In .NET 8, ASP.NET Core provides a comprehensive solution for contemporary web development. It takes care of all your front-end and back-end web development requirements. Blazor offers dependable, high-performance backend APIs and services that let you create stunning, richly interactive web experiences. Cloud-native application development is made easy with ASP.NET Core in .NET 8, and productivity is enhanced by excellent tools in Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code. Every developer is a full stack developer with ASP.NET Core in .NET 8!

Let’s examine some of the fantastic enhancements and new features that ASP.NET Core in .NET 8 has to offer.

Advantages of Using Native AOT With ASP.NET Core

Publishing and deploying a native AOT program can bring the following advantages:

• Reduced disk footprint: When publishing with native AOT, a single executable is created that includes the program as well as a subset of code from external dependencies that the program utilizes. Reduced executable size may lead to:
  • Smaller container images, such as those used in containerized deployments.
  • Smaller pictures lead to a faster deployment time.
• Reduced startup time: The absence of JIT compilation allows native AOT programs to start up faster.
  • Reduced start-up time means the program can handle requests more quickly.
  • Improved deployment by using container orchestrators to control app version transitions.
• Reduced memory demand: Because ASP.NET Core apps are published as native AOT, they can have lower memory demands depending on the work being done, as the new DATAS GC mode is automatically enabled. Reduced memory consumption can result in higher deployment density and better scalability.

AOT compatibility for both ASP.NET Core and native

Not every functionality in ASP.NET Core is compatible with native AOT. Similarly, not all libraries used in ASP.NET Core are compatible with native AOT. .NET 8 marks the beginning of efforts to enable native AOT in ASP.NET Core, with an emphasis on enabling support for apps that use Minimal APIs or gRPC and are deployed in cloud settings.

Native AOT apps have a few core compatibility requirements. The main ones include:

• No dynamic loading (such as Assembly.LoadFile).
• No runtime code generation by JIT (for example, System.Reflection.Emit)
• No C++/CLI
• No built-in COM (only applicable to Windows).
• Requires trimming, which has restrictions.
• Implies compilation into a single file with known incompatibilities.
• Apps include required runtime libraries (like self-contained apps, increasing their size as compared to framework-dependent apps).

AOT with minimal APIs and native capabilities

Developers introduced the Request Delegate Generator (RDG) to ensure that Minimal APIs are compatible with native AOT. The RDG is a source generator that does similar work to the RequestDelegateFactory (RDF), converting the various MapGet(), MapPost(), and so on calls in your application into RequestDelegates associated with the specified routes, but it does so at compile time and generates C# code directly into your project. This removes the runtime creation of this code and ensures that the types used in your APIs are retained in your application code in a fashion that the native AOT tool-chain can statically analyze, guaranteeing that required code is not clipped. They’ve worked to guarantee that the RDG supports the majority of the Minimal API features you use today, making them compatible with native AOT.

.NET WebAssembly enhancements

Running .NET code on WebAssembly from the browser has been considerably enhanced in .NET 8. Your .NET code will run significantly quicker thanks to the new Jiterpreter-based runtime, which supports partial just-in-time (JIT) compilation for WebAssembly. With the new runtime, components render 20% quicker, and JSON deserialization is twice as quick!

The .NET WebAssembly runtime also supports numerous new edit types with Hot Reload, including full compatibility with CoreCLR’s Hot Reload capabilities and generic type editing. WebCIL, a new web-friendly packaging format for Blazor WebAssembly programs, simplifies deployment by eliminating all Windows-specific parts from.NET assemblies and repackaging them as WebAssembly files. WebCIL allows you to deploy your Blazor WebAssembly programs with certainty.

JavaScript SDK and project framework

Working with ASP.NET Core frequently necessitates the use of JavaScript and the JavaScript ecosystem. Bridging the .NET and JavaScript worlds can be difficult. The new JavaScript SDK and project system in Visual Studio make it simple to integrate .NET with frontend JavaScript frameworks. The JavaScript SDK integrates MSBuild, allowing you to build, run, debug, test, and publish JavaScript or TypeScript code alongside your .NET applications. You may easily interact with common JavaScript build tools such as WebPack, Rollup, Parcel, esbuild, and others.

