ASP.NET MVC vs ASP.NET Core: What to use?

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ASP.NET MVC vs ASP.NET Core: What to use?

Introduction

You have been hearing about ASP.NET MVC and ASP.NET Core a lot, probably, but what is the difference between the two, and which one would you be using for your application? 

In fact, .NET can be confusing because it comes with several versions and types. And ASP.NET MVC and ASP.NET Core are two such versions of .NET. Both are actually popular choices for web app development. So naturally, the question arises – which one to go for?  And both of these derive from .NET, are compatible with C# and C++, and even with less popular languages like F# and VB.NET. 

Microsoft released the web solution development framework, ASP.NET MVC way back in 2009. The framework has the best features of ASP.NET, and was introduced as an alternative to the Web Forms coding model, and the purpose was to build web applications. The framework supports HTML/JS, WML and XML, VB.NET, C#, J#, JScript.NET, and Microsoft Visual Studio. 

It became the first choice for developers to build robust and scalable enterprise-class web applications, interactive pages, dynamic websites, etc. 

ASP.NET Core

Microsoft introduced a new framework known as .NET Core in 2016. However, it is not an updated version of the existing .NET framework. Rather this framework was developed with the sole intention of being a new standalone framework. 

ASP.NET Core is available open source, and comes with Microsoft licence. When Microsoft enabled ASP support, it allowed the developers to use Microsoft tools and ecosystems for web development and desktop applications. It also let the developers to use C++ and C#. This allowed for cross-platform development as well.

Features of ASP.NET Core

  • Develop highly organised web apps, thanks to its simplified web-based programming model
  • Engages a file-based directing approach
  • Can develop applications for Windows, Linux and MacOS
  • Offers a range of security features, making the applications highly secure
  • Developers can input different settings for multiple environments and development modes
  • Merges WEB API frameworks and MVC to make web app development easy

ASP.NET MVC

ASP.NET MVC has the Model View Controller architecture, a very effective design pattern used mainly for interface development. Model, Video and Controller are the three separate components used in the MVC pattern, and this defines the interactions between these components.

Features of ASP.NET MVC

  • The segregation of MVC architecture enables test-driven development
  • Supports different ASP.NET features, including forms authentication and URL authorisation
  • Customisable components enable developers to develop requirement-based application
  • Dependency injection to inject an object into a class
  • Enables developers to create lightweight applications

Is the ASP.NET MVC still widely used?

Since the ASP.NET MVC has been around for such a long time, the doubt whether it is still valid is a reasonable one. The framework was once the most preferred choice among software developers since they allow for easy web application development, debugging and deployment. Heavily trafficked websites depend on this framework for smooth deployment. 

However, ASP.NET MVC is no longer used actively. But you can still see several projects using the framework for web solution development. The last version update for the framework was in November 2018. 

ASP.NET Core was free when it was released seven years after ASP.NET MVC,  by the Microsoft Corporation. This cross-platform framework is an updated version of the framework. ASP.NET is perfect for building web solutions and desktop applications. It can be deployed on any operating system. ASP.NET Core is also perfect for cloud development and deployment. Since Microsoft is the main developer behind this framework, the main operating systems are Linux, Windows and MacOs. Since it is a very recent framework, it combines ASP.NET, ASP.NET Web API and ASP.NET web pages into a single programming model. 

Major differences between ASP.NET Core and ASP.NET MVC

One of the major differences between the two of them lies in the project structure area. Since ASP.NET Core is the latest version, and so it is a highly modular web framework, and much easier to operate. This makes it easier for you to upgrade the existing framework easily. 

And the other marked difference between the two is in the cross-platform approach of ASP.NET Core. While ASP.NET Core can be used on Windows, Mac and Linux, ASP.NET MVC can be used only on Windows applications. 

In fact, ASP.NET Core has several advantages over the ASP.NET MVC because of its multiple advantages and also because it is a fully open source platform. Let’s check out the advantages of ASP.NET Core for web development, and why choosing it would help businesses.

Advantages of ASP.NET Core

Cross-platform support

As mentioned earlier, cross platform support is a noted feature of ASP.NET Core. Since this is one of the primary factors for selecting a framework, the cross-platform support feature of the framework running multiple platforms makes it really convenient. The developers can choose any platform of choice, so it’s really very flexible.

Application performance is greatly improved

While selecting an application framework, the software development team would consider the factors that would lead to enhanced performance of the application. When compared to ASP.NET MVC, ASP.NET Core is much faster and delivers better results. The framework’s system can easily optimise the codes to improve performance. 

Microsoft claims that ASP.NET Core can handle more than seven million requests in a second. 

Easier coding structure leading to easier maintenance

ASP.NET Core needs only very less code, and this makes code maintenance easier. Developers can save time on app maintenance this way. 

Conclusion

Both ASP.NET Core and ASP.NET MVC are good enough, but without a doubt, you can say that the former allows for a new era of web application development. ASP.NET Core makes the job of the developer easy, hassle-free and much more profitable. ASP.NET Core does have certain additional features and advantages that gives it a supremacy over ASP.NET MVC. Though there aren’t any new versions of ASP.NET MVC, many companies are still using it, so you can’t say it is totally outdated either. If you are working with ASP.NET MVC applications then obviously you will need to use the framework to add more functionalities. However, with new applications, the demand is getting higher for ASP.NET Core frameworks because it is faster, lighter and meets the requirements of the modern day applications. 

Interesting Links:

What is the difference between ASP.NET MVC5 and ASP.NET Core?

Which is better for web development: ASP.NET MVC or ASP.NET Core?

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