Table Of Content
Discover the Impact of ASP.NET on The World of Software Development
The world of web development today is a vast one, and there are many frameworks and technologies one can use to create awesome websites and web apps. Each of these technologies has its own pros and cons, yet many are still widely used, such as ASP.NET.
Now, what is ASP.NET, and why should we use it? Well, ASP.NET is part of the .NET platform, and as such enjoys a comprehensive development ecosystem. Moreover, it also has one of the richest online communities for developers to enjoy.
So, let’s take a look at why AS.NET is so popular, and the top reasons why developers and professional .NET development services need to use it today.
What is ASP.NET?
Web development technologies come in two distinct flavors – back-end and front-end. ASP.NET is a back-end, server-side app development framework that is designed to run on all .NET enabled machines such as Windows. It was released in the early 2000s, and was used as an open-source technology for the development of web apps, websites, and various web services.
The most recent version of ASP.NET is called the ASP.NET Core. It is designed to run on a number of different platforms, including MacOS and Linux. Developed by Microsoft, it is an open-source technology used to develop dynamic websites and web apps built by today’s standards.
Released in 2016, it is still going popular with developers who are looking for a stable development environment for the web. It allows for greater extension of the core functionalities, as .NET developers can use their existing knowledge of C# to handle the new features introduced in ASP.NET Core.
ASP.NET For Web Development and Its Impact
Over the years, the .NET development platform has evolved to address the needs of the developers and consumers of that time. As part of that ASP.NET too has evolved and added new functionalities and abilities that allow developers to create robust web solutions.
Essentially, the arrival of ASP.NET MVC in 2009 allowed developers to move away from the previously popular Web Forms used by web developers. The ASP.NET MVC is a development framework that allows developers to create feature-rich and scalable enterprise-level web apps, dynamic websites, and more, quickly and efficiently.
The letters MVC in the name stand for the Model-View-Controller architecture used by the framework. It is a modern design pattern used for advanced UI design and development. It revolutionized the web development world by breaking down the process into three distinct sets – the Model, View, and Controller. Once separated, the architectural pattern outlines the interactions between them for seamless data transfer between each component.
It was so hugely popular among developers due to the ease of building, debugging, and deployment of apps developed using the ASP.NET MVC framework. In fact, some of the biggest and most traffic-heavy sites still use it today, including Microsoft, Stack Overflow, IKEA, and more.
The Arrival of .NET Core
Despite the massive popularity of the ASP.NET since its inception, developers had started looking elsewhere in mid 2010s. An increasing number of developers were starting to look for web development frameworks that were cross-platform, meaning that they were no longer bound to a single software platform.
And with many JavaScript-based frameworks and libraries making it easy to do so, Microsoft decided that it was time to get ASP.NET back in the game. They released ASP.NET Core in 2016, a cross-platform development framework that was designed to create more than just web apps.
The new development framework, a definite upgrade from the previous ASP.NET, was designed for the development of all kinds of apps, from web solutions, to console apps, and even complete desktop apps. Moreover, the apps created using it could be run on different OS platforms too, including MacOS and Linux. Finally, it also gave developers the option of developing their apps for the cloud, and deploying them easily.
All in all, ASP.NET Core paved the way for Microsoft to enter the new era of software development, helping them retain their loyal developers and supporters who enjoyed their expansive dev support network.
Is ASP.NET Dead?
Despite the rising popularity of ASP.NET Core, as well as the stopping of active development for ASP.NET MVC framework, there are many projects that are still using it as their web development solution. When you hire a .NET developer who has been in the field for a few years now, you will find that they have a soft spot for the original web development framework.
The functionality it provided was so great, that many projects developed using it are still running without issues, if maintained from time to time. Therefore, as long as ASP.NET is still being used to develop and maintain .NET projects, it cannot be considered dead.
How ASP.NET Core Works?
Well, now that we’ve discussed how ASP.NET Core has slowly taken over from ASP.NET, the question arises – how does ASP.NET Core work?
For all intents and purposes, the core concepts of helping create dynamic websites and web apps are still available in ASP.Net Core. However, the biggest, and most important feature of ASP.NET Core is that it is completely cross platform. That means that the projects you create can be run on Windows, Linux, and even MacOS.
Looking For Expert .Net Developers?
Let’s take a look at ASP.NET Core’s main features when compared to ASP.NET.
ASP.NET or ASP.NET Core – Which One Should I Choose for My Project?
It is true that there are many projects who still use ASP.NET as their web development technology. However, the fact of the matter is that there has been no active development for the framework since 2018. Moreover, it is bound to a single platform, that is Windows, which makes it difficult to compete with the likes of Angular or React.
And that is ASP.NET Core was designed for. It offers a wide array of functionality, foremost among them being the cross-platform functionality of the new framework. Moreover, with the framework being in active development, it should be your choice when developing a new project from scratch.
7 Reasons Why ASP.NET Core Should Be in a Developer’s Arsenal
With ASP.NET Core an obvious advantage over the antiquated ASP.NET framework, there are many reasons why new and existing web developers should look towards adding ASP.NET Core to their .NET development tools and technologies.
Let’s take a look at seven of the most compelling reasons why web developers today need to use ASP.NET Core to create innovative and dynamic web-based projects.