You can quickly get started using ASP.NET Core with Angular, React, and Vue using the provide Visual Studio templates.

These templates are available for both JavaScript and TypeScript, and the client app is generated using the most recent frontend JavaScript CLI tooling, ensuring that you always have the most recent version.

Debugging improvements

.NET’s sophisticated debugger is essential for developing any .NET app, including ASP.NET. In .NET 8, developers have improved the debugging visualization experience for commonly used types in ASP.NET Core apps, ensuring that the debugger displays the most critical information right immediately.

Check out all of the new ASP.NET debugging features in this Debugging Enhancements in .NET 8 blog post.

Wrapping Up

In conclusion, the advancements and new features introduced in ASP.NET Core in .NET 8 represent a significant leap forward in the realm of web development. The integration of Blazor provides a comprehensive solution for both front-end and back-end development, empowering developers to create stunning and highly interactive web experiences. .NET 8 is currently available. Upgrade your ASP.NET Core projects now!

Microsoft offers ASP.NET MVC (Model-View-Controller), a potent framework for creating scalable and maintainable web applications. With its extensible architecture and separation of concerns, ASP.NET MVC provides developers with a structured method for building dynamic and reliable websites. The main ideas, elements, and advantages of ASP.NET MVC will be discussed in this article, along with an overview of its essential attributes and an explanation of how it makes it easier to create contemporary online applications.

Understanding the MVC Pattern

The Model-View-Controller (MVC) pattern is the ASP.NET MVC framework’s cornerstone. It is a software architectural design pattern that supports the separation of concerns between the data model (Model), user interface (View), and application logic (Controller). This division makes it simpler to maintain, test, and scale the code. The View takes care of the appearance and user interaction, the Model represents the application’s data and business logic, and the Controller controls the application’s flow.

The MVC pattern enables you to build applications with input logic, business logic, and user interface logic separated from one another while maintaining loose coupling between them. Each type of logic should be placed in the program according to the pattern. The view should contain the UI logic. The controller should contain the input logic. The model should contain the business logic. By allowing you to concentrate on only one part of the implementation at a time, this separation makes it easier for you to manage complexity when developing an application. You may, for instance, concentrate on the view without relying on the business logic.

In addition to controlling complexity, testing apps using the MVC pattern is simpler than doing so with an ASP.NET Web application that uses Web Forms. For instance, a single class is used in an ASP.NET Web application that uses Web Forms to display output and react to user input. It can be challenging to create automated tests for Web Forms-based ASP.NET applications since you need to instantiate the page class, all of its child controls, and other dependant classes in the application to test a single page. Writing tests that specifically target specific components of the application might be challenging because so many classes must be instantiated to execute the page.

Key Components of ASP.NET MVC

ASP.NET MVC is made up of several essential parts that cooperate to produce dynamic web applications:

• Models are a representation of the data in the application and set out the business logic for modifying and validating that data.
• Views: Views are in charge of the application’s presentation layer, creating HTML content to display data and gathering user input.
• Controllers: Controllers interact with models and views, choreograph the application’s flow, and take requests from users and handle them.
• Routing: ASP.NET MVC employs a routing engine that converts incoming URLs into a list of predetermined controller actions, resulting in a neat and reversible URL structure.
• Razor View Engine: The Razor view engine, which is ASP.NET MVC’s default template engine, provides a short syntax for creating HTML markup.
• Helpers: Utility classes known as helpers make routine activities like creating form controls, producing partial views, and navigating URLs easier.

