A Comprehensive Guide About Migrating From .NET Framework To .NET Core
Upgrading to the most recent version of the .NET Framework will always be necessary since older versions may lose support. Doing so has the advantage of allowing you to migrate your application to newer, better technologies.
It is simpler to migrate existing .NET Framework applications to .NET Core that already have project templates such as libraries, console apps, and desktop apps than those like ASP .NET that don’t. If an identical app model is unavailable, .NET Core has a comparable model that can be used for conversion.
Always upgrade to the most recent version of .NET Core rather than using an earlier version. It is wise to port a library to .NET standard if it is used in both .NET Framework and .NET Core-based projects.
Why do you Need to Migrate from .Net Framework to .Net Core?
You should upgrade to an updated framework for:
Microservices and containers
We can implement containers with .Net Core. It allows you to easily bundle your application into a container and distribute it anywhere. Microservices are a software framework designed and used with .Net Core.
Microservices is a design that separates programs into tiny, autonomous services. It enables you to create your application in manageable, smaller pieces. Although it’s not quite as simple as utilizing a single large program, it’s still easier to handle than creating a single extremely complex application.
Non-blocking
Non-blocking code is necessary to develop an application that runs quickly without taxing servers or slowing down other applications. Also, it prevents your software from locking up when processing requests or data transmissions.
Each request is dealt with separately from the others, and resources are released when required to function effectively. Introducing APIs in .Net Core makes it simple for programmers to create non-blocking apps. These APIs are even compatible with previous .Net versions.
High scalability
You may want to execute your program on a group of machines to increase the scalability of your web solution. It is best for applications or websites with significant traffic that require processing power. If you’ve ever used a cloud-based service like Microsoft Azure or Amazon Web Services, you know how effective they are. .NET Core allows you to build similar systems with less effort.
Non-deterministic finalizers
Finalizers help clear memory once objects are deleted. However, finalizers do not always perform perfectly – and in certain cases, they fail to work at all! Because it is impossible to forecast how long a finalizer will take to operate. This has caused several developers to avoid them completely. The great news is that finalizers are eliminated from .NET Core!
Outsourcing ASP.NET programming is the ideal solution for .NET Framework to .NET Core migration.
Migrate from .NET Framework to .NET Core
Several changes between the .NET Framework and other .NET Core platforms make app migration to any version of .NET Core much more difficult. There are several methods to migrate. You can transfer manually without tools or migrate with a program that handles the initial work for you.
Tools automate the migration process with minimal intervention from the expert. Although migrating manually is tricky, doing so makes work more precise with data security.
Steps for Migrating from .NET Framework to .NET Core
Microsoft relies heavily on the .NET Framework as its primary development tool. But now with the release of advanced .NET Core, it’s time to move your applications to the updated framework.
Manual migration is comprised of five steps as detailed below.
Step 1: Examine dependencies.
Before you begin your migration, thoroughly examine all third-party dependencies used by your applications. And ensure that they are either supported on .NET Core or that their alternatives are available, such as a new version of the same package or other packages with similar functionality. Yes, alternatives will require some work, such as coding and testing, so you must consider whether you are prepared to take that route.
Check the compatibility of each specified package with .NET Core. You may check the compatibility of each using the NuGet Gallery and look for dependencies.
To avoid surprises later on, you can rely on the .NET Framework package for .NET. However, this requires extensive testing of your .NET Core application.
The next step is possible if you are certain that all of your third-party dependencies can be resolved using the updated.NET Core.
Step 2: Migration strategies.
Adjust the current .NET project with the updated .NET Core project, which will make the migration’s run point simpler, as part of the migration preparation process. For that –
Move the packages.config file – References to external packages are stored in the packages.config file in .NET framework-based applications. But .NET Core-compatible projects cannot use this package.config file because .NET Core stores these references in the project file. The PackageReference field in the project file indicates the NuGet packages for your .NET Core-based apps.
As a result, in .NET Core, you must relocate these references from the packages.config file to the project file.
API compatible – You must determine which APIs are used in the .NET framework-based application available on .NET to ensure API compatibility. APIs that are not available in the target framework .NET Core must be changed.
Consider including a reference to Microsoft.Windows.Compatibility. The NuGet package provides access to a lot of the .NET framework API in .NET Core.
App. config – For configuration, .NET framework-based projects include an App. config file that must be replaced with app settings. In .NET Core projects, use JSON.
You can use the .NET Portability Analyzer tool to identify APIs in your project that are not supported by .NET Core.
Step 3: Move the project file.
The project file format used in .NET Core projects differs from that employed in .NET framework projects. The updated SDK-style project file format is used in newer .NET Core projects. You can create a new project file with the required format or edit an existing project file to the required SDK-style format.
Step 4: Fix the code and create a new project.
Create a new .NET project in parallel with the existing one and share assets if you want to keep the designer’s support for your project. So, if you want to change the UI elements in the design, go to the old project in the relevant Visual Studio. Any modifications made to the old .NET framework-based project will be updated in the new .NET Core project as well because assets are shared.
AssemblyInfo considerations – In the recent .NET Core project, attributes are automatically created. However, if the .NET framework-based project contains an AssemblyInfo.cs file, definitions will be duplicated and cause a compiler conflict. Turn off Attributes’ automatic generation or remove the outdated AssemblyInfo.cs file.
The following entries should be added to the .NET project file to prevent the attributes in the project from being generated automatically.
- Resources – Unlike embedded resources, which are automatically included in project files, resources must be moved from .NET-based projects to new project files.
- Update package references – In the final step of the ‘Prepare for Migration’ process, you should update the version number of the packages you will need for the updated .NET project and those you determined to be compatible.
Step 5: Run and test your application on .NET Core.
When all of the preceding steps have been accomplished, it’s time to run and test your code. This is to make sure everything functions as intended or to make sure your .NET Framework to .NET Core porting is successful.
Conclusion
It is easy to switch from the .NET Framework to .NET Core. However, following these steps is crucial to a successful migration. .NET core is one of the best technologies that help developers to achieve high scalability, and to achieve that they should adhere to the .NET core best practices for good results. Your company may benefit from moving from .NET Framework to .NET Core to stay competitive in the current market.
It’s time to switch to .NET Core if your commercial application is still built on the .NET Framework.
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