Chris Ayers

Starting a frontend, an API, and a database is straightforward. Knowing which address each process should use, when its dependencies are ready, and where a failed request went is the harder part. In the catalog companion, Load catalog can return HTTP 503 while the API and inventory service both report healthy. Nothing has to crash for the application to fail.

You reproduce an intermittent failure, change one line, and restart the application. This time the request works. Now you need the old trace to work out why. If it disappeared with the restart, you’re left comparing the new run with whatever you remember. Aspire 13.6’s dashboard keeps completed runs, so you can go back to the failed request instead.1

Stop manually installing tools on a fresh Windows machine — declare what you want and let WinGet DSC handle the rest.

Extending GitHub Copilot with reusable, shareable AI capabilities

I just renewed six Microsoft certifications, keeping my skills current across Azure architecture, security, networking, and AI.

Most developers know the OWASP Top 10, but fewer know MITRE ATT&CK. OWASP tells you what can break. ATT&CK tells you how attackers actually operate. Together, they give you a complete picture of application security. I’ll be presenting this topic at NDC Security 2026 in Oslo, March 2-5. If you’re attending, come check out my talk — MITRE ATT&CK for Developers — on Wednesday, March 4 at 10:20.