SignalR .NET Core Group Chat API

I need a lightweight .NET Core Web API that uses SignalR to deliver real-time group chat. The scope is deliberately focused: users should be able to create or join a group and exchange messages instantly with everyone connected to that group. Nothing else—no file uploads, typing indicators, or other add-ons—unless you want to flag them as future extensions.

Here is what I expect:
• A clean Visual Studio solution targeting .NET Core 8, with SignalR hubs, minimal controllers for any auxiliary calls, and clear separation between the hub layer and any data-persistence layer you introduce.
• Basic persistence of groups and messages (Entity Framework Core with an in-memory store is fine for now; a simple SQL table structure is even better).
• A short README that explains how to build, run, and test locally (curl/Postman examples).
• Deployment to my server—either IIS on Windows
• Remote hand-off session so I can see the API running live and replicate the steps myself.

As long as the chat flows smoothly for multiple concurrent users inside a single group, I’ll call the work complete. If you have a neat way to let me toggle extra features later, mention it up front so I can plan ahead.