Building modern applications with Angular, .NET Core, and PostgreSQL is powerful, but it often comes with one big pain point: writing repetitive boilerplate code. Every new module needs models, controllers, services, and CRUD pages. Do this for 10–15 entities and suddenly you’ve wasted weeks on tasks that add no real business value.

The good news? You don’t need expensive frameworks or paid subscriptions to escape this. With some clever use of free AI tools, metadata-driven generators, and reusable components, you can automate 70–80% of your code writing — at zero cost.

Here’s a complete guide to doing just that.

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1. Use Free Generative AI for Boilerplate Code

AI can give you a head start by generating repeatable code snippets.

For example, suppose you want a Patient module with properties:

Patient { Id, Name, DOB, Gender }

With ChatGPT Free, you can directly ask:

• Generate an Angular service and CRUD component for Patient.
• Generate a .NET Core API controller and EF Core model for Patient.

Within seconds, you’ll have code that’s 70–80% ready. Just copy, paste, and adjust.

Other free AI coding assistants:

• Codeium → A free AI assistant for VS Code, excellent for autocomplete.
• Tabnine (free plan) → Gives AI-powered code suggestions, lighter than Copilot.

Tip: Keep schemas small when generating via AI. For larger modules, break them down into smaller entities and stitch them together later.

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2. Build Your Own Metadata-Driven Code Generator

If you want consistency and repeatability, AI alone isn’t enough. The real magic lies in metadata-driven development.

Instead of writing models and controllers manually, define them in a simple JSON file:

{
  "entity": "Patient",
  "fields": [
    { "name": "Id", "type": "int", "primary": true },
    { "name": "Name", "type": "string" },
    { "name": "DOB", "type": "date" },
    { "name": "Gender", "type": "string" }
  ]
}

Then write a small script (Node.js or Python) that reads this JSON and generates:

• Patient.cs → EF Core model
• PatientsController.cs → API controller
• patient.service.ts → Angular service
• patient-list.component.ts & patient-form.component.ts → Angular components

Your templates are just text with placeholders. Example model template:

public class {{entity}} {
  {{#fields}}
  public {{type}} {{name}} { get; set; }
  {{/fields}}
}

Every time you add a new entity, just update the JSON and regenerate. That’s hours saved.

💡 Why this matters: This approach makes your code predictable, maintainable, and fast to expand.

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3. Reusable Angular CRUD Components

In most enterprise apps, every module needs the same pattern: list records, edit forms, and save changes. Instead of duplicating effort, create one reusable CRUD component.

Here’s a simple version:

@Component({
  selector: 'app-crud',
  template: `
    <h2>{{title}}</h2>
    <table>
      <tr *ngFor="let col of columns">{{col}}</tr>
    </table>
    <form *ngFor="let field of formFields">
      <input [type]="field.type" [(ngModel)]="model[field.name]" />
    </form>
  `
})
export class CrudComponent {
  @Input() title: string = '';
  @Input() columns: string[] = [];
  @Input() formFields: any[] = [];
  @Input() apiUrl: string = '';
}

Now for Patients, just configure metadata:

<app-crud
  [title]="'Patients'"
  [columns]="['Id','Name','DOB','Gender']"
  [formFields]="[
    {name:'Name', type:'text'},
    {name:'DOB', type:'date'},
    {name:'Gender', type:'text'}
  ]"
  [apiUrl]="'/api/patients'">
</app-crud>

This one component can power hundreds of modules — patients, doctors, appointments, billing, etc.

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4. Use Free Scaffolding Tools in .NET and Angular

Both ecosystems already give you scaffolding tools for free:

• .NET Core
  • dotnet ef dbcontext scaffold → generates DbContext and entity classes from a database
  • dotnet aspnet-codegenerator → scaffolds controllers and Razor pages
• Angular
  • ng g component my-component → generates a component skeleton
  • ng g service my-service → generates a service file

These save you from boilerplate typing and enforce consistent structure.

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5. Database-First Auto Code

If you already have your database design ready, you can flip the workflow:

• Start with PostgreSQL tables.
• Run .NET EF Core scaffolding → auto-generate models and DbContext.
• Feed these entities into your Angular generator to scaffold UI services and components.

This DB-first approach is perfect when your data model is the source of truth.

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End-to-End Zero-Cost Workflow

Here’s how a no-cost automated workflow looks in practice:

1. Define entities in JSON/YAML.
2. Run your generator script → creates .NET + Angular boilerplate.
3. Use a generic Angular CRUD component for UI reuse.
4. Use free AI tools (ChatGPT, Codeium) for missing glue code.
5. For new modules, just update JSON → regenerate → done.

This gives you a scalable and repeatable development process without relying on paid frameworks or subscriptions.

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Why This Matters for Teams

• Speed: Cut weeks of repetitive coding into hours.
• Consistency: Generated code follows the same structure, reducing bugs.
• Maintainability: Updating one template applies everywhere.
• Cost Savings: Achieve results similar to GitHub Copilot or ABP framework without paying.

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Final Thoughts

Automating code generation isn’t about removing developers—it’s about letting them focus on business logic rather than boilerplate. By combining free AI tools, metadata-driven generation, and reusable components, you can build scalable apps faster while keeping costs low.

This approach works beautifully for hospital management systems, ERP solutions, or any enterprise app where CRUD modules dominate the workload.

Once you set it up, your development process becomes as simple as:
👉 Update JSON → Regenerate → Integrate → Done.

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