Benefits of ASP.NET MVC

ASP.NET MVC provides the following advantages for creating web applications:

• Clear separation of concerns is provided by the MVC pattern, which makes it simpler to organize and maintain code by clearly separating data from presentation and application logic.
• Testability: ASP.NET MVC supports unit testing, which makes it easier to find and fix problems early in the development process because of its modular architecture and distinct separation of concerns.
• Extensibility: ASP.NET MVC has a high degree of extensibility, enabling programmers to provide additional functionality via filters, model binders, action outcomes, and other means.
• A robust URL- mapping element that enables you to create applications with understandable and searchable URLs. In addition to supporting URL naming patterns that are effective for search engine optimization (SEO) and representational state transfer (REST) addressing, URLs are not required to include file-name extensions.
• Rich Ecosystem: ASP.NET MVC is supported by a thriving and active community that offers a plethora of libraries, frameworks, and tools to boost productivity and speed up development.
• Integration with Other Technologies: ASP.NET MVC works in perfect harmony with other Microsoft products, such as ASP.NET Core for cross-platform development and ASP.NET Web API for creating RESTful services.

Conclusion

By providing a systematic and effective method for creating online applications, ASP.NET MVC enables programmers to write scalable and maintainable code. Developers can accomplish a separation of concerns, increased testability, and extensibility by adhering to the MVC paradigm and leveraging the essential ASP.NET MVC components. It may consequently be more challenging to develop tests for Web Forms-based ASP.NET applications than for MVC applications. A Web server is also necessary for tests in an ASP.NET application that uses Web Forms. It is feasible to test individual components independently of the rest of the framework because of the MVC framework’s decoupling of the components and extensive usage of interfaces. For developers looking to create robust and dynamic online applications, ASP.NET MVC continues to be a popular option thanks to its many advantages and integration options. The tools and flexibility you need to succeed in web development are provided by ASP.NET MVC, whether you are beginning a new project or migrating an old one.

Programmers can create dynamic websites, web apps, and web services using the Microsoft-developed and -marketed ASP.NET web application framework. Yet, given Microsoft’s focus on its newest framework version, ASP.NET Core, some individuals wonder if ASP.NET is still a useful technology.

In light of this, the following discussion on ASP.NET explains its evolution and current relevance.

Introduction to ASP.NET

Developers can build dynamic websites, web apps, and web services using the open-source ASP.NET web application platform. To make.NET more appropriate for online app development, ASP.NET was developed for the web back-end.

It was a game-changer when Microsoft published the first version of ASP.NET in 2002 since it made web development considerably simpler and more effective.

The.NET Framework from Microsoft and ASP.NET are frequently confused. The ASP.NET Framework is a web application framework, whereas the.NET Framework is a software framework. In essence, ASP.NET can only be used to create web-based apps, but the.NET Framework can be used to create any kind of program.

Why ASP.NET Is Still Useful for Developers?

Although ASP.NET Core is the upgraded version of ASP.NET, originally known as ASP.NET 5 before changing its name to ASP.NET Core, ASP.NET is still valuable and relevant today.

While having significant drawbacks, particularly when compared to ASP.NET Core, ASP.NET is still useful as a web application framework. The following six factors highlight why developers should continue to utilize ASP.NET:

Less Setup and Configuration Needed

It is simple to use, configure, and create websites and web applications with ASP.NET since it is integrated into the well-known Windows server environment. Some frameworks, in comparison, necessitate extensive setup and configuration.

You must set up a development environment with the appropriate versions of PHP, a web server, and a database, for instance, if you want to use the PHP framework Laravel. For newbies, these criteria can be quite time-consuming and challenging. It’s considerably simpler to build with ASP.NET if you’re using Windows because you don’t have to worry about setting up everything right.

Standard Authentication Procedures for the Industry

Even though it’s an older version, ASP.NET still uses the most recent and secure authentication standards.

For instance, it incorporates widely used authentication methods including Windows, Forms, and Passport authentication. Your web apps will be safe as a result, and user authentication will function normally. It’s also important to note that since these functions are built-in, nothing needs to be configured or set up.

Ability to run Directly In Web Browsers

Microsoft’s native web-development platform is called ASP.NET. As a result,.NET apps can run natively in web browsers. This capability is a big plus because it eliminates the need for third-party frameworks or plugins to run ASP.NET apps. Also, it means that a larger variety of browsers will be easier for your applications to run.

