Differences between Asp.net and Asp.net Core
Tags: aspdotnet, aspnet, development, csharp
Published: 2024-06-26 18:34:54

**ASP.NET and ASP.NET Core are both frameworks for building web applications and services, but they have several key differences. Here are the main distinctions between the two:**

## 1. Cross-Platform Support

* **ASP.NET:** Primarily designed to run on Windows. It can run on Windows Server and Internet Information Services (IIS).

* **ASP.NET Core:** Cross-platform, running on Windows, macOS, and Linux. It supports different web servers like Kestrel and IIS and can run in containers and cloud environments.

## 2. Performance

* **ASP.NET:** Performance is good but not as optimized as ASP.NET Core.

* **ASP.NET Core:** Highly optimized for performance. It is known for its high throughput and low latency, making it one of the fastest web frameworks available.

## 3. Modularity

* **ASP.NET:** Monolithic framework, where many libraries and features are built-in and used by default.

* **ASP.NET Core:** Modular framework, allowing developers to include only the libraries and features they need. This results in a smaller application footprint and better performance.

## 4. Unified Framework

* **ASP.NET:** Separate frameworks for different tasks (e.g., ASP.NET MVC for web applications, ASP.NET Web API for building APIs).

* **ASP.NET Core:** Unified framework combining MVC, Web API, and Razor Pages into a single programming model, simplifying development.

## 5. Dependency Injection

* **ASP.NET:** Limited and less flexible support for dependency injection, often requiring third-party libraries.

* **ASP.NET Core:** Built-in support for dependency injection, making it easier to manage dependencies and promote better software design practices.

## 6. Configuration and Logging

* **ASP.NET:** Configuration is usually done via web.config files, and logging support is more basic.

* **ASP.NET Core:** Uses a more flexible configuration system that supports various sources (e.g., JSON files, environment variables). It also includes a robust logging framework out of the box.

## 7. Razor Pages

* **ASP.NET:** Does not have a direct equivalent to Razor Pages.

* **ASP.NET Core:** Introduces Razor Pages, a page-based programming model that simplifies the development of page-centric web applications.

## 8. Blazor

* **ASP.NET:** Does not support Blazor.

* **ASP.NET Core:** Includes Blazor, a framework for building interactive web UIs with C#. Blazor WebAssembly runs in the browser, while Blazor Server runs on the server.

## 9. Open Source and Community

* **ASP.NET:** Developed as a closed-source framework initially, with some components later open-sourced.

* **ASP.NET Core:** Fully open-source from the start, with active contributions from the developer community, ensuring continuous improvement and innovation.

## 10. Hosting and Deployment

* **ASP.NET:** Typically hosted on IIS on Windows Server.

* **ASP.NET Core:** More flexible hosting options, including IIS, Kestrel, Nginx, Apache, and can be hosted in various environments like Docker containers and cloud services (e.g., Azure, AWS).

## 11. Cross-Platform Support

* **ASP.NET:** Primarily developed using Visual Studio on Windows.

* **ASP.NET Core:** Supports development with Visual Studio, Visual Studio Code, and the .NET CLI across all supported platforms (Windows, macOS, Linux).