What Are The Advantages Of ASP.NET Core?

What Are The Advantages Of ASP.NET Core?

Microsoft did a very good job of overhauling the existing ASPNet MVC framework and released the new and advanced ASP.NET Core MVC. It is an entirely new framework, and a standalone, but allows you to create high-end web applications with a lot of flexibility. It is thus becoming the first choice for building cloud based, internet connect applications so you can use it for building web apps and services, IoT apps, mobile backends etc. Microsoft went into a lot of effort to create this framework, so it has a number of features that makes it the best. Once you create the app, you can deploy it to the cloud or keep it on-premises. The apps will run on either .NET core or .NET framework.

Going the ASP.NET core route does have a number of benefits:

1) Open Source

ASP.NET core packages are available at their GitHub site. As it is from Microsoft, you will probably be aware that they adopt the transparency of open source software. Subsequently, there are a huge number of active repositories wherein you can use the major features of this technology like middleware demos, and other tools. The codes and repositories are continuously updated by the developer community, so you can be assured for a consistent and newer codes and fast development cycle.

2) Unit testing with xUnit.net

Earlier, developers used to use Visual Studio Unit Test framework. Now with the framework, it has been replaced with xUnit.net for all unit testing frameworks. Dependency Injection and interfaces also makes unit testing easier.

3) Tag Helpers

A feature that’s newly added, and definitely a much awaited one. With Tag Helpers, you can configure the server side code to help build and render HTML elements in Razor files. You either build custom tags or modify the existing tags with this feature. Tag Helpers help you make robust, reliable and paintable codes, thereby making you more productive.

4) Cloud deployment made easy

The modern architecture of the framework makes it easy to have seamless cloud deployment. Features like flexible environment and extended modularity of ASP.NET Core MVC enables you to develop applications that you can instantly deploy on the cloud.

5) Supports hosting independence

A major difference between ASP.NET Core application development and ASP.NET application development is that the apps can run on any web servers and not just Internet Information Services or IIS. This is also because of the cross platform feature of the framework. Additionally, the framework gives the specification of OWIN (Open Web Interface for .NET) application as well.

6) Modularity

If you are a seasoned web developer, you would know that to add new functionalities to packages, you can easily rely on NuGet packages. The Package Manager Console and the NuGet Package Manager is the ultimate answer when you are looking to install and configure new libraries.

Now NuGet has been extended to include the main feature of ASP.NET. It features a kind of opt-in model, where the developers can pick and choose the features of the framework which they want in their projects. Maintaining and updating projects have become much easier.

7) High performance

It goes without saying that the framework promises superior performance and is thus touted to be one of the fastest web application frameworks around. Both Kestrel web server and ASP.NET core work together to take advantage of asynchronous programming models, thereby making them lightweight and fast.

Kestrel is open-source, event-driven, asynchronous I/O based server that can host ASP.NET applications on any platform. The source code is available on GitHub. Kestrel allows ASP.NET core to run easily on cross-platform web servers like Apache and Nginx, without worrying about any startup configurations.

8) Merging of MVC and Web API frameworks

MVC was used to create web applications with HTML. Web API can create RESTful services using JSON or XML. This was before the new framework came into existence. Now, it is possible to have unified MVC and Web API frameworks and simplify development process. It allows MVC to return JSON data instead of HTML.

9) Multiple environments feature

You can easily differentiate parts of your code and their part in the app development process with this framework. Earlier, this was not possible. It is not easy to control application behaviour in its various scenarios like development, staging and production.

10) Dependency Injection

The industry’s standard practice is to do Dependency Injection, the design pattern that deals with loosely coupled classes through add ons. And it aids in effective unit testing and maintainability.

With ASP.NET dependency injection, there was always an add on in the form of Microsoft’s own Unity library or a third party library like Autofac or Ninject. Now, Dependency Injection is integrated into the framework, eliminating the need for third-party products.

11) Support for extensible filters

This is a very important feature of the framework. You don’t have to modify the action, because it allows you to implement functionality to an entire controller or action. The extensible filters can specify any custom logic that you like for example, caching, authorisation and error handling.

12) Extensible Output Caching

With this tool, you can cache the results generated by a particular page, and will come up with the results during future requests. This feature of ASP.NET helps you to store data that is not updated frequently. When the request is called for, the data will be cached from the cached location. The tool helps you to specify the time required for the data to be cached. Storing this data can be done within the web server itself. Providers like Redis can handle output coaching.

Closing Thoughts

If you are looking to build high-end enterprise apps with amazing user interfaces and intuitive user experiences, the answer lies in ASP.NET Core MVC. The rich community offered by Microsoft and GitHub makes it even more special.

It is an advanced framework that supports JSON based files and configuration providers. It also helps you to manage data with providers like Environment Variables, Command Line Parameters, and Azure Key vault.

If the aim is to gain edge over completion, choose this framework for your next project. It helps you build amazing business websites or web shops.

Interesting Articles:
Microsoft about advantages of using Asp.net core
Interesting article shows, why we should migrate to this technology

Picture Source: Flickr.com/ Mozart/ Pirillo

The author: Reema Oamkumar is engaged as a thought leader at www.Software-Developer-India.com which is a part of the YUHIRO Group. YUHIRO is a German-Indian enterprise which provides programmers to IT companies, agencies and IT departments.