The Cotomy project templates for Razor Pages are now available.
They are for developers building CRUD-heavy business applications, internal tools, and other long-lived screen-based systems on Razor Pages, especially when a full SPA stack would add more complexity than value. If that describes your project, the main benefit is straightforward: you can skip rebuilding the same application foundation again and start from a working baseline instead.
I created them to remove the repetitive setup work that appears at the start of these projects. Instead of rebuilding the same page architecture, form handling baseline, API wiring pattern, page lifecycle structure, authentication entry points, and CRUD foundation each time, the goal is to begin from a working base and move directly into project-specific implementation.
This release starts with two editions, Standard and Professional, and each edition includes both Starter and Sample workspaces.
What the Templates Include
The main practical value is simple: there is less foundation work you need to do yourself before you can start building screens. The biggest time savings are usually the same three areas: page architecture, form and API flow, and authentication plus persistence baseline. In the Professional edition, those last pieces are already included before feature work begins.
Standard is the lighter option. It is intended for projects that already have a backend design or need only the UI-side foundation. It includes the screen architecture, form and renderer infrastructure, dialog and side panel components, webpack-based TypeScript integration, and an authentication hook that can be connected to your own application design.
Professional includes everything in Standard and adds the parts that usually take longer to rebuild correctly in business systems. That includes Cookie authentication, login and logout flow, role-based authorization structure, EF Core and SQL Server integration, and CRUD templates for Product, Order, and User screens.
If your main goal is to start building application screens immediately instead of first rebuilding the same project skeleton again, that is the reason to use the template.
Starter and Sample
The packaged templates include both Starter and Sample workspaces.
Starter is the default starting point for new development. It gives you the minimal project structure without filling the workspace with reference segments, so it is the right choice when you want to begin building your own application immediately.
Sample exists for a different reason. It is there so you can run the code, inspect the included screens, and understand how the base structure is meant to be used in practice. In Standard, that means UI and minimal authentication flow references. In Professional, it extends further into authentication, CRUD, persistence, and the connection between those layers.
The main recommendation is still to start real development from Starter. At the same time, the Sample workspace is ordinary source code, so you can read it, modify it, and reuse the parts you need. If adapting the sample helps you move faster while you are still understanding the structure, that is a reasonable way to explore the template, even though Starter is the cleaner default for a new application.
Which Edition to Choose
The edition choice is mostly a question of whether you want the database-related foundation included from the beginning.
If you only need the UI and page foundation, or if your project already has its own API, authentication, or persistence conventions, choose Standard. It keeps the UI layer and page structure in place while leaving the backend boundary under your control.
If you need the authentication and persistence baseline included from the beginning, choose Professional. It is the more natural choice when you want login, CRUD, validation flow, and persistence structure to exist before feature work begins.
The current packaged setup is built around EF Core and SQL Server, and that is the path documented in the template itself. Because the persistence layer is based on EF Core, other supported databases should also be adaptable with relatively limited changes, but the packaged configuration and startup guidance currently assume SQL Server.
If you want to build the database layer yourself, if you want to use something outside the relational database path, or if you already have your own persistence library and conventions, Standard is usually the better fit. In practical terms, Standard is for teams that want the UI and page foundation without adopting the packaged data side, while Professional is for teams that want that baseline included from the beginning.
Most projects that are building a new business application from scratch will likely fit Professional more naturally. Standard is more appropriate when the backend is already established or when your project has infrastructure decisions that should remain your own.
Why I Started With Razor Pages
These templates are aimed at the kind of applications where server-rendered screens are still the more natural structure: internal systems, CRUD-heavy screens, and operational tools that benefit more from predictable page boundaries than from SPA-style routing and client-side state layers.
That is the same environment in which the underlying structure was designed. The purpose here is not to turn Razor Pages into something else. It is to provide a stronger starting structure for projects that already fit Razor Pages well.
How to Get It
The templates are available through the Cotomy Store.
Store: https://store.cotomy.net
Reference site: https://cotomy.net/razorpages/
The reference site explains the differences between Standard and Professional in more detail. Purchase is handled through the store, and setup guidance is included with the downloaded package.
If you already know you want to begin with a structured Razor Pages business application base, the practical next step is to choose the edition based on one question. If you want the data and authentication baseline included, choose Professional. If you want to keep the backend and persistence side under your own control, choose Standard.
If this is the kind of system you build regularly, and too much early project time keeps disappearing into rebuilding the same base structure before real feature work begins, this is the point where the template is meant to help.
What Comes Next
This article is only the starting point. In the articles that follow, I plan to explain the templates in more detail, including how to use Starter, how to read the Sample workspace effectively, and how the initial structure is meant to be extended during real application development.
Next article: Building an Application with the Starter Template (planned)
