Best of .NET — August 2025

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   Article

   DevBlogs·39w

   A C# Guide with Ollama

   GPT-OSS is OpenAI's first open-weight model since GPT-2, offering developers powerful AI capabilities without cloud dependency. The guide demonstrates how to build a local AI chat application using C# and Ollama, leveraging Microsoft.Extensions.AI libraries for unified abstractions. The 20B model runs on just 16GB of memory, making it accessible for local development. The tutorial covers setting up a console app, adding necessary NuGet packages, implementing streaming chat with conversation history, and preparing for advanced scenarios like function calling and agentic applications.

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2. 2
   Article

   .NET Blog·40w

   .NET 10 Preview 7 is now available!

   .NET 10 Preview 7 introduces enhancements across multiple components including new cryptographic features (AES KeyWrap, ML-DSA), improved JSON serialization with PipeReader support, WebSocketStream functionality, and TLS 1.3 support for macOS. ASP.NET Core gains passkey authentication improvements and enhanced validation, while .NET MAUI adds XAML Source Generator and SafeArea enhancements. Windows Forms receives dark mode rendering fixes, and Entity Framework Core improves parameterized collection translation.

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3. 3
   Article

   Milan Jovanović·39w

   The Real Cost of Abstractions in .NET

   Abstractions in .NET development come with hidden costs that accumulate over time. While good abstractions isolate genuine volatility like payment processors or external APIs, many common patterns like repository wrappers and pass-through services add unnecessary complexity without real benefits. The key is to abstract policies that might change rather than stable mechanics, wait for actual need before creating interfaces, and regularly evaluate whether abstractions simplify or complicate the codebase. Direct use of mature tools like Entity Framework often provides better performance and clarity than additional abstraction layers.

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4. 4
   Video

   Nick Chapsas·40w

   Stop Mapping in .NET Use Facets Instead

   Introduces Facets, a new .NET mapping library that offers an alternative to AutoMapper with source generation capabilities. The library supports custom mapping configurations, Entity Framework projections, and provides a faceting approach where objects can have multiple forms. While performance benchmarks show it's slower than ultra-fast libraries like Mapster, the difference is negligible in real-world database scenarios, making it a viable choice for developers seeking feature-rich mapping solutions.

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5. 5
   Article

   ASP.NET Blog·41w

   .NET and .NET Framework August 2025 servicing releases updates

   Microsoft released August 2025 servicing updates for .NET 8.0.19 and .NET 9.0.8, containing non-security bug fixes and improvements. The updates are available for download with corresponding Docker images and Linux installation guides. No new .NET Framework security updates were released this month, but non-security updates are available.

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