Migrating to a Newer Version of ASP.Net? Factors to Consider
According to the schedule and roadmap posted on GitHub, Microsoft is expected to release ASP.NET 5 in the first quarter of 2016. Microsoft has made the upcoming version of ASP.NET both open source and cross-platform. Also, it has completely revamped the web framework to make it easier for programmers to build and deploy a wide variety of modern web applications. So many small businesses and start-ups will switch to ASP.NET to avail a number of new features and enhancements, without paying any licensing fees. However, the ASP.NET developers have to keep in mind some important factors while switching to the next version of ASP.NET 5.
Important Factors You Must Consider while Migrating to ASP.NET 5
Deprecated Features
Microsoft has included several new features in ASP.NET 5. But the upcoming version of the web framework will not support a number of features supported by its predecessors. While using the next version of ASP.NET, you will be required to write code in a single programming language, i.e., C#. So you have to either learn C# or use a code converter. Likewise, you will no longer be able to use Web Forms as the upcoming version of ASP.NET 5 will no longer support the programming model.
Three Distinct Runtimes
ASP.NET 5 will allow you to create applications based on three distinct runtimes. Based on the nature and requirements of your project, you can use Full .Net CLR, Cross-Platform CLR, or Core CLR. As the default runtime host, Full .Net CLR will allow your application to take advantage of the existing binaries. The Cross-Platform CLR will help you to create web applications that run on Mac OS X and Linux platforms. You can use Core CLR to run old and new versions of ASP.NET code together and side by side.
A Unified Programming Model
While using current version of ASP.NET, you have to use three distinct programming models, i.e., Web Pages, Web API and MVC. But ASP.NET 5 will require you to use MVC 6, a unified programming model designed by combining these three technologies. Microsoft has unified the three programming models seamlessly without any conflict of their features. MVC6 will make it easier for you to create robust web applications by availing three distinct technologies but without writing different code.
Built-in Dependency Injection Framework
The current version of ASP.NET requires users to manage project dependencies using third-party dependency injections frameworks like AutoFac or Ninject. But ASP.NET 5 is designed with built-in support for dependency injection pattern. The built-in dependency injection support will make it easier for you to replace one module of the project with another smoothly without making any changes to the clients. Further, you can replace the modules without relying on nay third-party dependency injections framework.
Cloud-Ready Configuration
The next version of ASP.NET will make it easier for you to build and deploy web applications in the cloud. You can avail the cloud-ready configuration provided by the web framework to migrate your existing projects to cloud-based environment. The configuration will further enable you to publish or deploy new projects in the cloud without putting any extra effort. But you must not forget to convert the existing ASP.NET project into an Azure Cloud project, and deploy the converted project without making any changes to its configuration.
Modular HTTP Request Pipeline
The modular HTTP request pipeline provided by ASP.NET 5 will enable you to host the web applications on various servers. You can use the new HTTP request pipeline to host the ASP.NET 5 applications on both IIS and Open Web Interface for .NET (OWIN)-based servers. Also, you have option to create custom processes to host the application. Also, you can add several functionality to the application by including the right middleware in the HTTP request pipeline.
Tools for Managing Front-end Resources
While using the current version of ASP.NET, you have to use a number of third-party tools to manage the front-end resources of the project efficiently. The upcoming version of ASP.NET will effectuate and simplify front-end development by supporting a number of commonly used tools like Bower, GruntJS and Gulp. As a task runner, GruntJS can be used for minifying JavaScript files while building projects in Visual Studio 2015. Also, you have option to take advantage of thousands of plug-ins available for GruntJS. Microsoft makes it easier for you to avail a variety of plug-ins for GruntJS by supporting various package managers.
In addition to focusing on the new features of ASP.NET 5, the users also need to understand the updates included in Visual Studio 2015. They must understand the next versions of ASP.NET and Visual Studio to reduce the amount of time and effort required for building modern web applications drastically.
