Why .NET is Preferred to be the Most Popular Framework for Web Development?
Introduction
With the rapid advancement in web development, there are many frameworks that have emerged to cater to the wide requirements of a web developer. Among various frameworks, .NET is considered to be one of the most popular frameworks for web development. It has gained popularity over the years and is mainly preferred by many web developers. So, it is a web development framework created and developed by Microsoft which is used to run applications on Windows. There are several advantages of .NET framework including- a good caching system, OOP based model, ease of deployment and maintenance, and can be used with cloud services too.
Scope
This article deals with .NET Framework and why is it preferred to be the most popular framework for web development.
We will understand the evolution of the .NET framework and its benefits and applications in web development.
.NET - The Most Preferred Web Development Framework
Web development is an evergreen choice in the software domain. Many developers start their journey as web developers. With the increasing demand for web development, there are many frameworks that have simplified tedious and difficult tasks involved. One of the most popular frameworks for web development is the .NET framework.
The .NET Framework is developed by Microsoft and used to build and maintain web applications. It provides a run-time environment and services like memory management, security, and easy deployment. The .NET Framework was developed in the year 2002. Not just Windows, but is it also used to build applications for Linux, MAC, etc. It supports various applications like web, mobile, and desktop apps. Along with its applications, it supports over 60 languages for development. You can also check out this full-stack web development course to master .NET and various other frameworks.
The .NET framework reduces the initial investment cost and the total time taken for deployment too. It is quite versatile and aims at better productivity. It can also be used to build microservices and APIs. It has gained popularity because of its customer-centric nature which still dominates the market.
There are 3 types of .NET Technologies-
Web pages- It allows the user to create web pages with ease with less coding.
Web forms- Web forms allow the user to create dynamic websites. These sites have a drag-and-drop model and help to create UI for the website.
MVC- It stands for Model View Controller which allows to test and compile code for any type of application.
What is the Current Web Development Scenario in the Industry?
Now you might wonder what is the current web development scenario in the industry. What is trending and what dominates the industry in the area of web development? Web development is one of the most demanded careers. However, the onset of AI ML and related fields has diverted the focus from web development. But, web development is still widely used in almost every company. There are many frameworks that are used in web development that makes the development easy and fast. Many developers prefer .NET due to its vast applications and pros. It is easy to develop applications using .NET as it serves almost everything to the developers. The current web developers require frameworks that have a rich UI, security, smooth deployment, and maintenance which is served well by the .NET framework. So, it is still a popular choice and will continue to remain so.
Main components of the .NET framework
The main components of the .NET framework include-
Common Language Runtime (CLR)
Framework Class Library (FCL)
Core languages
Let us understand them in detail-
Common Language Runtime (CLR) is the execution engine or virtual machine that is used to load the program. It is a run-time environment that converts the program or source code to native code. It maintains security, robustness, memory management, exceptional handling etc. It is used to execute any program. of NET irrespective of .NET programming language.
Framework Class Library (FCL) is a standard library that contains reusable class libraries. We can make the process easy by installing the .NET framework. It is similar to packages in Java and the header files in C++. It is a collection of classes, libraries, data types, etc.
There are various modules and frameworks that are a part of the .NET Framework. Some of them include- ADO.NET, ASP.NET, WCF, WPF, etc.
Core languages like C#, and Visual Basic among others are supported by .NET technologies. There are 60 plus languages that are supported by .NET out of which 11 are developed by Microsoft itself.
Principles of .NET Framework Design
The principles of the .NET design form the basis of the framework. The following are the principles of the .NET framework-
Portability- As the word portable tells us, the .NET framework is portable which means the applications built using the framework can run on any platform like Windows, Linux, etc.
Security- The .NET framework provides concrete security for the applications. The security mechanisms validate and prevent security breaches.
Interoperability- By interoperability, the application that is built on a lower version of the framework can be used on a higher version and vice-versa. By this, it is made sure that the app works.
Ease of memory management- Memory management can be simplified as the CLR manages it. It has a garbage collector which manages the resources and frees the ones not in use.
Reasons Why .NET is Preferred to be the Most Popular Framework for Web Development
Now that you know the basics of the .NET framework, it is easy for you to guess some of the reasons why .NET is Preferred to be the Most Popular Framework for Web Development. Let us dive deep into the reasons-
Object-oriented design- The .NET framework is based on an Object-oriented paradigm. It facilitates code reusability which results in less code and less time. It emphasizes the use of classes and objects which resembles real-world objects.
Integration with other products- The .NET framework is integrated with other Microsoft products which makes it easy to connect with other applications. It also has an integrated Visual Studio Code IDE that has easy debugging and writing the code. Also, it has Git support which results in integrated code reviews. This results in increased productivity for the developers.
Security- The .NET framework provides users with great security features and mechanisms. There are proper authentication and encryption and decryption methodologies that ensure protection against security breaches.
Wide resources- There are wide resources like libraries and classes and various tools that have been created by developers across the globe. There is also good community support from the developers' community. After Microsoft made .NET open-sourced, the support has increased ever since.
Memory management- Memory management can be simplified as the CLR manages it. It has a garbage collector which manages the resources and frees the ones not in use. It automatically allocates and deallocates memory.
Cloud-based support- The .NET framework supports various cloud service providers like Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, etc. This makes deployment and management easy. This helps the company in the long run.
Full stack development - .NET is an ideal framework when it comes to full stack web development. As compared to Python full stack, .NET is way better because .NET is ideal for large-scale applications and is always preferred by full stack .NET developers.
Cross-platform support- The .NET framework provides cross-platform support. The application can run on different OS like Windows, Linux, MAC etc which provides flexible and easy development along with deployment.
Benefits and Advantages of the .NET Framework
The above points are the benefits and applications of .NET framework that help to pave its way to the top in the field of web development. Due to its features, ease of use, wide application, and support, the .NET framework has managed to emerge as the most preferred framework for web development.
Conclusion
Concluding, .NET is considered to be one of the most popular frameworks for web development. It has gained popularity over the years and is mainly preferred by many web developers. The .NET Framework is developed by Microsoft and used to build and maintain web applications. It provides a run-time environment and services like memory management, security, and easy deployment. The .NET Framework was developed in the year 2002.
Not just Windows, but is it also used to build applications for Linux, MAC etc. It supports a wide range of applications like web, mobile, and desktop apps. Along with its applications, it supports over 60 languages for development. Many developers prefer .NET due to its vast applications and pros.
It is easy to develop applications using .NET as it serves almost everything to the developers. It has an object-oriented design, easy memory management, enhanced security, and cross-platform support making it the most preferred framework for web development. Overall, .NET is a good choice for web developers.