With Microsoft’s Blazor framework, ASP.NET apps may be developed for the web and run natively in web browsers. Blazor executes.NET code in the browser using WebAssembly. As a result, you may create your complete web application, including the front-end user interface, in C# rather than JavaScript (UI). You can share code between the server and the client using Blazor as well. Because you don’t have to write duplicate code for the server and the client, web development becomes more efficient.

Incredible Support Developed by Microsoft

Microsoft actively provides and develops support for ASP.NET, as shown by the abundance of online resources. For instance, the ASP.NET website has a ton of important and beneficial materials, such as documentation, guides, tutorials, and more.

In addition, a sizable developer community continues to contribute to the development of ASP.NET because it is open source.

So long as you’re using a supported version of ASP.NET, you won’t need to worry if you run into any difficulties because Microsoft will be there to help.

Vast Language Support

Programming languages supported by ASP.NET include Visual Basic, C#, and J#. You have not constrained to a single language thanks to its capability, which is a huge benefit. It also implies that you can pick the language that best suits your requirements.

You may create your ASP.NET applications using Visual Basic, for instance, if that’s what you’re more comfortable with.

ASP.NET Core vs. ASP.NET

Understanding the distinction between ASP.NET and ASP.NET Core is essential when talking about ASP.NET.

A continuation of ASP.NET, ASP.NET Core was completely rewritten to be an open-source, cross-platform framework. In contrast to ASP.NET, which can only run on Windows, it can run on Linux, macOS, and Windows.

Sophisticated ASP.NET Core is built on the Model-View-Controller framework, just like ASP.NET. Developers can only choose the ASP.NET Core modules they specifically require for their project because ASP.NET Core supports modular architecture much better than ASP.NET. As a result, ASP.NET Core enables developers to create web apps that are more streamlined and effective. This is because unnecessary code, which can occasionally be the case with ASP.NET, isn’t included.

In the end, ASP.NET Core is a more recent and improved version of ASP.NET. That doesn’t, however, imply that ASP.NET is no longer relevant. On the contrary, developers may still find it to be highly useful.

Wrapping Up

Although ASP.NET Core is the most recent version, many developers continue to utilize the classic ASP.NET since it still provides many useful features. Microsoft provides good support for it as well, so customers won’t have to worry about it aging out. Without needing to set up a development environment, you may create web applications quickly and effectively by using ASP.NET. Furthermore, you can be sure that your apps will be secure and up-to-date thanks to the platform’s ongoing support.

.NET is a developer platform made up of tools, programming languages, and libraries for building many different types of applications. The base platform provides components that apply to all different types of apps. Additional frameworks, such as ASP.NET, extend .NET with components for building specific types of apps.

ASP.NET is an open source web framework, created by Microsoft, for building modern web apps and services with .NET. ASP.NET is cross platform and runs on Windows, Linux, macOS, and Docker. The server-side web application framework ASP.NET, also known as Active Server Pages Network Enabled Technologies, is free to use. It is intended for use in web development to create interactive websites, programs, and services. Let’s take a closer look at ASP.Net Authentication.

What Is ASP.NET Authentication?

Microsoft’s ASP.NET is an open source framework for creating contemporary web sites, services, and applications. It is supported by Linux, macOS, Windows, and Docker. IAuthenticationService is the foundation of the ASP.NET authentication framework. The service can authenticate users in ASP.NET applications thanks to registered authentication handlers.

ASP.NET Authentication Concepts

Authentication Schemes

A scheme for authentication identifies the authentication handler in charge of generating the appropriate set of claims. The names of authentication handlers and the particular configuration settings for each handler’s instance are known as authentication schemes. Schemes can be used to discuss authentication and challenge or forbid associated handler behavior.

Authentication Handler

The actions of an authentication scheme are carried out by authentication handlers. From AuthenticationHandler <TOptions> or IAuthenticationHandler, handlers can be derived. Authenticating users is its main objective. The associated authentication scheme’s configuration and the context of incoming requests will influence how the authentication handler responds.

The handler creates an AuthenticationTicket object, which represents a user’s identity, if the authentication is successful. A “failure” or “no result” is returned if the authentication fails. The handler offers ways to thwart or oppose actions taken by a user. Unauthorized users will be denied access, while unauthenticated users will be presented with a challenge.

