Migrate Backend from ASP.NET MVC 5 to ASP.NET Core 7 Web API

[devin-ai-integration]

Migrate Backend from ASP.NET MVC 5 to ASP.NET Core 7 Web API

Summary

This PR completes a full migration from ASP.NET MVC 5 (.NET Framework 4.8) to ASP.NET Core 7 Web API while preserving the existing AngularJS frontend. The application now serves the AngularJS SPA as static files through ASP.NET Core Web API infrastructure.

Key Changes:

• Replaced old .csproj with SDK-style format targeting .NET 7.0
• Created Program.cs with minimal hosting model and static file serving
• Converted Index.cshtml (Razor view) to plain index.html
• Replaced ASP.NET bundling with direct script/style references
• Added sample HealthController API endpoint (/api/health)
• Removed all .NET Framework files (Global.asax, Web.config, etc.)
• Updated README with new setup instructions

Local Testing Results:

Review & Testing Checklist for Human

Please verify these 4 critical areas:

• Static file serving works correctly - Verify all CSS/JS files load properly by checking browser network tab and ensuring no 404 errors (except favicon.ico which is expected)
• AngularJS components render correctly - Verify the test-directive shows "jQuery Version: 3.7.0" and test-component shows "AngularJS Version: 1.8.3"
• API endpoint functionality - Test /api/health returns proper JSON response with correct status, timestamp, version, and framework fields
• Build and run successfully - Verify dotnet run --project angularjs-aspnetcore7.csproj starts without errors and serves content on localhost:5000

Test Plan:

1. Run dotnet restore and dotnet build angularjs-aspnetcore7.csproj to verify clean build
2. Run dotnet run --project angularjs-aspnetcore7.csproj
3. Navigate to http://localhost:5000 and verify AngularJS app loads completely
4. Check browser console for JavaScript errors (favicon 404 is expected/harmless)
5. Test API endpoint at http://localhost:5000/api/health
6. Verify Swagger UI works at http://localhost:5000/swagger (development mode only)

Notes

• .NET 7.0 shows end-of-life warnings during build - this is expected as per user requirements
• The frontend code (WebApp/, Content/, node_modules/) remains completely unchanged
• Static file middleware serves files from project root, preserving existing file structure
• Only minor favicon.ico 404 error in console - this doesn't affect functionality

Link to Devin run: https://app.devin.ai/sessions/0d4ce359003a439da853c34af83c0066
Requested by: [email protected]

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