Developer guide

Deep dive into ArgusLogs.core

Developer guide for ArgusLogs—the production debugging and observability platform for .NET applications.

Tutorials are hands-on walkthroughs (prerequisites, install, configuration, code, expected result, explanation, then next steps). Official reference stays in documentation — this is not a full docs clone.

Section 2 of 6 ArgusLogs.core

Quick start

Follow the five steps below to go from zero to a running ArgusLogs integration in about five minutes. You will install packages, generate a license, wire configuration, register middleware, and verify your first captured request.

Step 0 — Install NuGet packages

Add the published packages from nuget.org (or your private feed):

Terminal
dotnet add package ArgusLogs --version 1.0.11-alpha.2608292142
dotnet add package ArgusLogs.DataAnnotation --version 1.0.11-alpha.2608292142

Step 1 — Generate a license key

Pick Development for all features while building, or Production for deploy-like testing. Both are valid until 1 January 2028 on any host. Online verification is built into ArgusLogs.core.

Generate a license key

Quick-start licenses for local development and production. No account, domain, or IP registration — valid until 1 January 2028 on any host. Online verification runs inside ArgusLogs.core automatically.

  • No login
  • Any host
  • Until Jan 2028
  • Online verify

Step 2 — Add configuration in appsettings.json

Paste the license key from the generator above. ArgusLogs.core handles license and online verification internally — you only need ArgusLogsKey.

appsettings.json
{
  "ArgusLogsKey": "PASTE_LICENSE_KEY_FROM_GENERATOR_ABOVE"
}

Step 3 — Register services in Program.cs

Register ArgusLogs with AddArgus(), pass the license key, enable DataAnnotation weaving, and call UseArgus() in the middleware pipeline:

Program.cs
using ArgusLogs;
using ArgusLogs.DataAnnotation;

var builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder(args);

builder.Services.AddArgus(options =>
{
    options.SetLicense(builder.Configuration["ArgusLogsKey"] ?? "");
}).AddArgusDataAnnotation();

var app = builder.Build();

app.UseArgus();
app.MapControllers();
app.Run();

Step 4 — Run and verify

Start your API and send any HTTP request. ArgusLogs middleware captures the call; license checks and online verification run inside ArgusLogs.core.

Terminal
dotnet run

# Hit any endpoint — ArgusLogs captures the request when middleware is active
curl http://localhost:5000/weatherforecast
  • NuGet packages restored and referenced in your .csproj.
  • ArgusLogsKey present in appsettings.json.
  • AddArgus(), AddArgusDataAnnotation(), and UseArgus() registered in Program.cs.
  • First HTTP request produces ArgusLogs telemetry (console output or log file).