10 Reasons Why .NET is the Best for Web Application Development

Would you use an app that isn’t user-friendly or responsive to all devices you use? When looking for web application development solutions, we need to look for a framework that can help you meet certain standards. One such backend framework is .NET.

Developed by Microsoft in 2002, it has been used by thousands of developers to build secure, responsive, and user-friendly solutions. Let’s figure out why.

Benefits of Using .NET for App Development

When looking for a backend development framework, here’s what you can consider for building scalable and responsive apps:

Cross-Platform Development

By working on the app once on the platform, you can develop an app that can run on Windows, macOS, and Linux. A single code can also be reused for building cloud solutions, mobile apps, web apps, and desktop solutions.

Here’s how this further benefits you:

• Efficiency in app development with code reusability.
• Consistency with same UI and functionality across all platforms.
• Easy to maintain with lesser bug fixes and updates.

High Performance

The software uses Kestrel, a lightweight and cross-performance web server for handling HTTP requests. Here’s how it provides you with high-performing apps:

• Apps built here are more scalable.
• It uses Socket.IO for efficient I/O operations.
• The security features support HTTPS, TLS, and middleware integration.
• Works seamlessly with ASP.NET core middleware pipeline.

Robust Security

Microsoft has been popular due to its in-built security in all its apps. Most Microsoft apps we use are built on the .NET platform. Following are some of the security features it provides:

• Built-in authentication and authorization
• Encryption of sensitive data
• Transport Layer Security for HTTP requests
• Hashing algorithms for passwords

Scalability & Reliability

A scalable app can handle increase in traffic without getting slower. .NET is suitable for app development for a growing organization. Here’s why it is reliable for building a scalable solution:

• Easy integration with cloud services.
• Optimized runtime for faster execution.
• Asynchronous programming for non-blocking operations.
• Garbage collector for efficient memory management.

Rich Development Ecosystem

The ecosystem of .NET has some powerful development and a good collection of libraries to extend functionality. They include the following:

• Visual Studio and VS code for debugging, profiling, and code analysis.
• Command Line Interface for running apps and building solutions.
• NuGet, a package offering thousands of libraries for app development.
• ASP.NET Core for building scalable web apps.

MVC & Razor Pages Support

The ASP.NET Core framework has a model-view-controller pattern for better scalability, maintainability, and testability. Another framework of ASP.NET core is Razor Pages, which enables UI development using page-based routing. Following are the key benefits provided by the MVC architecture of ASP.NET core and the Razor Pages framework:

• Simplicity 
• Code organization
• Better performance
• Better form handling

Integrated Dependency Injection (DI)

A dependency injection helps to manage database connections, APIs, services, configurations, and third party libraries. .NET has built-in dependency injection, which helps in the following:

• Improving modularity and scalability
• Enhancing maintenance
• Efficient resource management and memory optimization
• Improving testability

Microservices & API Development

A microservice is an independent service of an app that can communicate with other services within the app. API or Application Programming Interface are a set of rules that enable microservices to function. They help in making the app more scalable, enhance functionality, and protect the app from crashing completely. .NET supports the development of both through the following:

• Builds lightweight APIs through ASP.NET core.
• High-performing microservices enabled by .NET gRPC.
• AI Gateway support through Ocelot and YARP.
• Tools like RabbitMQ and Apache Kafka for communication between microservices.

Easy Integration with Databases

Being a Microsoft-developed framework, it provides integration and support with other Microsoft tools very easily. Following are some of  Microsoft platforms it integrates with for database access:

• SQL Server
• MySQL
• PostgreSQL
• MMongoDB

Full-Stack Development

Since .NET uses C# instead of JavaScript, it enables you to work on both frontend and backend development of an application. Following are the frameworks that enable full-stack development on .NET:

• ASP.NET core for backend development
• Blazor for frontend development
• Entity framework core for database management
• IdentityServer for authentication

Popular Apps made on .NET Framework

Most Microsoft tools we use, which include Microsoft Office Suite apps and Outlook are made on .NET. Other popular apps include Stack Overflow, Dell’s ecommerce platform, JPMOrgan and HSBC’s online platforms, Skype, AWS, eBay, and various government websites of US. Would you prefer to use .NET for app development too?