CREDITS

Credits
=======

Fox.ChainKit and Fox.ChainKit.ResultKit are original works created and maintained
by Károly Akácz.

Author
------

Károly Akácz
  GitHub: @akikari (https://github.com/akikari)
  Project: https://github.com/akikari/Fox.ChainKit


Project Philosophy
------------------

Fox.ChainKit embodies a set of core design principles that guide its development:

Zero Reflection
  The library achieves predictable performance by using factory-based handler
  resolution instead of reflection. All handlers are explicitly registered,
  making the chain composition clear and discoverable.

Type Safety First
  Leveraging C#'s strong type system and modern language features (nullable
  reference types, generic constraints), Fox.ChainKit provides compile-time
  safety wherever possible, reducing the surface area for runtime errors.

DI-First Design
  Built from the ground up for dependency injection, the library integrates
  seamlessly with modern .NET applications. Handlers receive dependencies
  through constructor injection, promoting testability and loose coupling.

Minimal Dependencies
  The library deliberately depends only on core Microsoft.Extensions packages
  (DependencyInjection.Abstractions). This decision ensures long-term stability,
  reduces dependency conflicts, and maintains a minimal attack surface.

Developer Experience
  Clear error messages, IntelliSense-friendly APIs, and comprehensive XML
  documentation are first-class concerns. The fluent builder API makes chain
  construction intuitive and discoverable.


Architectural Decisions
------------------------

Fox.ChainKit (Core Library)
  The core library provides a lightweight abstraction over Microsoft.Extensions.Options
  with three main components:

  1. Validation Rules - Composable, chainable validation primitives (NotNull,
     InRange, FileExists, etc.)
  2. Builder Pattern - ConfigValidationBuilder provides a fluent API for constructing
     validation pipelines
  3. Startup Integration - ValidateOnStartup() hooks into ASP.NET Core's startup
     lifecycle for fail-fast behavior

  The architecture deliberately avoids complex abstractions, favoring simple,
  testable components that compose well.

Fox.ConfigKit.ResultKit (Integration Package)
  This package bridges Fox.ConfigKit with Fox.ResultKit's Result pattern, enabling
  functional-style configuration validation for applications already using Railway
  Oriented Programming.

  Key design choice: The integration is opt-in and packaged separately to avoid
  forcing the Result pattern on users who prefer exception-based error handling.


Inspirations
------------

This project draws inspiration from:

  - Microsoft.Extensions.Options - The foundation for .NET configuration patterns
  - Railway Oriented Programming (Scott Wlaschin) - Fail-fast error handling principles
  - FluentValidation - Fluent API design patterns (though Fox.ConfigKit is purpose-built
    for startup validation, not runtime validation)
  - Domain-Driven Design - Explicit validation of invariants and fail-fast philosophy


Acknowledgments
---------------

Special thanks to the .NET open-source community for:
  - Microsoft.Extensions.Options - Providing the IOptions abstraction
  - Fox.ResultKit - Enabling functional composition with the Result pattern
  - All contributors, testers, and users who help improve this library


Contributing
------------

Fox.ConfigKit welcomes contributions that align with its design philosophy:
  - Lightweight, focused features
  - No new dependencies
  - Comprehensive tests
  - Clear documentation

See CONTRIBUTING.md for details.


License
-------

Fox.ConfigKit is licensed under the MIT License.
Copyright (c) 2026 Károly Akácz

This is a permissive license that allows you to use, modify, and distribute this
software freely, including in commercial applications. The only requirement is to
include the copyright notice and license text in your distributions.

See LICENSE.txt for the full license text.