The Belitsoft custom software development firm warns that since .NET Core stopped receiving updates in 2022, companies should not migrate their .NET Framework applications to it. Instead, switch directly to .NET 8 or .NET 10 (which will be available in November 2025 and has long-term support). Everything that .NET Core did and more is covered by .NET 8, which replaces it. Although Microsoft now simply refers to .NET 8 as “.NET,” the web framework is still ASP.NET Core (updated version). Any obsolete ASP.NET Framework web apps need to be converted to ASP.NET Core on .NET 8. There are two stages to this migration. Transfer your shared code to the new .NET runtime environment first. Next, switch your web application from ASP.NET Framework to ASP.NET Core.
It is not an upgrade to switch from .NET Framework to .NET 8. In essence, it’s starting from scratch. The new .NET runs in the cloud and on various systems. Anything that solely utilizes Windows will cease to function. This covers event logs, registry work, and other things. All of it needs to be replaced. Moving web apps is the most difficult. Redesigning your application is necessary when switching from ASP.NET to ASP.NET Core. The new system completely breaks WebForms. Instead of merely updating what you already have, you should choose a different approach to developing your app. Changes must be made to the way even basic console programs and code libraries operate and are deployed.
With over 20 years of experience in .NET modernization, Belitsoft helped more than 1,000 companies achieve their technological objectives, including completing more than 200 complex projects. After starting a pilot project, nine out of ten clients choose to continue working with this agency. The results meet industry-specific targets because the upgrading work is in line with each sector’s primary business driver. Data integrity and privacy apply to the healthcare industry. It’s security and compliance for financial institutions. It is latency under load for the e-commerce industry.
Challenges Businesses Address by .NET Framework to .NET 8 Migration
There are numerous business advantages of transferring applications from the outdated .NET Framework to .NET 8. Your apps operate more quickly. They work with Windows, Mac, and Linux. Additionally, Microsoft employs better encryption and more robust defenses against intrusions. Working with the code is simpler. Because of its greater modularity, your apps can scale more effectively and be lighter.
Lack of Cloud and Contemporary DevOps
Your apps will function better in the cloud and facilitate software deployment when you switch to .NET 8. This speeds up the delivery of your software to clients and reduces server costs. Although it only runs on Windows servers, the outdated .NET Framework is still updated on Windows. Deployment is also challenging because automated systems and new cloud tools are difficult to use.
.NET 8 functions differently. It functions well with containers and runs on any platform. Once the app has been built, your team can run it anywhere by placing it in a container. It functions similarly across various cloud providers. It is not necessary to create distinct environments for every one of them.
Containerized microservices allow you to scale each part of your application separately. You launch additional containers for a feature when it is widely used. You automatically remove them when fewer people use it. This is preferable to the previous method, which required adding resources to the entire application even if only a single component required more space.
With s platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), you may produce code once and have it run on various operating systems and cloud service providers. Everywhere you go, you use the same bits of code. The best part is that the cloud provider takes care of the tedious tasks, such as maintaining servers, scaling them, and updating security. Your developers can spend more time developing features rather than maintaining servers.
Performance and Scalability Issues
A new method of running apps that is significantly faster than the previous .NET Framework is called .NET 8. With more than 500 performance enhancements, your program or website reacts more quickly even when more employees or clients use it. It is not frozen.
You save money because your servers aren’t working as hard. With its Just-In-Time compiler and runtime optimizations, .NET 8 is more intelligent at transforming your code into tasks that the computer can complete.
Examples demonstrate up to 50% reductions in CPU usage. It improves memory cleanup. Additionally, in contrast to the monolithic .NET Framework, it loads only the portions of your program that you truly require.
Low Security and Compliance
.NET 8 helps defend against cyberattacks with built-in security that is more robust than that of the .NET Framework. Better encryption and more contemporary methods of managing user logins are two benefits of switching from the outdated .NET Framework.
You are given security tools to help you stick to the regulations. However, your developers still need to properly configure the security features. ASP.NET Core Data Protection helps web apps protect sensitive data by implementing encryption and automated key management. It was created to address issues with the outdated Windows DPAPI, which was only compatible with Windows and unsuitable for cross-platform or web use.
The industry standard for protecting cookies, authentication tokens, and other data in ASP.NET Core applications is now Data Protection. Built-in security features in ASP.NET Core and .NET 8 assist you in complying with PCI-DSS, HIPAA, and GDPR regulations.
