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Understanding NullReferenceException in .NET (and How to Avoid It)
From common pitfalls to modern solutions with C#
Every .NET developer has faced it at some point:
“System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.”
It’s so common that Tony Hoare, the inventor of null references, once called it his “billion-dollar mistake.” Despite being decades old, null-related bugs continue to cause production outages, user frustration, and wasted developer hours.
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But it doesn’t have to be this way. Modern .NET (and especially C# 8 and above) provides us with the powerful tools to prevent NullReferenceExceptions before they occur.
In this guide, we’ll break down what causes them, explore common scenarios, learn defensive coding techniques, and use modern features like nullable reference types to write safer and more reliable applications.
