public decimal Price { get; set; }
[RegularExpression(@"^[A-Z]{2,4}-\d{4,8}$",
ErrorMessage = "SKU format: AA-0000 to AAAA-00000000")]
public string? Sku { get; set; }
[EmailAddress]
public string? ContactEmail { get; set; }
[Url]
public string? WebsiteUrl { get; set; }
[Range(0, int.MaxValue, ErrorMessage = "Quantity cannot be negative")]
public int Quantity { get; set; }
}
Attribute Reference
AttributePurposeExample
[Required]Non-null, non-empty[Required]
[StringLength]Min/max length[StringLength(200, MinimumLength = 1)]
[Range]Numeric/date range[Range(1, 100)]
[RegularExpression]Pattern match[RegularExpression(@"^\d{5}$")]
[EmailAddress]Email format[EmailAddress]
[Phone]Phone format[Phone]
[Url]URL format[Url]
[CreditCard]Luhn check[CreditCard]
[Compare]Property equality[Compare(nameof(Password))]
[MaxLength] / [MinLength]Collection/string length[MaxLength(50)]
[AllowedValues] (.NET 8+)Value allowlist[AllowedValues("Draft", "Published")]
[DeniedValues] (.NET 8+)Value denylist[DeniedValues("Admin", "Root")]
[Length] (.NET 8+)Min and max in one[Length(1, 200)]
[Base64String] (.NET 8+)Base64 format[Base64String]

Pattern 2: Custom ValidationAttribute

Create reusable validation attributes for domain-specific rules.

Property-Level
csharp
[AttributeUsage(AttributeTargets.Property | AttributeTargets.Parameter)]
public sealed class FutureDateAttribute : ValidationAttribute
{
protected override ValidationResult? IsValid(
object? value, ValidationContext validationContext)
{
if (value is DateOnly date && date <= DateOnly.FromDateTime(DateTime.UtcNow))
{
return new ValidationResult(
ErrorMessage ?? "Date must be in the future",
[validationContext.MemberName!]);
}
return ValidationResult.Success;
}
}
public sealed class CreateEventRequest
{
[Required]
[StringLength(200)]
public required string Title { get; set; }
[FutureDate(ErrorMessage = "Event date must be in the future")]
public DateOnly EventDate { get; set; }
}
Class-Level
csharp
[AttributeUsage(AttributeTargets.Class)]
public sealed class DateRangeAttribute : ValidationAttribute
{
public string StartProperty { get; set; } = "StartDate";
public string EndProperty { get; set; } = "EndDate";
protected override ValidationResult? IsValid(
object? value, ValidationContext validationContext)
{
if (value is null) return ValidationResult.Success;
var type = value.GetType();
var startValue = type.GetProperty(StartProperty)?.GetValue(value);
var endValue = type.GetProperty(EndProperty)?.GetValue(value);
if (startValue is DateOnly start && endValue is DateOnly end && end < start)
{
return new ValidationResult(
ErrorMessage ?? $"{EndProperty} must be after {StartProperty}",
[EndProperty]);
}
return ValidationResult.Success;
}
}

Pattern 3: IValidatableObject

Implement IValidatableObject for cross-property validation within the model:

csharp
public sealed class CreateOrderRequest : IValidatableObject
{
[Required]
[StringLength(50)]
public required string CustomerId { get; set; }
[Required]
public DateOnly OrderDate { get; set; }
public DateOnly? ShipByDate { get; set; }
[Required]
[MinLength(1, ErrorMessage = "At least one line item is required")]
public required List<OrderLineItem> Lines { get; set; }
public IEnumerable<ValidationResult> Validate(ValidationContext validationContext)
{
if (ShipByDate.HasValue && ShipByDate.Value <= OrderDate)
{
yield return new ValidationResult(
"Ship-by date must be after order date",
[nameof(ShipByDate)]);
}
if (Lines.Sum(l => l.Quantity * l.UnitPrice) > 1_000_000)
{
yield return new ValidationResult(
"Total order value cannot exceed 1,000,000",
[nameof(Lines)]);
}
if (Lines.Any(l => l.RequiresShipping) && ShipByDate is null)
{
yield return new ValidationResult(
"Ship-by date is required when order contains shippable items",
[nameof(ShipByDate)]);
}
}
}

When to use `IValidatableObject` vs custom attribute: Use IValidatableObject when validation logic is specific to one model. Use custom ValidationAttribute when the same rule applies across multiple models.


