.NET Framework is a popular choice for developing windows and web applications. With numerous advantages, the .NET Framework is a perfect choice to create feature-rich, scalable, high performing business applications.
One of the most popular and widely used frameworks, .NET needs no introduction. It is the power behind tons of remarkable websites and business applications. Microsoft .NET is the most trusted name when creating feature-rich, scalable, high performing, robust applications, and websites that help businesses grow and reach success.
The open-source .NET platform is evolving with each new feature and release. Different variations of the platform ensure to satisfy the needs of a variety of applications like web, mobile, desktop, gaming, and IoT. With a multitude of languages, libraries, and editors, the .NET Framework continues to be the top choice to develop windows and web applications.
But the big question is – with extensive choices available in the market, why would you choose .NET technology? What sets the .NET Framework apart from the rest of the players in the market? Why the .NET Framework is the best solution to develop your business applications?
Before we jump on to seek the answers, let’s first have a quick overview of some key components and services of the .NET Framework.
An overview of the .NET Framework components and services
Common Language Runtime (CLR) and Framework Class Library (FCL) are the two key components that bring uniqueness to the .NET Framework. The execution engine CLR handles the running apps, while FCL provides a readily available library of tested, reusable code to developers.
Apart from the components, the .NET Framework provides numerous services to the running apps, which include:
- Memory management with the help of CLR
- Cross-language interoperability
- A pre-built extensive class library
- Frameworks for the specific areas of app development, such as ASP.NET for web apps and ADO.NET for data access
- Language interoperability with compilers by producing intermediate code
- Version compatibility for apps created on different versions of .NET Framework
- Multiple versions of apps can coexist in the same machine
- Class libraries created with specific .NET standards
What are the business advantages of .NET?
The rich features of the .NET Framework make it popular among the developer community and also translate directly into huge business advantages. That’s why many Fortune 500 companies use the .Net Framework to create their large-scale applications. Let’s look at some of the advantages of dot NET Framework that makes it a preferred choice for business application development.
Feature-rich websites and high-end web applications:
The .NET platform is perfect to create a feature-rich website or a high-end web application to drive your business. Its rich set of user interface (UI) controls ensure great user experience. Apart from the in-built UI controls, it also supports third-party UI controls with features like drag-and-drop which make your application user friendly. Besides, an effective and dynamic IDE (Integrated Development Environment) helps to streamline the development.
Faster turnaround:
Choosing the .NET Framework considerably reduces your app’s development time. This means faster turnaround, and a way to stay ahead of the competition for sure. With re-usable code available, the developers don’t need to code everything from scratch. This, in turn, shortens the app’s time-to-market. The .NET Framework FCL library provides a collection of re-usable, object-oriented class libraries, methods, data types, and many other things to developers which further expedites and optimizes the .Net development process.
Efficient and cost-effective development:
Can a business create a web application without breaking the bank? Absolutely. The features of the .NET Framework ensure quick and cost-effective application development to drive your business. The .NET Framework uses Object-oriented programming and re-usable codes/components which greatly reduce the developer’s efforts. The managed code developed under the .NET Framework uses CLR for its execution, which in turn handles tasks like memory management, security, cross-language debugging, etc. for the application. This frees the developers from many tasks like security operations, active memory management, and other low-level efforts. All this naturally translates into faster application development and therefore less cost to develop the application.
Speedy Deployment:
With .NET, you can get your applications up and running in no time. The .Net applications are easy to deploy on any Microsoft server post their development. The .NET framework permits quick and easy deployment of applications as it needs only one-time setup creation to deploy applications.
Easy integration with other Microsoft Applications:
Planning for complete office automation? Well, it’s easy to do that with applications developed using the .NET. Framework. That’s because other Microsoft products can easily integrate with the .NET. It can greatly simplify the connection with exchange servers, emails, messenger, and Microsoft Office applications. Complete office automation is possible, whether it’s email exchange, intraoffice communication, document management, or collaboration.
Highly Secure environment:
While developing a business application, the first concern is security. Using the .NET, building a highly secure web application is not a herculean task anymore. The .NET framework employs various security mechanisms to provide a secure environment for applications such as the built-in Windows authentication, validations, and code checks. Besides, its cryptography classes ensure the security of data with encryption/decryption.
Create Web Services:
We live in the “Services” world today. With Web Services, your applications can communicate and share data/services. The .NET Framework is heavily geared towards creating web services. It provides many tools and features to create web services easily and quickly.
Integration with Legacy Systems:
Businesses may require to integrate their applications with legacy systems. The interoperability of the .NET framework with a variety of data sources, applications, systems, and programming languages makes the integration easy.
Increased flexibility:
Businesses need applications that are flexible enough to accommodate changing business requirements. The .Net Framework employs MVC (Model-View-Controller) architecture which separates the application into logical components, with each component handling a particular development aspect. It helps to develop a flexible application as you can add and edit the layers without disturbing the entire application.
Enhanced scalability:
A growing business needs a scalable web application that can handle the surge in users and load. A .NET application can be redesigned and scaled as per the needs of the organization. The underlying MVC architecture, structured code, and code reusability, all help to create highly scalable applications.
Easy to maintain:
The .NET Framework ensures highly maintainable applications. With no unnecessary coding and a lot of reusable codes/ components, these applications are easier to maintain. The MVC architecture of the .NET Framework further ensures easy changes in the application without affecting the entire program.
Improved usability: Easy integration of the .NET platform with various databases and web services makes it simple to use. Numerous tools and libraries help make the platform more convenient.
Building your next big application?
If your business needs an intuitive and effective business application, .NET solutions prove to be a good choice. However, before you decide to use the .NET platform, you must understand the overall .NET ecosystem.
The .NET ecosystem comprises of three key components – the .NET Framework, the .NET Core, and Xamarin. The .NET Framework supports Windows and Web applications whereas the .NET Core is a cross-platform .NET framework. While Xamarin is the only choice for building a mobile app on a .NET platform, the difficult choice is .NET Core vs .NET Framework. However, this is a topic for another day.
Since dot Net has various implementations to choose from, selecting the right one for your next big project may become a daunting task. Also, to build a .NET application, you require a good amount of programming knowledge. In case you are not a programmer, you can always hire .NET developers or approach a .net development company to help you out with your application development needs.
A reliable and skilled .NET developer or .NET development company can help you build a remarkable software application, and also achieve a high return on your investments. The right .NET development partner can surely add tremendous value to your business.
In a nutshell
The .NET Framework is well accepted in the world of web development. It offers numerous advantages to create secure, scalable, and reliable apps. It has all the features to construct websites and web applications that can help your business reach success. For your next big project, hire .NET developers or a .NET development company and get a customized .NET application for your business in no time!