Authentication Challenge

When unauthenticated users try to access a resource that needs authentication, the authorization system takes an additional precaution known as authentication challenges. For instance, if an anonymous user clicks on a login link or requests access to a restricted resource, the IAuthenticationService may issue a challenge. The challenge is issued by the authorization system using a default authentication scheme (or a specified scheme if one exists).

Forbid Action

If authenticated users attempt to access resources without the required permissions, the authorization system triggers the ‘forbid’ action for authentication schemes. Users are informed by forbidden actions when they have been authenticated but are denied access to a resource. The following situations, for instance, may result in the system forbidding authentication:

• An access-restricted page is redirected to by a cookie authentication scheme.
• A 403 (forbidden) error is returned by a JWT bearer scheme.
• A page where users can request access to a protected resource is the destination of an authentication scheme.

ASP.NET Core Identity

An API that supports UI login features is called Core Identity. You can manage a variety of user data elements with it, such as user profiles, passwords, roles, tokens, and claims. Users can create accounts using the login information from ASP.NET Core Identity. A supported external login provider, such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, or Microsoft accounts, can also be used to create accounts.

The SQL Server database that houses usernames, profile information, and passwords is typically used to configure Identity. A different persistent store, like Azure Table Storage, is also an option.

Providers of authentication for each tenant

There is no integrated method for multi-tenant authentication in ASP.NET Core. We advise customers to think about Orchard Core or ABP Framework for multi-tenant authentication even though they are able to create one using the built-in features.

Orchard Core is an ASP.NET Core-based multi-tenant, open-source, and modular app framework and an app framework with a content management system (CMS) added on top. ABP Framework supports various architectural patterns including modularity, microservices, domain driven design, and multi-tenancy. See ABP Framework source on GitHub.

ASP.NET Multi-Factor Authentication

During a sign-in event, multi-factor authentication (MFA) asks the user for multiple forms of identification. Passwords are frequently used as the first identification factor, and a fingerprint scan, a FIDO2 key, or a verification code sent to the user’s phone can be used as the second factor. Adding MFA as a requirement for an application greatly increases the security of authentication.

Using ASP.NET Core Identity offers native support for 2FA (2-factor authentication). Set the IdentityUserTKey> to enable or disable 2FA for a specific user. Property TwoFactorEnabled. When utilizing ASP.NET Core Identity, cMFA with the Time-based One-Time Password (TOTP) algorithm is additionally natively supported. This approach is compatible with authenticator programs like the Google Authenticator and the Microsoft Authenticator.

Users accessing sensitive pages in an ASP.NET Core Identity application can be forced to use MFA. This is beneficial for programs with various levels of access for various identities. Users can log in using their password, for instance, to view profile information, but administrators need MFA to access admin pages.

Wrapping Up

Finding a user’s identity is the first step in user authentication. We take this action to make sure they are who they claim to be. Once we are confident in our ability to trust them, we can log them into our app and give them access to resources that are intended for logged-in users only. Now that you know how to authenticate and log in a user to an ASP.NET application, hopefully you are off to a good start.

The software industry offers multiple choices for developers and business owners. Some languages come and go forever, and some make a toll in the industry and immediately gain popularity, such as ASP.NET Core and Node.js. These are the two most popular software development environments with strong community support that help the skilled .NET Core developers in speeding up, fastening, and scaling up the entire development process. Before choosing any programming language let us know more about these two programming platforms and see what they have to offer.

The Basics

Node.js

As an alternative to Apache HTTP Server, Node.js was created for Apple’s, SmartOS, FreeBSD, AIX, Microsoft Windows, Android, and Linux operating systems. As the official site explains Node.js is a software platform built on the basis of V8, where V8, in turn, is the JavaScript engine developed by Google with open source code written in C++.

In this modern age, JavaScript has become the most interesting trend. Companies are migrating their sites to JavaScript-based technologies. Nodejs is a cross-platform runtime environment that connects libraries written in different programming languages and also enables interaction with I/O devices. Developers can use Node.js in web development by utilizing an agile software development approach. It offers both scalable and robust services to clients.

