.NET Development and Framework

.NET is Microsoft’s open-source, cross-platform development framework for building modern applications. From web APIs and cloud services to desktop and mobile apps, .NET provides a comprehensive ecosystem for software development across platforms and deployment targets.

.NET Platform Evolution

.NET 6+ unified the framework, bringing together .NET Core, .NET Framework, Xamarin, and Mono into a single platform with consistent APIs, performance improvements, and long-term support releases. Modern .NET emphasizes cross-platform compatibility, cloud-native architecture, and high-performance runtime characteristics.

ASP.NET Core powers web applications and APIs with minimal APIs, Blazor for interactive web UIs, SignalR for real-time communication, and gRPC for high-performance service communication.

Performance and Productivity drive .NET evolution. Each release brings runtime improvements, compiler optimizations, and language features that reduce boilerplate while maintaining type safety and performance.

.NET Ecosystem

Articles in this section explore .NET runtime features, framework updates, ASP.NET Core patterns, performance optimization, deployment strategies, and integration with cloud platforms. Topics include new language features, framework capabilities, migration paths, and best practices for .NET development.

The focus is practical .NET development: leveraging framework capabilities effectively, staying current with platform evolution, and building maintainable applications that scale.

Gradually Introducing Nullability in Legacy Code: A Practical Guide for .NET and C#

As developers, we’re often tasked with maintaining and modernizing legacy codebases that were written long before some of the best practices of today—such as nullability annotations—were available. While modern C# now supports nullable reference types, enabling us to avoid the dreaded NullReferenceException, introducing this feature to existing, large codebases can be a challenge.

In this article, I’ll share my step-by-step approach for introducing nullability into a legacy .NET and C# project. You’ll learn how to apply nullability in a controlled, incremental manner using project-level settings, scoped annotations, and file/method-level directives, all while maintaining the integrity of your legacy codebase. After all, modernizing your code doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing endeavor—gradual change is key to a successful transition. Let’s get started!

Mastering .NET Project Properties: The `BuildingInsideVisualStudio` Flag

In the ever-evolving world of .NET development, managing project configurations effectively is crucial for maintaining a clean and efficient build process. One of the less frequently discussed but highly useful properties is BuildingInsideVisualStudio. This property, when correctly utilized, can streamline your build process and ensure that your project is configured properly depending on the build environment. In this article, we’ll explore the BuildingInsideVisualStudio property with concrete examples and discuss best practices for using it effectively.

Manage NuGet Packages Centrally

For over 12 years, NuGet package management has been part of the .NET ecosystem with direct integrations to various IDEs, CLIs and build systems. But a feature took 12 years before it appeared and certainly needs some more maintenance until it is mature!