Reason 1: Better Performance
Whenever we look towards adopting a new technology, the first and most common reason for that is to find better performance. As developers, we are always on the lookout for development technologies that would help us create robust, and high functioning projects with top-tier performance.
For reference, according to Microsoft’s documentation, ASP.NET Core can handle more than 7 million requests a second, compared to the 0.7 million requests for Node.js and 2.2 million requests for Jakarta Servlet (Java server module).
This shows that if performance is what’s required, then ASP.NET Core is the way to go.
Reason 2: Cross-Platform/Multi-Platform Support
Today, an app that is bound to a single platform is doomed to fail. That is because unlike the trends of yesteryears, there are more and more people who are using different platforms, from smartphones to PCs, and even their smart TVs.
Therefore, in order to provide a seamless transition from one platform to the other, your app needs to work, and work well, on all popular platforms. In previous iterations of ASP.NET, that was not the case. They were designed for the Windows environment, and were not supposed to run on other popular platforms like MacOS or Linux.
However, ASP.NET Core is designed to run on multiple platforms easily, including the one mentioned earlier. That means that a person using a web app developed using ASP.NET Core on their iPhone can easily continue and have the same experience if they decide to use a Windows PC for it.
Reason 3: Cloud Development Support
Development for the cloud environment has fast been gaining pace for the past few years. From storage to deployment of various online services, even entire web apps, cloud-based development is a must-have for modern web development technologies.
The reason for this is that there are a number of reasons why cloud development is beneficial to businesses today, foremost among the ability to scale up easily and efficiently. ASP.NET Core allows for greater flexibility in cloud development, easier integration and security, and seamless accessibility across different devices and platforms.
Reason 4: Inclusion of Razor Pages and Blazor
Razor Pages are one of the newest additions to this development framework. Essentially, they are used to make better UI designs for pages, by allowing a page-based code development. That makes it easy to manage the page designs and functionalities as each page has its own codebase. Razor Pages are said to make development more organized, as well as simplifying the app deployment process too.
Blazor, on the other hand, is an open-source and free framework that allows developers to create highly interactive user interfaces. They use C# to develop these UIs, and ASP.NET Core for client and server logic. Moreover, the rendered UIs are in the form of HTML and CSS, which makes it more maintainable as web apps.
Both technologies are designed to improve the user interactions, and are very easy to use.
Reason 5: Completely Open-Source and Increased Support for JavaScript Frameworks and Libraries
With its new approach towards better integration and user experience, ASP.NET Core offers in-built templates for all the major JavaScript frameworks and libraries, like React and Angular. That allows developers to develop apps quickly and easily.
And it is this support which makes it one of the top options for cross-platform app development.
Reason 6: Rapid Development and Easy Maintenance
Rapid Development is one of the more popular software development methodologies that is used for projects with smaller deadlines, as it allows developers to focus more on prototyping and development, rather than planning. This approach allows for flexibility and adaptability during the project life cycle, which reduces the time and the risks associated with a long development phase. And ASP.NET Core is perfectly adaptable to this technique.
Moreover, when we combine Rapid Development and the cross-platform development functionality of ASP.NET Core, we get smaller codebases, which are easier to maintain and repair.
Reason 7: Increased Portability and Security
ASP.NET Core allows for better portability, which means moving an app developed using the technology between servers easier. The tool that provides that functionality is known as Docker, and is usually enabled when you create a new web app project in ASP.NET Core.
Moreover, with increased portability, ASP.NET Core also offer better security. Features such as HTTPS, XSRF protection, better authorization and authentication methods, and better data security are all part of the ASP.NET Core security methodologies.
Will Blazor Replace ASP.NET Web Forms?
For the most part, Blazor offers better functionality compared to ASP.NET web Forms. However, migrating your existing Web Form-based app to Blazor can be a long and difficult endeavor. That is why, although new projects are choosing to use Blazor over ASP.NET Web Forms, as long as there are existing projects made using them, there will be support for Web Forms in the .NET development environment.
Conclusion
ASP.NET Core is one of the most popular development technologies among developers nowadays. And that is apparent with the number of companies who hire .NET development outsourcing services to develop their cross-platform app using ASP.NET Core.
So, if you too want to use a modern development framework with top-tier performance, scalability, and more, as well as support for cross-platform development and easy maintenance, then ASP.NET Core is the technology for you.
FAQs
| Why is ASP.NET better than PHP? There are many reasons why ASP.NET is better than PHP, foremost among them being that ASP.NET allows you to thread different codes making it easy to run several codebases at the same time without deadlocking. |
| Should I learn C# or ASP.NET MVC first? The best way forward if you want to start developing ASP.NET projects, is to learn a CLS language like C# or VB.NET to get familiar with the .NET framework before you start learning ASP.NET MVC. |
| Is C# easier than Python? Both C# and Python are excellent programming languages who are great at what they are designed for. However, with an easier syntax and code structure, Python does have the edge when it comes to the easiest language to learn. |
| Which language is best for creating websites? Today, that mostly depends on the web framework you are most familiar with, as well as the use you need to put it to. If you are more comfortable and familiar with Python, then Python is the best language for you to create a website. The same logic goes if you are more comfortable using .NET, or JavaScript. |
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