.NET
Build apps with a Microsoft native platform
Applications have become a core part of the digital world with different types of apps being created on a daily basis. However, with so many different developer platforms out there, it can become difficult to choose which one best suits your business requirements.
The .NET framework equips developers with a suite of tools and libraries that enable them to create applications that seamlessly run on any platform. With .NET, your developers can reuse their coding skills across an environment they know best to create apps faster and more cost effectively.
What is .NET?
.NET is a free, open-source platform developed by Microsoft that can be used to build a variety of Windows applications. It consists of multiple programming languages and developer tools that can be used to everything from games to IoT to desktop and web applications. Developers can choose to write with the programming language – C#, F#, or Visual Basic – that best suits the purpose of the application. The .NET platform consists of four different implementations which together make up the .NET development platform – .NET Framework, .NET Core, Xamarin/Mono, and Universal Windows Platform.
Implementations
.NET Framework
.NET Framework is the original implementation of the .NET platform for building apps that primarily runs on Windows. Developers can choose to use C#, F# or Visual Basic to write applications, websites, desktop apps, and games. The development platform consists of tools, libraries, and editors which can be used to build both form and web-based apps.
.NET Core
.NET Core is an open source and cross platform app that allows developers to create applications that can be easily deployed to different operating systems. This implementation enables websites, games, and apps to run on operating systems aside from Windows such as macOS and Linux.
Xamarin/Mono
Xamarin is an open-source software platform for building iOS and Android apps. It extends the .NET platform with tools and libraries exclusive to creating apps on the iOS and Android operating systems. With Xamarin, an application is developed purely using the C# programming language and has complete access to the functionalities of the respective device it is built for.
Universal Windows Platform
The Universal Windows Platform as the name suggests allows developers to create applications that run on any window device such as Xbox, phones, PCs, and publish them to the Microsoft store.
Main languages
C#
C# is one of Microsoft’s most popular programming languages and is widely used for developing mobile, desktop, and web applications. Whilst it is primarily used on the Windows .NET framework, it can also be used on any open-source platform thanks to its high versatility. Part of the C family, C# is object-oriented and type safe making it perfect to learn for beginners as it ensures that the code is checked for errors before it becomes an application.
F#
F# is a highly functional, strongly typed programming language that solves complex challenges with simple but powerful code. Whilst initially only available on Windows, it can now be used on Mac and Linux for everything from Big Data to games to GPU programming.
Visual Basic
Visual Basic is an object oriented, event driven programming language that is designed to be easy to learn and beginner friendly. As it operates on Microsoft’s .NET framework, it has complete access to libraries and can be run on both Mac and Linux as well.
Why choose the .NET platform?
High performance
Microsoft’s .NET is very fast which enables application to run with higher speed, lower response time and a better user experience.
Microsoft support
Microsoft’s continued support of their products and solutions are unparalleled and .NET has continually evolved by embracing cloud and performance improvements. The active support ensures the latest technologies and features will be added to the platform.
Boosted security
With built in Windows authentication and encryption, your applications are protected from potential threats within a secure environment.
Large community
.NET boasts a large community spanning millions of developers around the world. With members hailing from global companies to start ups to hobbyists, this sizeable community enables individuals to share their expertise, ask questions and resolve issues with the help of others. This open community also acts as a forum where members can exchange ideas with one another and foster a virtual, learning environment.
Cross platform
As the .NET framework is an open source and independent platform, the codes are able to run on different operating systems like Windows and Linux as long as they’re compatible with the programming language. This means that companies are able to operate on a broad range of systems whilst still remaining within the .NET ecosystem.
Object Oriented Programming (OOP)
Object Oriented Programming enables users to break down a piece of software into smaller more digestible and manageable pieces. .NET developers are able to work on one piece at a time and when finished, join all the pieces together.
Application models
Developers can use .NET to create a wide range of applications that operate on different operate systems such as:
Web
.NET provides a development platform equipped with the tools and libraries necessary to build full stack web apps with your programming language of choice. With ASP.NET, the platform is extended whereby the security of apps are boosted thanks to authorisation protocols and multi factor authentications. These web apps also perform faster than comparable frameworks due to the real time communication between servers for an improved user experience.
Mobile
.NET developers can use Xamarin to build responsive mobile apps on an interface that integrates with native APIs with unrestricted access to device functionalities. The suite of world class developer tools that is extended by the Xamarin implementation enables the code to be shared across different platforms with libraries dedicated to building apps on specific operating systems.
Desktop
Thanks to Windows Forms and Windows Presentation Foundation, you can easily build visually beautiful desktops apps that run on the Windows operating system in a drag and drop manner. .NET’s suite of tools and libraries also enables development on any Windows device such as HoloLens, tablets, phones, and Windows 10 IoT Core with support for many interactive features.
Microservices
Microservices are an architectural pattern to developing software where the applications are broken into a combination of smaller services which work together to accomplish a function. These smaller services can be created independently and don’t require the same coding language to communicate with one another, allowing developers to use the language they’re most comfortable in. With Microsoft’s .NET, you can easily develop your microservices so that they can be independently deployed with the necessary built-in support. The flexible architecture allows for a mix of different technologies so you can opt to use .NET for a section of an application and another coding language such as Java for other parts.
Game development
.NET can be used to build many different types of game engines on a range of supported platforms such as Xbox, Windows, Android, Nintendo, and more. Its cross-platform functionality allows .NET developers to reuse their code and skills across various gaming environments. The entire game development cycle can also be built on the same platform for ease of support.
Machine learning
Made specifically for .NET developers, the ML.NET framework allows you to build and integrate machine learning models into your .NET applications without the need of previous experience. You can easily add smart features such as sentiment recognition, visual comprehension, and keyword search to your .NET apps all with the pre-built AI models.
Cloud
As the most popular cloud platform for building cloud applications, Microsoft Azure’s native integration with .NET enables developers to deploy applications faster and with greater performance. Visual Studio provides the tools to rapidly jumpstart cloud application development and deployment whilst .NET’s suite of libraries allows for hosting on all major cloud platforms.
Internet of Things
With .NET’s cross platform functionality and support for device bindings, developers can rapidly build IoT applications that run on various platforms. Complex functionalities such as humidity sensors, gas sensors and accelerometers can all be integrated into an IoT device thanks to the robust Universal Windows Platform and Visual Studio.