The .NET framework has come a long way since its inception 21 years ago. What started as a Windows-centric framework has evolved into a versatile, open-source, cross-platform ecosystem known as .NET Core, now further progressing into .NET 8. In this article, we’ll take a journey through the evolution of the .NET framework, highlighting the major milestones and transformative changes that have shaped it into what it is today.

.NET Framework: The Foundation (2002)

The story of .NET begins in 2002 with the release of the .NET Framework 1.0. This framework was primarily designed for Windows applications and was tightly integrated with Microsoft Windows. Key features included the Common Language Runtime (CLR), the .NET Framework Class Library, and support for multiple programming languages.

Expanding Horizons with .NET Framework (2005-2012)

Over the years, the .NET Framework continued to grow and expand its capabilities:

ASP.NET and Web Development: The introduction of ASP.NET brought web application development into the .NET ecosystem, allowing developers to build dynamic and interactive websites.

Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF): WPF provided a modern UI framework for building rich desktop applications, making it easier to create visually appealing Windows software.

Windows Communication Foundation (WCF): WCF enabled developers to create service-oriented applications for building distributed and interconnected systems.

LINQ: Language-Integrated Query (LINQ) was introduced, revolutionizing data querying within the .NET ecosystem.

The Era of .NET Core (2016-2020)

In 2016, Microsoft introduced .NET Core as a modern, open-source, and cross-platform alternative to the traditional .NET Framework. This marked a significant shift in the evolution of .NET:

Cross-Platform Compatibility: .NET Core was designed to run on Windows, Linux, and macOS, allowing developers to build applications that could run anywhere.

Modular and Lightweight: .NET Core introduced a modular and lightweight runtime, allowing developers to include only the necessary components for their applications.

Performance Improvements: .NET Core was optimised for performance, offering faster execution and reduced memory usage.

.NET 5 and the Unified Platform (2020)

With .NET 5, Microsoft made a pivotal move by unifying the .NET ecosystem. This version marked the beginning of the transition from .NET Core to a single platform known as .NET, encompassing all the previous frameworks and libraries:

Single Unified Platform: .NET 5 combined .NET Core, .NET Framework, and Xamarin into a single, cohesive platform.

Cross-Platform Desktop Apps: .NET 5 introduced support for cross-platform desktop application development with the introduction of .NET MAUI (Multi-platform App UI).

Performance Enhancements: .NET 5 continued to focus on performance improvements and offered support for hardware acceleration.

.NET 6 and Beyond: The Future of .NET

As we look ahead to .NET 8, it’s clear that the framework’s journey is far from over. The .NET ecosystem continues to evolve, bringing new features, improvements, and opportunities for developers:

Multi-platform Development: .NET 8 embraces multi-platform development, enabling developers to target Windows, Linux, macOS, and other platforms seamlessly.

Web Development with Blazor: Blazor, integrated into .NET, allows developers to build web applications using C# and .NET, bringing server and client-side development closer together.

AI and Machine Learning: .NET continues to integrate AI and machine learning capabilities, making it easier for developers to implement AI-driven features in their applications.

Cloud-Native and Microservices: .NET 8 supports cloud-native development and microservices architecture, enabling organisations to build scalable, resilient, and cloud-ready applications.

The evolution of the .NET framework, from its Windows-centric beginnings to the modern, cross-platform .NET 8, is a testament to Microsoft’s commitment to innovation and adaptability. As .NET continues to evolve, it remains a powerful and versatile tool for developers, enabling them to create a wide range of applications that can run anywhere, from desktop to web to mobile.

Any web developer worth their salt knows the importance of JavaScript in modern web app development. In recent years it’s become the backbone of development and one of the most popular programming languages, empowering front end web developers to build high quality user interfaces for both web and app.

But picture this: .NET running on a web browser, with no add-ons, plugins, or tech wizardry. Does that sound impossible to you?

Blazor is an application used to build out website functionalities in HTML, CSS, and C#, just to name a few.

Blazor applications are built using the ASP.NET tool, Razor, which consists of both HTML and C#.

What are the features of Blazor in .NET?

Despite sharing similarities to Vue, Angular, and React, Blazor is a framework in its own right.

It’s fast, reusable, and (most importantly) it’s open source, paving the way for great support from the community.

If you’re still not convinced, here’s some more features that make Blazor a great .NET framework.

What are the benefits of Blazor?

Blazor is an excellent tool for those looking to streamline their business operations. Especially consdering it covers both client and server side coding.

Until Blazor came onto the scene, JavaScript was the king of full stack web apps. Meaning backend developers specialising in .NET had no other option than to learn JavaScript if they wanted to ace full stack development.

Blazor in .NET also means the end product is faster compared to Java/.NET. If you use the client-side Blazor framework, you can develop performance intensive apps like VR/AI with ease. Blazor also comes with WebAssembly, meaning your server-side code runs faster than languages like Javascript.

On top of that, Blazor doesn’t consume too much network bandwidth. Where most applications consistently download/upload date, Blazor users only need to download the app once, with no impact to speed or core functionalities.

Once again, the egforit Software development team has been awarded for its outstanding work. The latest accolade is for the .NET team’s new open banking solutions for financial services company New Day.

Top-quality open banking solutions

The client granted the egforit Software team their Quality Champions award for the sprint with the fewest defects and the highest code quality.

What’s more, New Day’s third-party testers seconded that opinion. As Finnovation Labs’ CEO Mark Murphy commented, “We tested our iOS app with egforit Software’s Open Banking solution and were impressed with the implementation accuracy as well as the effort taken to give developer-friendly responses. It was one of the most efficient testing experiences we’ve had.”

Giving the speed to compete

Besides quality, the other success factor for this open banking platform was speed. It was critical for the developers to finish the project ahead of the Payment Services Directive 2 legislation that came into effect in September 2019. Our team carried out development and compliance testing ahead of schedule. In this way, the solution was pre-prepared to meet all Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) standards.

A cutting-edge banking platform

The open banking platform is only one aspect of the digital transformation at New Day. egforit Software’s consultants have also assisted with a microservice-based architecture utilising the latest advances in Microsoft’s Serverless Azure architecture. This forms the foundation for the open banking API platform as well.

The result is a secure platform for surfacing customer account data and performing payments. In line with the open banking paradigm, users are treated to a transparent and integrated banking experience. The rising popularity of open banking has shown just how important these qualities are for today’s customers.