1# Azure AI Search — .NET SDK Quick Reference
2 
3> Condensed from **azure-search-documents-dotnet**. Full patterns (FieldBuilder, hybrid search, semantic answers)
4> in the **azure-search-documents-dotnet** plugin skill if installed.
5 
6## Install
7```bash
8dotnet add package Azure.Search.Documents
9```
10 
11## Quick Start
12```csharp
13using Azure.Search.Documents;
14using Azure.Search.Documents.Indexes;
15var client = new SearchClient(new Uri(endpoint), indexName, credential);
16```
17 
18## Non-Obvious Patterns
19- `FieldBuilder` + model attributes (`[SimpleField]`, `[SearchableField]`, `[VectorSearchField]`) for type-safe index definitions
20- `VectorizedQuery` for vector search; set via `SearchOptions.VectorSearch.Queries`
21- Semantic answers: `result.Value.SemanticSearch.Answers` / captions on each result
22 
23## Best Practices
241. Use `DefaultAzureCredential` for **local development only**. In production, use `ManagedIdentityCredential` — see [auth-best-practices.md](../auth-best-practices.md)
252. Use `FieldBuilder` with model attributes for type-safe index definitions
263. Use `CreateOrUpdateIndexAsync` for idempotent index creation
274. Batch document operations for better throughput
285. Use `Select` to return only needed fields
296. Configure semantic search for natural language queries
307. Combine vector + keyword + semantic for best relevance
31