Quick Start

Get up and running with Switchboard in 5 minutes.

Prerequisites

• .NET 10 SDK or later
• Node.js 20+ (for AWS CDK)
• AWS Account with appropriate permissions
• AWS CLI configured with credentials

Option 1: Using Project Templates (Recommended)

The fastest way to get started is with our project templates:

# Install templates from NuGet
dotnet new install NickSoftware.Switchboard.Templates

# List available templates
dotnet new list switchboard

Choose Your Template

We offer two templates to match your needs:

Template	Command	Best For
Minimal	dotnet new switchboard-minimal	Learning, simple projects, single-file setup
Starter	dotnet new switchboard	Production projects, multi-file organization

Minimal Template (Single File)

Everything in one Program.cs - perfect for learning or simple projects:

# Create minimal project
dotnet new switchboard-minimal -n MyContactCenter

# Deploy
cd MyContactCenter
cdk bootstrap    # First time only
cdk deploy

What you get:

• Single Program.cs with direct flow/resource creation
• No assembly scanning - explicit, simple code
• Uses ExistingConnectStack.FromArn() helper
• Minimal files: Program.cs, GlobalUsings.cs, appsettings.json, cdk.json

Starter Template (Multi-File)

Organized project structure matching production patterns:

# Create full starter project
dotnet new switchboard -n MyContactCenter

# Deploy
cd MyContactCenter
cdk bootstrap    # First time only
cdk deploy

What you get:

• Organized folders: Configuration/, Resources/, Flows/
• Assembly scanning pattern for auto-discovery
• Type-safe constants (Queues, FlowLabels, ResourceKeys)
• Resource providers implementing interfaces (IHoursOfOperationProvider, etc.)
• Flow builders implementing IDiscoverableFlowBuilder

Template Options

Both templates support these options:

# Create with custom settings
dotnet new switchboard -n MyContactCenter \
  --instance-alias my-instance \
  --region us-west-2 \
  --framework net9.0

Parameter	CLI Flag	Default	Description
Framework	-f	net10.0	Target framework
InstanceAlias	--instance-alias	my-connect-instance	Connect instance alias
Region	--region	us-east-1	AWS region
SwitchboardVersion	--switchboard-version	0.1.0-alpha.1	Package version

View Template Help

dotnet new switchboard-minimal --help
dotnet new switchboard --help

---

Option 2: Manual Installation

1. Create a New Project

mkdir MyConnectApp
cd MyConnectApp
dotnet new console -n MyConnectApp -f net10.0

2. Install the Framework

# Install the framework package
dotnet add package NickSoftware.Switchboard

# Install AWS CDK CLI globally
npm install -g aws-cdk

3. Create Your First Contact Center

Replace Program.cs with:

using Switchboard.Core;
using Switchboard.Flows;
using Switchboard.Resources.HoursOfOperation;
using Switchboard.Resources.Queue;

var app = new SwitchboardApp();

// Create a new Connect instance
var stack = app.CreateCallCenter("MyCallCenter", "my-call-center");

// Add business hours
var businessHours = HoursOfOperation
    .Create("BusinessHours")
    .WithTimeZone("America/New_York")
    .WithStandardBusinessHours()
    .Build();
stack.AddHoursOfOperation(businessHours);

// Add a queue
var supportQueue = Queue.Create("Support")
    .SetDescription("Customer support queue")
    .SetMaxContacts(100)
    .Build();
stack.AddQueue(supportQueue, "BusinessHours");

// Add a simple contact flow
var flow = Flow.Create("WelcomeFlow")
    .SetType(FlowType.ContactFlow)
    .PlayPrompt("Welcome to our call center!")
    .TransferToQueue("Support")
    .Disconnect()
    .Build();
stack.AddFlow(flow);

app.Synth();

4. Create cdk.json

{
  "app": "dotnet run --project ProjectName.csproj",
  "context": {
    "@aws-cdk/aws-lambda:recognizeLayerVersion": true,
    "@aws-cdk/core:stackRelativeExports": true
  }
}

5. Deploy

# Bootstrap AWS account (first time only)
cdk bootstrap

# Synthesize CloudFormation
cdk synth

# Deploy to AWS
cdk deploy

What You Just Created

The framework automatically created:

• Amazon Connect instance
• Support queue with business hours
• Contact flow with welcome message and routing
• IAM roles and permissions
• CloudWatch logs

Using an Existing Connect Instance

If you already have a Connect instance:

using Switchboard.Core;
using Switchboard.Flows;
using Switchboard.Resources.Queue;

var app = new SwitchboardApp();

// Use existing Connect instance
var stack = app.UseExistingCallCenter(
    "MyStack",
    "arn:aws:connect:us-east-1:123456789012:instance/abc-123",
    "my-call-center"  // optional alias
);

// Add resources to existing instance
var queue = Queue.Create("Sales")
    .SetMaxContacts(50)
    .Build();
stack.AddQueue(queue, "BusinessHours");

app.Synth();

Fluent API

You can also use the fluent API for all resources:

var app = new SwitchboardApp();
var stack = app.CreateCallCenter("MyStack", "my-call-center");

// Add hours of operation
var hours = HoursOfOperation
    .Create("BusinessHours")
    .WithTimeZone("America/New_York")
    .WithStandardBusinessHours()
    .Build();
stack.AddHoursOfOperation(hours);

// Add queues
var salesQueue = Queue.Create("Sales")
    .SetDescription("Sales inquiries")
    .SetMaxContacts(50)
    .Build();
stack.AddQueue(salesQueue, "BusinessHours");

var supportQueue = Queue.Create("Support")
    .SetDescription("Customer support")
    .SetMaxContacts(100)
    .Build();
stack.AddQueue(supportQueue, "BusinessHours");

// Add flow with GetCustomerInput
var flow = Flow.Create("MainMenu")
    .SetType(FlowType.ContactFlow)
    .PlayPrompt("Welcome!")
    .GetCustomerInput("Press 1 for sales, 2 for support")
    .OnDigit("1", sales => sales.TransferToQueue("Sales"))
    .OnDigit("2", support => support.TransferToQueue("Support"))
    .OnTimeout(t => t.Disconnect())
    .OnError(e => e.Disconnect())
    .OnDefault(d => d.Disconnect())
    .Build();
stack.AddFlow(flow);

app.Synth();

Next Steps

• Building Queues - Learn about queue configuration
• Building Flows - Create IVR menus and routing
• View more examples - Complete working examples

Troubleshooting

CDK Bootstrap Failed

Make sure AWS credentials are configured:

aws configure
aws sts get-caller-identity

Build Errors

Ensure .NET 10 SDK is installed:

dotnet --version  # Should be 10.0 or higher

Deployment Errors

Check IAM permissions. Your user/role needs permissions for:

• CloudFormation
• Amazon Connect
• IAM role creation
• Lambda (if using Lambda functions)
• DynamoDB (if using DynamoDB tables)