Best of .NET — October 2025

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    Article
    Avatar of milanjovanovicMilan Jovanović·30w

    The Interview Question That Changed How I Think About System Design

    An interview question about optimizing a 5-minute report generation process reveals a fundamental shift in thinking: the solution isn't making the code faster, but redesigning the system to be asynchronous. Instead of blocking users with synchronous requests, the better approach uses background workers, job queues, and notifications to keep the UI responsive while processing happens independently. This architectural change improves user experience, enables fault tolerance with automatic retries, and allows the system to scale under load without holding open connections or locking up resources.

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    Video
    Avatar of nickchapsasNick Chapsas·32w

    Why Startups Don't Use .NET and C#

    Explores why startups favor JavaScript, TypeScript, and Python over .NET/C# despite modern improvements. Key factors include persistent stigma around .NET, faster MVP development with JS/Python ecosystems, easier hiring due to larger talent pools, and better AI tooling support. While .NET offers strong performance and complexity management for mature products, startups prioritize speed-to-market and product validation over code quality. The author, running a .NET-based startup, recommends choosing .NET only if teams already know it, as learning curves and hiring challenges outweigh benefits for early-stage companies. Microsoft's recent organizational shift placing .NET under AI platforms signals deeper AI integration coming to the ecosystem.

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    Article
    Avatar of aspnetASP.NET Blog·29w

    Introducing Custom Agents for .NET Developers: C# Expert & WinForms Expert

    Microsoft released two experimental custom agents for GitHub Copilot targeting .NET developers: C# Expert and WinForms Expert. C# Expert provides guidance on modern C# best practices, code integrity, and testing workflows. WinForms Expert specializes in UI design patterns, event-driven programming, and protects designer.cs files from corruption. Both agents can be downloaded from the awesome-copilot repository and integrated into projects via the .github/agents folder, with support across Copilot Coding Agent, VS Code Insiders, and upcoming Visual Studio 2022 v17.14.21.

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    Article
    Avatar of milanjovanovicMilan Jovanović·29w

    What's New in EF Core 10: LeftJoin and RightJoin Operators in LINQ

    .NET 10 introduces native LeftJoin and RightJoin methods to LINQ, eliminating the verbose GroupJoin + DefaultIfEmpty pattern previously required for left/right joins in Entity Framework Core. The new methods provide clearer intent, less code, and identical SQL output while making outer joins as straightforward as other LINQ operations. Developers can now write joins that directly express their meaning, keeping all rows from one side while matching optional rows from the other.

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    Article
    Avatar of milanjovanovicMilan Jovanović·31w

    6 Steps for Setting Up a New .NET Project the Right Way

    A practical guide covering six essential steps for initializing a .NET project: implementing EditorConfig for consistent code formatting, using Directory.Build.props for centralized build settings, enabling central package management with Directory.Packages.props, adding static code analysis with SonarAnalyzer, setting up local orchestration with Docker Compose or .NET Aspire, and automating builds with GitHub Actions CI workflows.

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    Video
    Avatar of nickchapsasNick Chapsas·31w

    Building the Coolest Console Apps in .NET

    Learn how to build modern, interactive terminal UI applications using Razor syntax in .NET console apps. The tutorial demonstrates creating animated, clickable terminal interfaces with components like buttons, counters, and real-time dashboards. Examples include a system monitoring dashboard and a SQL database manager, all built using Razor components with familiar web-like syntax that renders directly in the console.

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    Article
    Avatar of thedailywtfThe Daily WTF·32w

    A JSON Serializer

    A cautionary example of poorly implemented JSON serialization in C# that manually constructs JSON strings through string concatenation instead of using built-in serialization libraries. The code attempts to infer data types by parsing string representations, fails to properly escape special characters, and uses inefficient string manipulation techniques. The article emphasizes the importance of using established JSON libraries rather than hand-rolling serialization logic.

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    Article
    Avatar of infoworldInfoWorld·30w

    Using the SkiaSharp graphics library in .NET

    SkiaSharp is a .NET wrapper for Google's Skia 2D graphics library, providing cross-platform drawing capabilities for Windows, iOS, macOS, Linux, and Android. The library serves as the rendering foundation for .NET UI frameworks like MAUI, Uno Platform, and Avalonia. Developers can use SkiaSharp directly to create custom visualizations and controls by working with canvases, drawing primitives, text rendering, bitmaps, and transformations. Microsoft and Uno Platform recently announced they will co-maintain the project, which currently lags behind the main Skia build by about two years.

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    Article
    Avatar of devblogsDevBlogs·31w

    Announcing the .NET Security Group

    Microsoft is expanding the .NET Security Group, previously a private collaboration with Red Hat, Canonical, and IBM, to allow any organization distributing .NET to apply for membership. Members receive CVE information and source patches approximately one week before public disclosure, enabling them to release security updates simultaneously with Microsoft. The program requires vetting, signing agreements, and demonstrating active participation in the .NET upstream project by publishing builds for supported versions.

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    Article
    Avatar of dotnet.NET Blog·31w

    .NET and .NET Framework October 2025 servicing releases updates

    .NET 8.0.21 and 9.0.10 servicing releases are now available with security fixes for three CVEs (CVE-2025-55315, CVE-2025-55247, CVE-2025-21176) and non-security improvements. The October 2025 updates also include .NET Framework security and non-security patches. Updates are available for download with release notes, container images, and Linux installation guides provided for both versions.

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    Video
    Avatar of nickchapsasNick Chapsas·33w

    dotnet format is awesome in .NET

    The dotnet format command automatically fixes code style issues like indentation, newlines, braces, and unused using statements in .NET projects. It can be applied to entire solutions or individual files, integrated into pre-commit hooks or CI pipelines, and configured with an .editorconfig file to enforce team-wide coding standards.

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    Article
    Avatar of syncfusionSyncfusion·32w

    .NET Core vs. .NET Framework: Key Differences and Best Use Cases

    Modern .NET (formerly .NET Core) has evolved into the preferred choice for new development in 2025, offering cross-platform support, superior performance through tiered JIT and AOT compilation, cloud-native capabilities, and modular architecture via NuGet. While .NET Framework remains viable for legacy Windows applications with technologies like WPF, WinForms, and WCF, it receives only security updates and lacks modern deployment flexibility. Key differentiators include modern .NET's support for containers, microservices, HTTP/2, improved async programming, and active open-source development. Migration decisions should weigh business needs against long-term scalability and platform requirements.

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    Article
    Avatar of jetbrainsJetBrains·30w

    Coming to Rider 2025.3: ASP.NET and Database Issue Detection In The Monitoring Tool Window

    Rider 2025.3 introduces enhanced monitoring capabilities with real-time database and ASP.NET issue detection. The Monitoring tool window now automatically identifies slow queries, excessive database connections, and long-running MVC actions alongside existing CPU, memory, and GC tracking. Issues appear in real time beneath performance charts, with dotUltimate subscribers gaining access to detailed profiling through dotTrace. The feature is available across Windows, Linux, and macOS, providing a unified interface for tracking application performance bottlenecks without switching between multiple tools.

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