.NET Core vs.NET: Which Framework is Better for Your Project?

As more and more companies and startups seek to develop apps for their businesses, there has been growing focus on one of the most popular development platforms, i.e..NET. It is a software development platform used for developing server-side applications in runtime environment. This Microsoft offering is really a collection of two key technologies:.NET Core and.NET Framework. And, when it comes to choose between.NET Core VS.NET Framework, the development teams often find it difficult to decide which runtime service they should opt for. But worry not, for we have put together a handy guide to help you decide between the two.

To simply this,.NET Core is primarily used for developing cloud applications. And, being a cross-platform framework it operates seamlessly on Windows, Linux, and Mac operating systems. While on the other hand, the.NET framework is used for developing desktop & web applications and even web services. However, it only works on Windows.

First, an overview of the differences between.NET Core and.NET Framework:

1. OS: Now that cross-platform apps are a thing, one of the main considerations for choosing a tool for development is the support for different platforms. Between.NET Core and.NET Framework, the former is the clear winner in this department. Apps built using.NET Core can run a variety of OS platforms such as Windows, Linux, macOS, etc. The.NET Framework, on the other hand, is only compatible with Windows.
2. App types: Yet another key differentiating factor between.NET Framework and.NET Core is the type of apps each of them support..NET Framework enables the development of both web and desktop apps..NET Core, on the other hand, can be used for building server-side and cloud-based apps. It must be noted.NET Core does not support development of desktop apps.
3. Support for Microservices: Microservices, which allows developers to organise the app across smaller components, constitute an important part of several app development projects. Unfortunately, with.NET Framework, you only get support for Rest APIs. With.NET Core, however, you get support for both Rest APIs as well as microservices.

Now, let us take a look at the different use cases for the two, i.e. when to use.NET CORE and.NET Framework.

a..NET Core

• If you plan to develop a cross-platform app, then.NET Core is the right choice for you.
• .NET Core should be used to build apps which need not only high-quality performance but also top-notch scalability.
• This platform is a great choice for developing apps wherein you wish to integrate command-line interface control.
• One should opt for.NET Core if the app must include docker containers or microservices.

b..NET Framework

• .NET is ideal if you are looking to develop a Windows-only app.
• If you want to integrate technologies such as ASP.NET web form, which are currently not available with.NET Core.
• In case you are planning to deploy the app on a cloud service incompatible with.NET Core. One such service that comes to mind is Azure.

There is no doubting the fact that overall.NET is a top-notch technology that continues to drive the development of ace digital products. However, the issue really arises when one must decide between.NET Core and.NET framework. This is admittedly not an easy decision, with both of the two options bringing their own sets of merits to the table. However, as the above discussion demonstrates,.NET Core does have an edge over the.NET Framework. Nonetheless, the decision to engage the services of a .NET Core development company or one for.NET Framework should be only based on the business’ unique requirements and expectations.

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