What is ASP.NET used for in software development?
This post is a quick overview of an Abto Software blog article.
ASP.NET services are gaining more momentum among strategic business leaders, and that’s across industries.
ASP.NET extends the popular .NET framework with tools and libraries for high-performing web applications. Although released in 2002, ASP.NET hasn’t lost relevance, and there are reasons for that.
ASP.NET framework: quick overview & history
ASP.NET is a web application platform, initially launched by Microsoft to extend the modern .NET framework. It’s well-suited for building dynamic websites, services, APIs, enterprise applications, web portals, and more.
Before enjoying .NET & ASP.NET capabilities, the community was using:
- Active Server Pages (ASP) — a server-side scripting environment to create dynamic pages
- Visual Basic — a high-level programming language to simplify software development
- Component Object Model (COM) — a framework for smooth inter-process communication
- ActiveX technology — a technology for embedding and sharing different components and objects
By combining these technologies, .NET and ASP.NET created a platform that outperforms every framework. Better performance, greater flexibility and scalability, and more modern features and protocols for security — the technologies are combining essential concepts to create a unified programming environment.
Diving into .NET & ASP.NET evolution, the following were critical:
- Classic ASP has introduced server-side scripting for dynamic web content, which provided the ground for more structured, robust capabilities
- Visual Basic has brought an event-driven programming model, which provided the syntax and features
- COM provided a basis for reusability and modularity
- ActiveX enabled interactivity and embedding reusable components and objects
ASP.NET framework compared with Classic ASP
The modern ASP.NET platform is composed of different object-oriented languages, class libraries, and more. That enables software developers to deliver ASP.NET applications with effortlessly configurable components, state management, and easy-to-navigate user interfaces.
When discussing Classic ASP, on the other side, the engine is dependent on interpreted scripting languages. More specifically, VBScript and Jscript languages.
ASP.NET latest version, 8.0:
- Execution model — compiled code
- Development model — object-oriented, event-driven
- Error Handling — more structured exception handling and detailed error pages
- Web Forms — Web Forms, Razor Pages, MVC, Blazor
- State management — built-in features (for example, Session State, View State)
- Code separation — clear separation using either Razor syntax or code-behind
- Configuration — configuration through XML and JSON files
- Deployment — advanced deployment
- API integration — robust support and integration
- Modern web standards support — full support (HTML, CSS, and JavaScript)
- Performance — high performance (Just-In-Time compilation, optimized runtime)
- Security — enhanced features (built-in protections)
Classic ASP:
- Execution model — interpreted scripting
- Development model — procedural programming
- Error Handling — less informative error handling
- Web Forms — only simple scripting-based forms
- State management — limited capabilities
- Code separation — minimal separation, often intertwined
- Configuration — configuration through ASP and INI files
- Deployment — basic deployment, often requiring manual setups
- API integration — limited integration
- Modern web standards support — limited support
- Performance — lower performance due to interpreted nature
- Security — basic features
ASP.NET development: key components
ASP.NET Web Forms
A web application framework and event-driven programming model that provides drag-and-drop functionality. Event-driven model, server-side controls, ViewState management, data binding, master pages, user controls — ASP.NET Web Forms provides multiple capabilities that simplify common routines.
ASP.NET Web API
A framework for developing HTTP-enabled APIs for browsers, desktop applications, and other service clients. Concern separation, RESTful design, dependency injection, self-descriptive URIs for clearly defined resources, and other useful features are included for creating RESTful services, which facilitate data exchange.
ASP.NET MVC
A framework, which separates complex applications into three main components: Model, View, and Controller. By providing routing capabilities, unit testing, AJAX, jQuery, XML, and JSON support, it helps efficiently manage sophisticated applications.
ASP.NET Core
A cross-platform, high-performance framework for building cloud-based and internet-connected applications. It is a redesign of the ASP.NET framework, which combines cross-platform capabilities, advanced capabilities for building web UIs and APIs, dependency injection, SPA support, and more.
ASP.NET development: key features and benefits
First thing, improved performance
ASP.NET applications are designed for providing high-level performance — they scale and handle larger traffic. By providing Just-In-Time compilation, data caching, load balancing, request handling, and other key features, the framework can outperform scripting languages and ensure business efficiency.
More importantly, enhanced security
ASP.NET applications are known for providing comprehensive security through advanced, built-in features. Integrated authentication and authorization, input and request validation, built-in anti-CSRF, error handling — these features protect against common vulnerabilities, thereby preventing reputational and financial loss.
Summing up
Abto Software, Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, can deliver custom .NET and ASP.NET development services. Preliminary discovery, requirement documentation, design, engineering, quality assurance, and deployment — our engineers cover everything within ASP.NET development outsourcing.
Our services:
