.Net just may be one of the most important, yet crucially overlooked, programming tools available to developers today. This powerful framework uses popular programming languages like C# and Visual Basic to build high-quality, ultra-complex web and desktop applications for enterprise use.

Fortune 500 companies and dedicated .Net development outsourcing firms choose the framework because it uses an object-oriented approach and works seamlessly across multiple operating systems. In addition, it also comes with a host of standard security features and institutional support from the most important tech company in the world, Microsoft (News - Alert).

Businesses of all sizes can use the .Net framework for their upcoming development projects, confident that the framework will allow them to build a high-quality, trustworthy product efficiently.

What is .Net?

The .Net framework is one of the older programming tools used today. It is a programming infrastructure that utilizes popular languages, like C# and Visual Basic, to write code for enterprise-type desktop and web applications.

Development of the framework began in the late 1990s when Microsoft decided to develop it as part of its larger “.Net Strategy.” This involved selling a series of .Net-branded computer products. The first .Net prototype, called .Net 1.0, was released in late 2000.

Ultimately, the larger .Net line of products was deemed a failure, but the framework would live on. However, it wouldn’t receive much attention from developers outside of Microsoft until October 2007 when the framework’s source code was made public.

Since that time, major corporations like Dell (News - Alert) Computers, GoDaddy, and more have used .Net to build powerful web applications. Read on to learn why these companies selected .Net for their biggest web development projects.

Why Choose .Net?

Object-Oriented Programming

.Net operates according to the object-oriented programming (OOP) paradigm. The Microsoft-backed framework, along with Python, Ruby, and C++, uses OOP to simplify the development process. Under this method, objects are used to compartmentalize data. Class declarations, on the other hand, are used to describe the object’s contents and actions.

This approach to programming also uses abstraction, encapsulation, polymorphism, and data hiding to solve many of the problems associated with procedural programming, OOP’s main competitor.

In addition, major tech companies and .Net development companies benefit from the way OOP protects code access. OOP heavily controls access to code, preventing data errors and inadvertent mistakes. Ultimately, this leads to a better quality product.

Finally, OOP makes it easier for developers to read code through abstraction. In OOP, the point of view automatically hides irrelevant details, making it easier to find the most important parts of the code.

Cross-Platform Compatibility

Another important benefit associated with the .Net framework is the fact that it works smoothly across multiple operating systems. This means that developers can write a single piece of code in C# or another .Net-associated language and that code will operate on any OS.

.Net can accomplish such cross-platform compatibility by using a compiler. The compiler takes the .Net code and automatically translates into a machine-level language that any OS can understand.

In the past, programming languages without cross-platform compatibility required engineers to write, at worst, completely different sets of code or, at best, new modules to translate the code into language the new OS can understand.

Security

ASP.Net also comes with a full suite of security features that help protect consumer data and reduce developer burden out-of-the-gate.

One way the framework ensures cybersecurity is by the way it divides authentication. There are two types of authentication: forms and windows. Forms authentication involves verifying information submitted in a form against an external database or system.

Windows authentication, on the other hand, is the stronger and preferred method. It involves authenticating information against Windows user accounts. It allows the computer to verify information using an existing identity database, such as the company’s Active Directory.

Finally, the .Net community has created a huge array of popular tools and libraries that developers can use to quickly protect their software against malicious adversaries without taking up too much time or original code.

Institutional Support

One of the strongest benefits associated with the .Net framework is the fact that it is supported by Microsoft, perhaps the most well-known tech company in the world. The software giant continues to invest heavily in .Net and promote the language throughout the tech community.

In addition, the .Net developer community is one of the most passionate and vibrant in the world. Their vocal support for the framework is one reason why ASP.Net is now the fourth-most popular web development framework and why .Net is the second-most popular non-web development framework.

Expect Microsoft to continue to update and add new features to the framework regularly for the foreseeable future.

What Types of Projects Can Be Developed Using .Net?

.Net can be used in conjunction with more than 60 programming languages, including popular ones such as C#, F#, and Visual Basic.

Software engineers have successfully used the language to build powerful desktop and web applications. In particular, the language is favored for enterprise-scale projects, which are complex and ultrasensitive by their very nature.

.Net is useful for projects that require cross-platform compatibility and cannot afford the time necessary to create different, OS-specific modules. In addition, the framework creates easily scalable applications--a crucial feature for corporate projects.

One of the most popular .Net-built websites is GoDaddy. Anyone who has ever purchased a domain name and attempted to build a website will be familiar with the company. Other popular websites built with .Net include Microsoft, Dell Computers, Taco Bell, and Ancestry.com.

Conclusion

While the .Net framework may be relatively unknown among the wider community of software developers, enterprise-focused engineers will be very familiar with the powerful, Microsoft-backed framework.

.Net developers love the language because it operates according to the object-oriented programming paradigm, making development simple. In addition, the framework is compatible across multiple platforms, saving crucial time and money since developers do not have to build OS-specific modules. It also comes with strong security features and institutional support from Microsoft.

Companies can utilize the .Net framework to build powerful web and desktop applications for their business, using popular programming languages like C# and Visual Basic throughout the process.