There’s so much opportunity for .NET developers in 2023 when it comes to growth and innovation. With that said, as user demands grow, so too does the pressure to enhance .NET applications. Of course, we’re seeing Microsoft consistently innovate the framework to empower .NET developers. However, gaps in updates can be big setbacks for companies and stakeholders, leading to a chain of functional setbacks and unmet expectations. To avoid this, grasping the latest .NET trends is crucial.
Commonly, the gaps disrupt 5 key areas; performance, compatibility, documentation, security, and third-party dependencies. These missing pieces can expose security vulnerabilities in applications. Given the prevalence of cyber attacks, this is typically enough for companies to reevaluate their applications.
How Relevant is .NET in 2023?
The Stack Overflow Developer Survey from last year unveiled that ASP.NET Core & ASP.NET are the favoured web frameworks.
With that said, here’s a look at some of the hottest trends in .NET development right now that are shaping the way developers enhance applications to mitigate these risks:
1) ML.NET
Machine learning has taken center stage, and Microsoft's ML.NET framework is at the forefront of this transformation. By integrating machine learning in the .NET ecosystem, developers can infuse their applications with AI-driven insights and access pre-built models that span across applications, everything from natural language processing to image recognition.
Additionally, ML.NET is open-source, which means the framework is continuously evolving and benefitting from the collective expertise of the development community. The last thing that should be noted is just how user-friendly this platform is for developers of all skill levels. That aspect comes from its graphical user interface (GUI) called Model Builder, which is a tool that integrates into Visual Studio. The GUI allows developers to build, train, and ship custom machine learning models in their .NET applications.
2) Cloud-native Development
Leveraging cloud computing in app development is an approach born out of the reliance, we could even say “attractiveness”, of cloud computing environments. Creating and managing applications in this environment is a developer's paradise. It’s scalable, it’s flexible, and it provides resources on demand.
Cloud-native development breaks applications down into microservices that scale on their own which in turn makes the application more adaptable and responsive to user demand.
3) .NET MAUI for Native Apps
Creating native applications for different platforms is very intense as every developer knows. .NET MAUI lets you create native mobile and desktop apps with C# and XAML. It’s beating out Xamarin. Forms and is meant to build apps that run on Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows from a single shared codebase.
MAUI uses .NET 6 as a foundation, offering a consistent runtime and framework for crafting applications from a range of platforms. This integration utilizes contemporary capabilities like hot reload, which enables real-time code adjustments without necessitating a complete app rebuild. MAUI lets developers create apps on either PCs or Macs and upon compilation, then turns them into native app packages.
For instance, MAUI constructs Android apps using C#, which is subsequently converted into an intermediate language (IL), then just-in-time (JIT) compiled into a native assembly upon app launch.
4) ASP.NET Core
Originally introduced in 2016, ASP.NET Core is a far more advanced version of .NET where developers can build websites and web applications using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It stands as an open-source framework tailored for crafting cloud-based applications. This framework is a reimagined edition of ASP.NET, and it features architectural enhancements to build a modular structure.
Unlike ASP.NET, the Core version has cross-platform adaptability and the development process is a lot more streamlined. Its framework integrates MVC and Web API, alongside the inclusion of Razor Pages for simplified creation of page-centric applications. Additionally, it offers a lightweight and efficient HTTP request pipeline and is compatible with hosting on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
5) Blazor
Microsoft created Blazor as a means to build web apps using .NET and C#. The idea is that developers can write client-side web UI experiences using HTML, CSS, and C# instead of relying heavily on JavaScript.
Blazor presents two methods of hosting: Blazor WebAssembly and Blazor Server.
Blazor WebAssembly: In this approach, the entire application operates within the user's browser. The application is fetched as a WebAssembly binary and executed within the confines of the browser. This facilitates a dynamic user interface, akin to conventional single-page applications built using JavaScript.
Blazor Server: In this alternative, the application's visual elements are generated on the server side and then conveyed to the client through a live connection. User interactions are managed by the client-side code, which then relays them back to the server for processing. This model does streamline the client-side experience which makes it ideal for scenarios demanding real-time updates or when client-side resources are more limited.
6) Xamarin for Mobile Development
Xamarin is a cross-platform mobile development framework that developers can use to build native iOS, Windows, and Android apps using C#. It uses a single codebase for building apps across multiple platforms, which can save time and resources. This trend is you’ll see continue to grow as more businesses look to build mobile apps for multiple platforms.
7) Movement Towards Open-Source
What you’ll find with most tools nowadays is that they’re open-source models, which are primarily driven by Microsoft's efforts and the desire for flexibility and community-driven improvement. Also, many businesses are using open-source software internally and contributing to open-source projects which has been a big driver in the adoption of open-source in .NET development.
8) .NET in IoT
Given the proliferation of IoT networks for security and automation in various enterprises, the demand for compatible applications has surged. In response, .NET enables the construction of applications specifically for IoT devices and sensors. It also provides a specialized framework, known as the Nano framework, created for crafting applications for embedded devices.
The libraries .NET offers are good for interactions between applications and a range of IoT input devices, sensors, System-On-Chip components, RFID elements, GPIO, I2C, and port interfaces.
Moving Forward as a .NET Developer
C# and .NET programmers are highly sought after by both startups and major tech corporations. For large-scale applications, these technologies are very commonly used which makes being proficient in them a superpower for developers in 2023.
Written By Ben Brown
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