Use of UseStaticFiles and its place in pipeline?

Short answer: app.UseStaticFiles() enables serving files from wwwroot. Important: It must be added before routing or endpoints so static files are served without invoking controller logic. app.UseStaticFiles(); app.UseRouting(); app.UseEndpoints(...);

Real-world example (ShopNest)

ShopNest pipeline order matters: exception handling → HTTPS → auth → authorization → endpoints. Auth must run before protected APIs.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.