FastEndpoint vs Minimal APIs vs Controller

Here's a tabular comparison between FastEndpoints, Minimal APIs, and Controllers in the context of ASP.NET Core:

Feature/Aspect	FastEndpoints	Minimal APIs	Controllers
Design Philosophy	Focuses on performance and simplicity by providing a fast, endpoint-centric approach	Prioritizes minimalism and simplicity, with an emphasis on lightweight, functional programming	Based on the MVC pattern, providing a structured, feature-rich approach
Performance	Optimized for performance with minimal overhead	High performance due to minimal abstractions	Slightly more overhead due to MVC and routing abstractions
Setup Complexity	Requires additional setup and configuration but offers more granular control	Minimal setup, quickly defined routes, and handlers	Requires more setup and configuration with Controllers, Actions, and Routes
Routing	Explicit routing defined per endpoint, more control over routes	Inline routing with lambda expressions, less verbose	Attribute-based or conventional routing, more structured
Dependency Injection	Fully supports DI, similar to Controllers	Fully supports DI but in a more functional style	Full support with constructor injection, commonly used in enterprise applications
Model Binding & Validation	Supports FluentValidation and custom binding	Supports basic model binding, less feature-rich than Controllers	Comprehensive support for model binding and validation, built-in with data annotations and custom model binders
Customization and Extensibility	Highly customizable, allows fine-grained control over HTTP pipeline	Less customizable, focuses on simplicity, but still extensible	Highly extensible with filters, middleware, and action results
Response Handling	Supports explicit response types, allowing for detailed control over responses	Basic response handling, more manual control required	Supports IActionResult and complex return types, rich response handling
Middleware Integration	Easily integrates with middleware, similar to Controllers	Integrates well with middleware, but with a more functional approach	Fully integrates with middleware, typically used in structured, layered architectures
Learning Curve	Moderate, requires familiarity with endpoint-centric design and additional libraries	Low, easy for newcomers due to simplicity and less boilerplate	Higher, especially for those new to MVC and ASP.NET Core
Use Cases	Ideal for microservices, APIs requiring high performance, and when fine-grained control is necessary	Best for small, simple APIs, rapid development, and prototyping	Suited for complex applications, traditional web applications, and scenarios requiring a full-featured framework
Community & Support	Smaller community, growing in popularity	Large community, widely adopted	Very large community, mature, well-supported by Microsoft
Swagger/OpenAPI Support	Fully supported, similar to Controllers	Supported but requires additional setup for comprehensive documentation	Built-in support with attributes and conventions, well-integrated

Summary:

• FastEndpoints: Ideal for scenarios where high performance and fine-grained control are needed. It’s well-suited for microservices and high-throughput APIs.
• Minimal APIs: Great for simple, quick-to-develop APIs or microservices, offering a streamlined, easy-to-use approach.
• Controllers: Best for large, complex applications where the full power of MVC, structured architecture, and rich feature set are required.