In ASP.NET Core, the default layout for Razor views is typically specified in a file named "_Layout.cshtml." This file contains the common HTML structure, including headers, footers, and navigation menus, that will be applied to multiple views in your application.

ASP.NET Core achieves cross-platform compatibility by embracing .NET 5 and later versions. These versions are designed to be cross-platform, allowing ASP.NET Core applications to run on Windows, Linux, and macOS. Unlike the older .NET Framework, which was primarily Windows-centric, ASP.NET Core's use of .NET 5 and later versions enables platform-agnostic development.

In ASP.NET Core, middleware components are executed in the order they are added to the Request pipeline. This means that the order of middleware configuration matters, and each middleware component can handle the request and pass it along to the next component. Understanding middleware order is crucial for request processing in ASP.NET Core.

The MVC (Model-View-Controller) folder structure in ASP.NET Core typically includes three main folders: Controllers, Views, and Services. While the Controllers folder contains controller classes, and the Views folder contains the user interface components, the Services folder is where you often place business logic and services that the controllers rely on to perform actions.

JWT or JSON Web Tokens are often used in conjunction with the Bearer authentication scheme in ASP.NET Core. The Bearer scheme is commonly used to secure APIs and web applications, where a client includes a JWT token in the HTTP Authorization header to authenticate and authorize their requests. This scheme is based on the bearer token concept, where possession of the token is sufficient for authentication.

In advanced routing scenarios where the built-in routing capabilities of ASP.NET Core are insufficient, developers can leverage the RouteBuilder class. It provides more fine-grained control over route configuration, enabling customization and complex routing setups.

To optimize EF Core queries, you can use a SQL Profiler tool, such as SQL Server Profiler. These tools allow you to capture and review the generated SQL statements, analyze query performance, and identify areas for improvement. It's a crucial step in fine-tuning your application's database interactions.

Routing in ASP.NET Core MVC is primarily responsible for handling incoming HTTP requests and mapping them to the appropriate controller actions. It determines which controller and action method should respond to a particular URL, making it a crucial part of request handling and processing.

In a custom exception handling middleware, you must manually call the next middleware's InvokeAsync(context) method to ensure that the next middleware in the pipeline gets executed. This allows you to catch exceptions, perform custom handling, and then pass control to subsequent middleware components.

While Visual Studio is a full-fledged integrated development environment (IDE), Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is a lightweight, cross-platform code editor that is highly popular among ASP.NET Core developers. VS Code offers extensions and plugins that make it suitable for ASP.NET Core development, and it's known for its speed and versatility.