Since its launch two decades ago, .NET has been one of the topmost choices for custom software development. The Microsoft offering allows you to build strong, responsive websites and web applications across multiple platforms.
One of the biggest benefits of .NET development is that the technology keeps upgrading with time. With .NET 6, Microsoft has made yet another move to stay in sync with the ongoing trends and upgrade the development framework.
So, what’s new in .NET 6?
Before understanding what new .NET 6 offers, let us briefly understand the upgrade.
What Is .NET 6?
Microsoft marked the beginning of a new era of .NET development with the launch of .NET 6. The upgraded development framework enhances custom software development for the cloud, web, desktop, and mobile devices.
.NET marks the culmination of the .NET unification that Microsoft started with .NET 5. The cross-platform and open-source development framework blends the .NET framework, .NET Core, and Xamarin/Mono technologies into a single platform. It unites the SDK and runtime for applications built for the web, cloud, mobile devices, and desktops.
Along with Visual Studio 2022 and C# 10, Microsoft made .NET 6 available to the public on November 9, 2021. Along with improving the overall software development experience, .NET 6 helps users boost app performances as compared to the earlier .NET versions. .NET 6 is the fastest .NET version yet and ensures seamless development of business-specific applications.
Working with a .NET development company using the new version gives longevity to your application, as .NET 6 is a long-support release. This implies that Microsoft will support the new version for three years.
What Is New In .NET 6?
Before getting on the digital bandwagon, it is important to understand its features and know what is new in dot net 6. This would help you take full advantage of the new version and improve your software development projects.
Here are some of the most important and new features of .NET 6 that improve custom software development:
Unification And Extension Of .NET
.NET 6 has unified multiple .NET offerings while extending the framework’s functionality. It provides developers with a unified platform for building powerful web, mobile, cloud, desktop, and IoT applications. It supports various applications and allows seamless code reuse across multiple applications.
The enhancements in .NET 6 ensure that the code developers execute on multiple platforms and devices work the same way.
One of the most noteworthy enhancements in .NET 6 is the multi-platform APP UI for the development framework (.NET MUAI). It allows software developers such as IntelliSource to write code that offers modern client app experience across multiple operating systems in one project.
Improved Performance
.NET 6 improves the performance of .NET developers worldwide. Especially regarding file I/O, Microsoft has increased its performance with .NET 6. This results in lower execution time, memory use, and latency. Microsoft re-wrote the FileStream class in the new version to enhance async file I/O performance.
Implementing .NET 6 on Windows no longer required blocking APIs, making the development process much faster. Moreover, .NET 6 has an updated Just In Time (JIT) compiler and an improved garbage collector. The framework has improved system types such as string and GUID as well.
Profile-guided Optimizing (PGO)
Profile-guided Optimizing is another major feature introduced in .NET 6. It is a compiler optimization technique that helps the just-in-time (JIT) compiler generate an optimized code depending on the types and codes commonly used by .NET developers. This makes building software applications easier, faster, and more efficient.
New APIs
Microsoft introduced new APIs with .NET 6 for JSON, mathematics, HTTP/3, and more to further enhance the software development process.
Unified Platform Support
Microsoft started making efforts towards building a unified platform for multiple .NET applications since .NET 5. It has always wanted to create a platform that developers can use for building applications that run on multiple devices and operating systems.
.NET 6 provides users with unified platform support for building applications capable of running on multiple platforms and operating systems. All applications built using .NET 6 use the same libraries, irrespective of the platform(s) they are built for.
Enhanced Security
Microsoft has also made security improvements in .NET 6 to ensure the security and privacy of valuable business data. .NET 6 applications help you keep your business records secure and make your customers trust you with their data.
Some of the security enhancements in .NET 6 include ChaCha20Poly1305 support encryption scheme support, OpenSSL, and “defense in depth” runtime mitigations, among others.
Improvements In C# 10 And F# 6
The new .NET version also made significant improvements in the languages of C#10 and F# 6. C# 10 improvements include new lambda capabilities, implicit using, and record structs. The improvements made to F# 6 include task-based sync and pipeline debugging. These enhancements facilitate easy and effective software development for .NET developers.
Better JSON APIs
Along with enhancing several aspects of .NET development, .NET 6 also improves JSON APIs. This increases development capabilities and enhances your app performance. Microsoft has also introduced a source generator for System.Text.JSON to eliminate the need for code creation and runtime reflection. It also facilitates the generation of suitable serialization code during build time.
Better Cloud Diagnostics And Code Quality
.NET 6 comes with enhanced cloud diagnostics with the addition of dotnet-monitor and Open Telemetry. These features are accessible with the Azure App Service.
Moreover, Microsoft introduced source generators and analyzers to help developers write safer, faster, and more effective code. This increases the code quality while developing cross-platform .NET applications.
Hot Reload
This is one of the highlight features of .NET 6. It allows developers to modify the UI while executing the applications. It lets developers see the changes reflected as soon as they make them without restarting the applications.
The Final Word
These were some of the many new features of .NET 6 that improve your productivity and the applications you build. Switching to the new .NET version helps you improve your software development projects and improve the quality of your custom software applications.