Cross-Platform Deployment Limitations
Reach clients using any operating system they may be using. Each one doesn’t require a different engineer. Linux, Mac, and Windows all use the same code. It works everywhere you write it.
You can run your apps in Docker containers and handle it through Kubernetes. Once they are in containers, they can operate on any cloud provider. They can be automatically sized up or down.
Do you want to test a new version with a small group of people? Or quickly flip between versions? You can now. There are no conflicts between services because each one operates in a separate container that has all the resources it requires. Updates are simple. You can immediately roll back if something goes wrong.
High Infrastructure Costs
You can save thousands of dollars per server annually by moving your apps off of the outdated .NET Framework. Old .NET is expensive and only works with Windows servers. Cheap Linux servers run new .NET. Microsoft recently increased the price of Windows by an additional 10–20% this year. By switching to Linux, you avoid paying any of that. Your servers are more efficient.
In comparison with legacy .NET Framework applications, apps developed with the new .NET framework consume less memory and CPU power. You can use fewer servers to accomplish the same tasks as before or run more apps on the same server. The containers are smaller. Smaller Docker containers can accommodate new .NET applications. Storage costs are lower for smaller containers. Additionally, because the files are smaller, you pay less for bandwidth.
They also deploy more quickly. Cloud services that only generate auto-scaling server instances when required are compatible with new .NET. Increased website traffic speeds up the startup of new servers. Rather than having Windows servers running constantly, you only pay for what you use. By switching to the new .NET, you can eliminate sluggish old code.
The Best Methods and Strategies for Migration
Determine Whether Your Business Is Prepared for a Migration
Organizations must assess their readiness before beginning the migration process. In addition to a cursory glance at the codebase, this requires a comprehensive assessment of the architecture, dependencies, team skill sets, and long-term goals.
Enumerate all of your current applications. Which are vital to the mission? Which outdated tools are rarely used? After the migration, give priority to updating the apps that are most important to business operations and have the highest return on investment.
The next thing we advise is to assess your system dependencies and tech stack. Are you utilizing out-of-date libraries or unsupported elements such as Web Forms or WCF? In favor of more modern choices like gRPC or ASP.NET Core, these might need to be swapped out or completely rewritten. Your current build pipelines, testing configuration, and deployment tactics will probably need to change as the codebase changes.
Incremental versus One-time Migration
Migration cannot be approached in a one-size-fits-all manner. The two primary approaches are full (or big-bang) migration and incremental migration.
With incremental migration, you could begin with more recent modules or background services and then use the .NET Framework for the remainder of the application. Although this approach reduces risk and disruption, it increases complexity. The reason is that you have to manage interoperability between new and old components, frequently through APIs or inter-process communication.
Rewriting or porting the entire program to .NET 8 at once is known as a full migration. Although the initial risk is higher, this is faster in some ways.
Many of our clients choose to migrate gradually, particularly large enterprises. You can gradually update your stack without compromising functionality. The ideal strategy for CIOs to overcome the modernization burden is an iterative, lightweight modernization approach fueled by insights and driven by business priorities and value, according to Ted Tritchew, CTO of Cloud Consulting at IBM Canada.
Real-World Business Use Cases
The back-end architecture of Stack Overflow has been steadily improving. After migrating core services from the .NET Framework to .NET Core, their team is now focusing on .NET 8.
Siemens recently updated its industrial software stack. They state that the switch to .NET 8 helped to increase performance up to 30%, improve maintainability, and enable a more effective CI/CD pipeline. Prior to switching to the more recent runtime, they planned to modularize important components.
When Jet.com, an eCommerce company owned by Walmart, switched to .NET Core (and is currently working toward .NET 8), it also made news.
Converted Open Source Projects to .NET 8
The open-source communities have embraced .NET 8. Orchard Core, a modular CMS and application framework that provides developers with community templates so they can get started immediately, is one project that has fully embraced .NET 8.
Another popular CMS that was first developed using the .NET Framework and is currently aiming for full .NET 8 compatibility is Umbraco.
These projects validate the capabilities of .NET 8 and provide helpful reference implementations for developers planning their own migrations.
About the Author:
Dmitry Baraishuk is a partner and Chief Innovation Officer at a software development company Belitsoft (a Noventiq company). He has been leading a department specializing in custom software development for 20 years. The department has hundreds of successful projects in AI software development, healthcare and finance IT consulting, application modernization, cloud migration, data analytics implementation, and more for startups and enterprises in the US, UK, and Canada.
