Unit 0: Introduction
Time: ~30 minutes (CLI) · ~40 minutes (Embedded) • Lessons: 3
Understand what Bowire is, pick your deployment shape (standalone CLI vs embedded in your own service), install whichever one fits, and verify the workbench renders.
Prerequisites
- .NET 10 SDK — required either way.
- A modern web browser — the workbench opens in-browser automatically, no separate client install.
- An internet connection — Lesson 0.3 points at the public Petstore reference API (CLI path only).
Lessons
| Lesson | Topic | What You'll Learn |
|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | What is Bowire? | Multi-protocol API workbench, the two-process (CLI) and single-process (embedded) models, when to pick which |
| 0.2 | Setup | Path A: install the bowire global tool. Path B: scaffold an ASP.NET host + AddBowire() / MapBowire(). Both paths covered side by side. |
| 0.3 | Hello Bowire (CLI) | Launch the workbench against a public REST API, invoke your first method. Embedded learners can skim — Unit 1's Embedded track walks the in-process equivalent. |
Why this unit
Before you can drive Bowire across protocols, you need a working install and a clear mental model of what it is vs the API-client tools you've used before. The two deployment shapes (CLI vs Embedded) cover meaningfully different jobs, so Unit 0 makes the choice explicit before any code gets written. If you already know the positioning and have at least one path installed, head to Unit 1 — pick the CLI track or the Embedded track based on your shape.
Next: Unit 1 — pick your setup track:
- CLI track — for the standalone
bowire --urlshape - Embedded track — for the
AddBowire()/MapBowire()in-process shape