The .NET framework celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. There are around 5 million dotnet developers worldwide. It has been the most popular platform for three years in a row, according to Stack Overflow’s study — 2019, 2020, and 2021. .NET application development has progressed from providing basic web development to complicated and advanced enterprise software. For their application needs, 23.33 percent of the top 10,000 websites employ .NET development services.
Today, .NET comes in various flavours, including ASP.NET, ASP.NET Core, and .NET Core. Developers are eagerly awaiting the release of the latest version, .NET 7. It includes various fantastic features and perks that help developers and businesses ease the development process.
Let us first examine how .NET evolved and the numerous ways it has aided in application development.
The Beginning and Evolution of .NET
On February 13, 2002, .NET was launched. The framework was designed to meet the demands of the Internet revolution. It included libraries, APIs, various language support, a single runtime, and several more characteristics required to build the finest apps.
Here’s how .NET development services have changed over time –
- Introducing .NET: Windows-only Software: .NET, which debuted 20 years ago, was designed exclusively for Windows. Dotnet developers or a reputed .NET development company could be hired by businesses to produce software on and for the Windows operating system. Software developers could simply run software on Windows and construct interactive applications.
- Getting Started with ASP.NET MVC: No one would have considered hiring a .NET development company in 2008 when Ruby on Rails was at its peak. This influenced the creation of ASP.NET MVC and the Nuget repository. It facilitated web development by utilising ASP.NET MVC features.
- Transparency through open-sourcing MVC in ASP.NET: By declaring the ASP.NET MVC web framework open-source in 2012, Microsoft began accepting contributions. It was a significant step forward since the framework could now incorporate the thoughts and observations of developers from all across the world. This resulted in significant enhancements to the framework and its operations.
- Transformation Across Platforms: .NET for everyone: During the Red Hat DevNation conference in 2016, the Microsoft team launched the first version of the open-source .NET framework. It was the dawn of the cross-platform era and .NET had earned a name for itself by running on Linux. .NET is now accessible for all major platforms, including Windows, Linux, and macOS.
- Creating the Future with .NET 6 and .NET 7: .NET 6 was launched in November 2021, bringing significant changes to the framework. A single set of basic libraries and SDK, a streamlined development experience with investments in C# 10 and minimal APIs, high productivity with hot reload and much more are all available. .NET 6 is the most recent version of .NET. In February 2022, Microsoft released .NET 7 preview 1, which contains nullability annotations to APIs, ongoing JIT compiler optimisations, new APIs and support for more hot reload scenarios.
Why Enterprises Use .NET in 2022
- Development for Multiple Platforms: One of the most significant advantages of the .NET framework is that it allows for cross-platform programming. .NET developers or firms providing .NET development services can be hired by businesses to work on macOS, Linux, or Windows. It streamlines the process of testing software across numerous platforms and allows developers to work on any system they like. It also means that developers can create apps for any platform at a lesser cost. .NET also provides tools for developing mobile apps for Android and iOS.
- Applications that are secure: In application development, .NET provides a high level of security. Any software development company that offers .NET is aware of the framework’s security. The framework includes Windows authentication to help secure the entire application. It also includes cryptography classes, which enable developers to easily encrypt and decrypt secret data. There are numerous security systems in place to help prevent phishing attempts, SQL injections, and other threats.
- Collection of Libraries: .NET is one of the most versatile development frameworks, offering a diverse set of libraries and development tools. The NuGet package manager makes it easier to identify and use these libraries in a variety of applications. There are Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) such as Visual Studio that offers a complete development solution for applications and corporate software. It contains fantastic capabilities in the framework that practically every dot net developer admires, from development to debugging.
- The Community at Large: Another fantastic advantage of .NET is its large community. There are over 5 million .NET developers worldwide. Businesses can easily hire dotnet developers with years of experience and unrivalled skills. The community regularly updates the framework, provides the required assistance, and guarantees that the framework is in good working order. Developers & firms providing .NET development services are accessible to help with various projects and there is ample documentation to ensure that no one gets lost in the development process.
- Dependable Performance: Enterprises rely on .NET because it is dependable, productive, and scalable. To build apps rapidly, developers use modern language constructs such as generics, Language Integrated Query (LINQ), and asynchronous programming. .NET is also significantly faster than numerous other prominent frameworks. It requires a shorter response time and uses less computer and memory power. .NET meets industry performance benchmarks for operations such as server-side rendering and database access.
Conclusion
For the past 20 years, .NET has made developers’ and businesses’ dreams a reality. It is still one of the most popular and in-demand frameworks for online application development. With the release of .NET 7 and the dominance of ASP.NET Core in web development, the framework is poised for another 20 years of glory.