Pattern 4: IValidateOptions<T>

Validate configuration/options classes at startup with access to DI services:

csharp
public sealed class DatabaseOptions
{
public const string SectionName = "Database";
public string ConnectionString { get; set; } = "";
public int MaxRetryCount { get; set; } = 3;
public int CommandTimeoutSeconds { get; set; } = 30;
public int MaxPoolSize { get; set; } = 100;
public int MinPoolSize { get; set; } = 0;
}
public sealed class DatabaseOptionsValidator : IValidateOptions<DatabaseOptions>
{
public ValidateOptionsResult Validate(string? name, DatabaseOptions options)
{
var failures = new List<string>();
if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(options.ConnectionString))
{
failures.Add("Database connection string is required.");
}
if (options.MaxRetryCount is < 0 or > 10)
{
failures.Add("MaxRetryCount must be between 0 and 10.");
}
if (options.MinPoolSize > options.MaxPoolSize)
{
failures.Add($"MinPoolSize ({options.MinPoolSize}) cannot exceed MaxPoolSize ({options.MaxPoolSize}).");
}
return failures.Count > 0
? ValidateOptionsResult.Fail(failures)
: ValidateOptionsResult.Success;
}
}
Registration
csharp
builder.Services
.AddOptions<DatabaseOptions>()
.BindConfiguration(DatabaseOptions.SectionName)
.ValidateDataAnnotations()
.ValidateOnStart();
builder.Services.AddSingleton<IValidateOptions<DatabaseOptions>, DatabaseOptionsValidator>();

Pattern 5: FluentValidation Setup

NuGet Packages
xml
<PackageReference Include="FluentValidation" Version="11.9.*" />
<PackageReference Include="FluentValidation.DependencyInjectionExtensions" Version="11.9.*" />
Configuration
csharp
builder.Services.AddFluentValidationAutoValidation();
builder.Services.AddFluentValidationClientsideAdapters();
builder.Services.AddValidatorsFromAssemblyContaining<Program>();
Basic Validator
csharp
public class SignUpRequest
{
public required string FirstName { get; set; }
public required string LastName { get; set; }
public required string Email { get; set; }
public required string Username { get; set; }
public required string Password { get; set; }
public required string ConfirmPassword { get; set; }
public required bool AcceptsTos { get; set; }
}
internal sealed class SignUpValidator : AbstractValidator<SignUpRequest>
{
public SignUpValidator()
{
RuleFor(x => x.FirstName)
.NotEmpty().WithMessage("Please enter a first name")
.MinimumLength(3).WithMessage("First name must be at least 3 characters long")
.MaximumLength(50).WithMessage("First name cannot exceed 50 characters")
.Matches(@"^[a-zA-Z\s'-]+$").WithMessage("First name contains invalid characters");
RuleFor(x => x.Email)
.NotEmpty().WithMessage("Please enter an email")
.EmailAddress().WithMessage("Please enter a valid email address")
.MustAsync(BeUniqueEmail).WithMessage("An account with this email already exists");
RuleFor(x => x.Password)
.NotEmpty().WithMessage("Please enter a password")
.MinimumLength(8).WithMessage("Password must be at least 8 characters long")
.Matches(@"[A-Z]").WithMessage("Password must contain at least one uppercase letter")
.Matches(@"[a-z]").WithMessage("Password must contain at least one lowercase letter")
.Matches(@"[0-9]").WithMessage("Password must contain at least one number")
.Matches(@"[^a-zA-Z0-9]").WithMessage("Password must contain at least one special character");
RuleFor(x => x.ConfirmPassword)
.Equal(x => x.Password).WithMessage("Passwords do not match");
RuleFor(x => x.AcceptsTos)
.Equal(true).WithMessage("You must accept our Terms of Service to sign up");
}
private async Task<bool> BeUniqueEmail(string email, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
{
return !await _dbContext.Users.AnyAsync(u => u.Email == email, cancellationToken);
}
}
Conditional Validation
csharp
public class OrderValidator : AbstractValidator<OrderRequest>
{
public OrderValidator()
{
RuleFor(x => x.ShippingAddress)
.NotEmpty()
.When(x => x.RequiresShipping)
.WithMessage("Shipping address is required when shipping is needed");
RuleFor(x => x.PickupLocation)
.NotEmpty()
.When(x => !x.RequiresShipping)
.WithMessage("Pickup location is required for in-store pickup");
When(x => x.IsExpressShipping, () =>
{
RuleFor(x => x.ShippingAddress.Country)
.Must(BeSupportedCountry)
.WithMessage("Express shipping is not available for this country");
});
}
}
Collection Validation

This is the start of the file. Read the full SKILL.md on GitHub.

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Source

Popularity

Repository stars
35
Repository forks
3
7-day trend score
18

Stars and forks are for the whole GitHub repository, not this skill alone. Refreshed 18 Mar 2026, 7 months ago.

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