Autor: Codenga 03.03.2023

Contrary to some random opinions, both C# and .NET are still relevant in the world of software development. And they still play a pretty important role, as you will see in a moment.

It happens from time to time, that someone declares "the end of C#" or "the end of .NET". But these statements turn out to be far from the truth. C# and .NET are proven, versatile, and popular technologies with many applications. And that is not going to change for a long time. So let's take a closer look at them and examine their prospects in the context of 2023.

What is C#

C# is a modern, object-oriented programming language created by Microsoft in 2000. It successfully combines simplicity with versatility. It also has many applications: it is used to create web applications, games, desktop and mobile applications. C# may not generate great excitement, but that is actually its advantage. It is a proven language that does what it should do. It is a reliable tool for everyday work.

What is .NET

.NET is a software development framework, also created by Microsoft. Like C#, .NET also appeared in 2000 - these two technologies have always been closely related.

Thanks to .NET, applications can be created for different operating systems: Windows, macOS, and Linux. Currently it is a really powerful set of tools that make a programmer's work easier.

C# is not the only language supported by .NET. You can just as easily write an application in languages like Visual Basic or F#. In practice, it supports many different languages, although C# is the most popular choice.

The .NET framework provides a set of ready-to-use classes and functions. With their help, you can quickly create the structure of an application and implement various functionalities. You don't have to write everything from scratch - you can use many ready-made functions instead. And that is the key advantage of .NET.

There are also many other strong points of this framework:

• extensions and tools, such as Xamarin, which facilitates the creation of mobile applications;
• the .NET Core library, which speeds up work on web applications;
• good and in-depth documentation;
• friendly and welcoming community of users.

In a moment, you will learn more about some of these advantages.

C# and .NET still matter

There are several key thing that prove the continued relevance of C# and .NET.

Cloud technologies

Microsoft has long been focusing on cloud technologies - in the form of a product known as Azure. When it comes to writing applications for this platform, .NET is often a natural choice. These technologies are closely integrated. And this translates into the ease of developing and deploying applications.

Integration of various products from Microsoft

Azure is just a one example of the various Microsoft products, that provide good support for C# and .NET. There is a very popular Visual Studio Code editor. There are also various AI tools that are getting or will soon get a pretty close integration with .NET environment.

Cross-platform

Using .NET you can create mobile, web or desktop applications. That means, you can create applications that will run on different platforms; Windows, Linux, Android, etc. This has long been a strong point of the .NET.

Job prospects

A lot of systems and servers are based on solutions from Microsoft. In such environments, applications are often built with .NET and C#. They are some of the most widespread technologies for software development.

This means that there is a great demand for developers familiar with these technologies. There are really a lot of job offers - you can check it yourself. Learning C # and .NET can therefore be a very good investment.

Flexibility

The great advantage of the heroes of this article is their flexibility and multitude of applications. C # and .NET can be used to write simple mobile or desktop applications, but also to create applications from the enterprise segment, serving hundreds of thousands of users. The high scalability of these technologies means that they can handle each of the above tasks.

Future

Microsoft has invested heavily in C# over the years, and of course in .NET. They are popular and proven technologies. So it's safe to say that they still have a lot to say in the software development market. They will certainly not disappear in the foreseeable future and will be used in various programming projects for a long time. With the development of AI technology from Microsoft, the importance of .NET and C# may increase even more.

How to start

We suggest starting with learning C# because it is the most popular language in the .NET environment. You can start with the C# Developer Career Path. At the beginning of the Path, you will learn the absolute basics of the language, then you will move on to more complex issues. This Path will provide you with a very solid foundation to develop your skills.

The next step is, of course, learning the .NET environment itself. The advantage here is good documentation and a multitude of different learning materials.

As we wrote, these two technologies are constantly supported and developed. This ensures that there will be a strong demand for C# and .NET programmers for a long time to come. Have a fruitful study!