WHEN TO CHOOSE MICROSOFT .NET CORE ?

There is no one right answer for when to use .NET Core .It’s the old architect’s answer of “it depends” because there are a lot of factors in choosing either platform. For example If you have an ASP.NET Web Forms application, then attempting to convert it to ASP.NET Core is not advisable. Web Forms is inextricably tied to System.Web.dll, and as such will likely never be available in ASP.NET Core.

Long and short, you only need to use Core if you care about write once, run everywhere. If you’re exclusively targeting Windows, the Full Framework is the better choice .

Based on technical factors there are primary two dimension to consider.

1 : Are you an Experienced . NET Developer or Not ?

2:  The application you are creating a new application or looking to convert an existing application into .NET core

.NET Core For an Experienced .NET Developer

If you have been surfing ASP.NET framework then it’s all about how much time you can put it to learn and cop with breaking changes of early adopter of framework.  For conversion of existing app to .NET see the section For Converting Existing Application to .NET

Below are Some Cross Edge Benefits You will get for considering .NET core .

• Cross Platform development and deployment – i.e. create on window and deploy on Linux or vice versa  . You can write a library using .NET standard library and then it can be shared across many platform.
•  Containers Supports  –  Containers  provides virtualization at Operating system level and solve many problem of virtual machine. The .NET framework was initially supposed to run only on Windows environment . one of the design decision of .NET core was to make it more modular so application can be published in a way where all dependencies are in one place and that would make it easy to put into a container. NET Core’s modular design means that you only include the dependencies you need.
• ASP.NET Core outperforms framework ASP.NET  – more than 4 million requests per second mark on the Temp Empower Benchmark
• .NET Core is the focus for innovation
• Release cycles are faster
• Subtle changes for .NET Framework developers –  Experienced .NET Framework developers may encounter a few surprises working in .NET Core. Writing new code should be relatively straightforward because you’re unlikely to use older constructs like HashTable or ArrayList. Visual Studio’s Intellisense also indicates whether a type, method, property, etc. is supported in .NET Core.

.NET Core For a New .NET Developer

If you’re new to .NET development, and are considering ASP.NET Core, then welcome! Microsoft are very much pushing ASP.NET Core as an attractive option for web development beginners, but taking .NET cross-platform means it’s competing with many other frameworks on their own turf. ASP.NET Core has many selling points when compared to other cross platform web frameworks:

• It is a modern but stable web framework.
• It uses familiar design-patterns and paradigms.
• C# is a great language
• You can build and run on any platform

ASP.NET Core is a re-imagining of the ASP.NET framework, built with modern software design principles on top of the new .NET Core platform. While new in one sense, .NET Core has drawn significantly from the mature, stable, and reliable .NET Framework, which has been used for well over a decade. You can rest easy that by choosing ASP.NET Core and .NET Core you’ll be getting a dependable platform, as well as a fully featured web framework.

For Creating New and Converting Existing Application to .NET

So if you are doing conversion it is assumed that you are experienced ASP.NET Developer.

As a .NET developer, if you are not using any Windows-specific constructs such as the  Registry, then the ability to build and deploy applications cross-platform opens the door to a whole new avenue of applications. Take advantage of cheaper Linux VM hosting in the cloud; use Docker containers for repeatable continuous integration; or write .NET code on your MacBook without needing to run a Windows virtual machine. ASP.NET Core in combination with .NET Core makes all this possible. It is important to be aware of the limitations of cross-platform applications – not all the .NET Framework APIs are available in .NET Core. It’s likely that most of the APIs you need will make their way to .NET Core over time, but it is an important point to be aware of.

See the section Microsoft tools of migrating your existing ASP.NET project to ASP.NET Core Porting to .NET Core from .NET Framework

Final Verdict : Let’s summarize it into short points. The summary below is taken from this article

ASP.NET Core is a better choice, if you

• Want to target your Web app on Windows, Linux, and Mac operating systems.
• Are not afraid of learning new things
• Are not afraid of breaking and fixing things since ASP.NET Core is not fully matured yet.

ASP.NET MVC is a better choice if you –

• Don’t need a cross-platform support for your Web app.
• Need a stable environment to work in.
• Have nearer release schedules.
• Are already working on an existing app and extending its functionality.
• Already have an existing team with ASP.NET expertise.

The .NET Framework has reached a point where it’s too rigid and monolithic to keep up with competitors. .NET Core is a necessary next step in the evolution of .NET. It combines the best of the .NET Framework with the practices used in modern software development. Features like portability, simple deployment, high performance, open source, and great support make it worth checking out.