ASP .NET Core

ASP.NET Core is one of the most important open-source web application frameworks. It is developed and designed by Microsoft. It is a framework created on CLR (Common Language Runtime) that enables the developers to use any .NET dialect like C# (object-oriented), VB .NET (a bequest of Visual Essential), F# (utilitarian to begin with), C++, and more.

The .NET Core framework offers a wide range of web forms MVC and uses HTML5, JavaScript, CSS, and Templates which are used to create different types of services and applications for Windows. But ASP.NET Core is used to create dynamic web pages and it is a part of the .NET Core framework.

Performance

Node.js

When it comes to the performance of Node.js, many developers in the market believe that applications created using Node.js offer better performance. This technology is capable of handling multitasking with ease and this is because it works on JavaScript engine V8, the high-performing engine. Besides this, it can also tackle more traffic on the server.

.NET Core

In comparison to Node.js performance, ASP.NET Core only proves its robustness for a certain type of project. Node.js can manage tasks that require less computation. But with time .NET Core has become 15% faster and this has made it a good choice for developers.

Stability & Reliability

ASP.NET Core/.NET Core is a winner in this category. The security and reliability the platform provides make it a great option to create robust software with C# language. Node.js is more reliable for complex enterprise software developed with TypeScript than on its own.

Node.js is a technology that is known as a full-stack JavaScript framework that serves both the server-side and client-side of the applications. This technology can interpret the JavaScript code with the help of the JavaScript v8 engine by Google. And it complies with the JS code into the machine code directly without any issues. This approach enables faster and better implementation of code and also the code execution is also enhanced by the JavaScript runtime environment.

On the other hand, one of the most important advantages of the .NET Core is to offer high performance and optimize the code to offer better results. ASP.NET Core is a technology that demands less coding and this helps the developers to easily optimize the code. And because of this, the development team has to spend less time creating a solution and this helps in cutting down the budget.

Community Support

Both development environments can boast of having active and strong community support which ultimately means it won’t be burdensome to find a solution to the problem. However, keep in mind that .NET has more community support on Stack Overflow whereas Node.js is supported more via GitHub. The best example is the Stack Overflow question and answer website which has around 4 million registered users.

The community support for .NET Core appears to be rising as well. Every day, the official Dotnet YouTube channel posts useful videos that engage the community in a good way.

How to make the right decision?

Node.js is one of the most popular JavaScript-based platforms that is designed to increase the use of JS in creating efficient and scalable network applications, and the ASP.NET core is a platform that enables the use of different libraries, programming languages, and editors to create websites, web apps, and mobile apps. There are such sites as Microsoft, StackOverflow, and Dell that run on a .NET environment. Again developers can use Node.js for creating web applications and APIs for various operating systems like Windows, Linux, and OS X. Besides, using this technology you can create apps for big companies like Uber, PayPal, LinkedIn, Netflix, eBay, and more. If you know the type of app or software you want to develop it will be easier for you to choose the solution.

Conclusion

When it comes to choosing a technology out of these two modern platforms, ASP.NET Core is a web application development technology that can be more suitable for small and medium-size solutions. While on the other Node.js is used when the developers want to create a robust solution for the clients which is also lightweight. This proves that the selection depends on the project type, size, and the need for the functionalities in that project.

If you attempt to run an ASP.NET application hosted on IIS running on Windows Home Basic or Premium, you may receive the following error:

error CS0016: Could not write to output file ‘c:WindowsMicrosoft.NETFramework…

More information >

If you attempt to run an ASP.NET application hosted on IIS7.0 running on Windows Home Basic or Premium (Vista or Windows 7, x86 or x64), you may receive the following error:

error CS0016: Could not write to output file ‘c:WindowsMicrosoft.NETFramework64v2.0.50727Temporary ASP.NET Files…

Apparently this problem occurs because Windows Home Basic and Premium lack Windows Authentication.  So the common response on the Web is to upgrade to Windows Home Ultimate, Business or Professional.  However, there is no need to upgrade, as you can solve this problem with a few mouse clicks:

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