Understanding Cross-Platform Development with .NET Core14 January 2017

14. January 2017

One of the most significant advantages of .NET Core is its ability to run seamlessly across multiple platforms. Unlike its predecessor, the .NET Framework, which was primarily designed for Windows, .NET Core is built from the ground up to be cross-platform, meaning you can develop and run .NET applications on macOS, Linux, and Windows.

This shift in focus is a game-changer, especially for developers who work on multiple operating systems or need their applications to support users on different platforms. In this post, we will explore how .NET Core supports cross-platform development and discuss the differences between the .NET Framework and .NET Core when it comes to platform support.

1. What Does Cross-Platform Development Mean?

Cross-platform development refers to the ability to build applications that can run on multiple operating systems with minimal changes to the codebase. This is crucial in today’s diverse tech ecosystem, where users may be on Windows, macOS, or Linux. Before .NET Core, developers were largely limited to building Windows-only applications using the .NET Framework.

.NET Core is a runtime and framework that allows developers to create apps that run on all major operating systems, regardless of the underlying platform. This means that the same codebase can be executed on macOS, Linux, and Windows without requiring significant changes or adaptations to the application.

2. .NET Framework vs. .NET Core: Key Differences

While .NET Core and the .NET Framework share the same fundamental design principles and architecture, there are key differences that define their use cases. Below, we’ll explore the main distinctions in terms of platform support.

a. Platform Support

The most obvious difference is the platform support:

.NET Framework is primarily designed for Windows applications. It is tightly coupled with Windows APIs and is therefore not cross-platform. This means that if you develop an app using the .NET Framework, it will only run on Windows.
.NET Core, on the other hand, is designed with cross-platform development in mind. It runs on macOS, Linux, and Windows. This is especially useful for developers who want to create applications that can run on a variety of systems without having to rewrite significant portions of the code for each platform.

b. App Deployment

.NET Framework applications rely on the version of .NET installed on the machine. This means that when deploying a .NET Framework application, you are dependent on the target machine having the appropriate version of the .NET Framework installed.
.NET Core applications, however, are self-contained by default. This means that all the necessary runtime dependencies can be bundled with the application itself, making deployment simpler and more predictable. When you deploy a .NET Core app, you don’t need to worry about whether the target machine has the right version of .NET Core installed.

c. Web Application Frameworks

ASP.NET Framework is the web framework that was built for the .NET Framework. While it works perfectly for traditional Windows-based web applications, it is not suitable for cross-platform applications.
ASP.NET Core, built on top of .NET Core, is the web framework for cross-platform development. It works seamlessly across Windows, Linux, and macOS, making it an ideal choice for developers who want to build web applications that can run on any platform.

d. Performance

.NET Core has been optimized for performance. It is modular, lightweight, and provides improved startup times, better throughput, and reduced memory consumption when compared to the .NET Framework. This makes .NET Core a good fit for high-performance scenarios, including web services and microservices.
.NET Framework, while still performant for many use cases, is not as optimized as .NET Core for modern cloud-based, scalable applications. The monolithic structure of the .NET Framework means it tends to be more resource-intensive.

e. Open Source

.NET Core is open-source and is actively developed and maintained by the .NET Foundation. This is a significant departure from the .NET Framework, which was closed-source. The open-source nature of .NET Core allows developers to contribute to its development, use it without licensing fees, and inspect the codebase for greater transparency.
The .NET Framework is still closed-source and is primarily developed and supported by Microsoft.

3. Why Is Cross-Platform Support Important?

Cross-platform support is no longer just a nice-to-have feature in modern development. It is a critical requirement for building scalable, widely used applications. Here’s why:

Broader Audience: With the ability to develop for macOS, Linux, and Windows, you are not limited to a single operating system. This allows your applications to reach a larger, more diverse audience.
Flexibility: Developers no longer have to choose between Windows and other platforms. You can now create applications on the operating system of your choice, whether you prefer macOS for development or Linux for server-side deployments.
Reduced Costs: With .NET Core, businesses can leverage Linux and macOS servers, which tend to be more cost-effective than Windows-based environments. This also helps with scaling applications and reducing infrastructure costs.
Better Ecosystem: Cross-platform support allows you to take advantage of a larger ecosystem of tools, libraries, and frameworks that work seamlessly on all platforms.

4. How to Get Started with Cross-Platform Development in .NET Core

If you’re ready to start working with .NET Core on multiple platforms, follow these steps to get started:

Install .NET Core SDK: First, ensure that you have the .NET Core SDK installed on your system. You can download it from the official .NET website. For macOS and Linux, the installation process is slightly different, so refer to the documentation for platform-specific instructions.
Create a New .NET Core Project: Open your terminal or command prompt, and create a new project using the dotnet new command: dotnet new console -n MyCrossPlatformApp This will create a new .NET Core console application, which you can run on any platform.
Build and Run: After creating your project, you can use the dotnet build and dotnet run commands to compile and execute your application. dotnet build dotnet run You can now test your application on different platforms and ensure it behaves as expected across macOS, Linux, and Windows.

5. Conclusion

.NET Core’s ability to run across multiple platforms marks a significant shift from the Windows-only .NET Framework. This cross-platform support opens up new possibilities for developers, allowing them to work with macOS, Linux, and Windows without having to worry about platform limitations.

Whether you are building web applications, console apps, or APIs, .NET Core’s flexibility and performance make it an excellent choice for modern, scalable, and cross-platform development.