Everything You Need to Know About .NET Framework for Web Development

Are you looking for dynamic app development services for your company? Whether you need the app to boost your sales or you need it for internal management, the best ones can be made on the .NET framework. This backend development platform has been used by many major companies since its launch in 2002. 

A web development framework makes work easier for developers. It helps in building apps more efficiently, allows code reusability, and provides the required level of security. .NET was developed by Microsoft, and most of the Microsoft apps we use – both desktop and mobile versions, are made on this backend framework.

Let’s understand how it works and why many companies prefer to use .NET for their web development.

How does .NET Work?

Every framework can use a certain set of programming languages. Developer works with those languages and then the engine converts it into machine language for executing the app. Here’s a step by step process of how app development works on .NET:

• The developer goes to an integrated development environment, such as Visual Studio or Visual Studio Code.
• They enter codes in C#, F#, or Visual Basic.
• The compiler then organizes the code into a common intermediate language (CIL).
• This compiled code is now stored in an assembly.
• The execution engine, called common language runtime (CLR) helps to execute the code when the application starts running. 
• The Just in Time compiler converts the CIL code into machine code as per the operating system of the user. 
• As a result, the app doesn’t require rewriting of the code for running on different hardware platforms.
• For improving performance further, the Garbage Collector removes unused objects from the memory while the CLR manages allocation and deallocation of memory.
• The application made on the framework is self-deployed and can run on Windows, MacOS, and Linux without any modification.

How can Developers Benefit from Using .NET?

As mentioned above, the purpose of a backend framework is to make the process of app development more efficient. Following are some of the benefits .NET framework offers to support efficient app development:

• Cross-Platform Development: Developers can write the code once, which can help the app run on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.
• Supports Multiple Programming Languages: Developers have the flexibility to use C#, F#, and Visual Basic, even within the same application.
• Provides High Performance & Scalability: The framework has two in-built compilers, called Just-in-Time (JIT) compiler and Ahead-of-Time (AOT) compiler to optimize the overall performance.
• Has High Standard Libraries: The collection of libraries and frameworks in .NET provide better file handling, networking, security, and database access.
• Multiple Frameworks: .NET has other frameworks within, which include ASP.NET for web applications, MAUI/Xamarin for mobile apps, and Entity Framework Code for database management.
• Provides High Security and Reliability: It has built-in features for authentication, encryption, access control, and automatic memory management, which makes the app more secure and reliable.
• Allows Seamless Integration with Microsoft Ecosystem: Since the platform is developed by Microsoft, it naturally integrates with other Microsoft tools, which include Azure, SQL Server, Microsoft 365, and Power BI.

• Open-Source: .NET Core and .NET 5+ are open-source and don’t have any licensing fees. This reduces the overall cost of app development on any .NET framework.
• Suitable for Developing Advanced UI: The platform supports Blazor, WPF,WinForms, and single-codebase UI development, which helps to build rich desktop and mobile apps.
• Easy to Maintain: Due to its built-in automatic memory management, structured coding, and modular development, it is very easy to maintain.

• Active Community: Being a popular backend framework developed by Microsoft, it has a huge and active community of developers and users, encouraging further learning and troubleshooting along with providing customer support.
• Long Term Support: The use of .NET is very popular among enterprises, which is why Microsoft provides long-term support versions of the framework.

Which Apps Can You Develop Using .NET?

Due to its ease of use and maintenance, high standards of security, cost-effectiveness, and robust infrastructure of built-in libraries and features, .NET is most popular for enterprise app development. It is also widely used for dynamic applications, API development, microservices, desktop software, and cloud based solutions.Apps like MySpace, Notepad++, GitHub, Netflix, eBay, and Stack Overflow are all made using .NET framework. If you’d like similar standards for your application, all you need is a team of developers specializing in the .NET framework.