What’s driving software upgrades in today’s world?
The reasons vary for each business. Outdated technology, low software performance, and increased risk on customers' churn were the driving force behind our client’s move from obsolete .NET Framework to .NET Core.
Our client is a reputable vendor of innovative digital and financial services for the healthcare sector. Amid the stiff competition, they still managed to become one of the key players in the US healthcare market.
To keep up and surpass the competition, the first step they took was upgrading from .NET Framework 4.7, which had limited functionality, to .NET Core 3.2, the latest version of the most popular framework.
As most companies do, initially, our client also didn’t put great emphasis on timely software updates until they faced serious lags in the system. In line with this, adding even one simple feature turned out to be a real problem because of legacy technology.
The company had been using .NET Framework for almost a decade. Back in the days, the technology was extremely popular for building desktop applications for Windows and server-based solutions.
Hence, evolving the system with .NET Core was much easier and cost-effective, that’s why the company included migration to .NET Core in their IT strategy.
According to CodingGame research, .NET Core is currently one of the most popular frameworks amongst developers. Let’s take a short look at why it’s so in demand today.
| Perfomance & Scalability | Average perfomance | High performance. When comparing the performance of .NET Core vs .NET Framework, .NET Core runs with a much lower number of servers/Virtual Machines (VM). The reduced servers/VMs significantly save costs in infrastructure and hosting. |
|---|---|---|
| Licensing and maintenance costs | Heavy Windows licenses including dedicated server fees and supporting tools. | No licensing costs except for spendings on Visual Studio, etc. |
| Microservices architecture and containers | Does not support the development and implementation of microservices. Windows containers based on the Windows process isolation technology. | Supported. Docker containers enable you to host and deploy apps in the cloud. |
| Support | Limited software support with poor documentation. Plenty of versions reached EOL (end of life). | LTS (long-term support) for .NET Core versions is shorter than for its predecessor .NET Framework. |
Did you know?
If you are using these versions in your project, there’s a real threat of the system becoming vulnerable. Consider our .NET Framework to .NET Core upgrading services to establish a migration plan and future-proof the software.
To start with, Microsoft attempted to facilitate the transition between various .NET versions. It worked
out fine because, despite the difference between .NET Framework and .NET Core, organizations can simply
port .NET Framework to the target environment.
However, the same, for example, cannot be said when it comes to AngularJS to Angular migration which
requires rewriting from scratch.
All the same, of course, there were some inconsistencies we needed to iron out in the process.
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As we mentioned before, Microsoft prepared a detailed guide on the transition from .NET Framework to .NET Core. But it's half the battle.
In fact, the key to successful software migration is always precise planning and the expertise of an experienced software modernization company.
We chose an agile methodology that combines iterative and incremental development. Under this approach, we managed to deliver the updated solution gradually and be flexible to ever-changing requirements. Plus, we devised a risk management plan to troubleshoot possible migration pitfalls e.g., inconsistent code issues, poor documentation, etc.
As soon as all project dependencies were evaluated and updated, we ported .NET Framework to .NET Core. That meant, 90% of source code was transferred when our team was working out compiler errors. Specifically,
Data Access Layer (DAL)
were converted to
.NET Core
IoC container was implemented using Autofac
RMP.Common.PredicateBuilder was migrated to the LinqKit PredicateBuilder
Old Global IoC Container was partially deleted
background service was refactored
In the meantime, the developers maintained the older system made with .NET Framework. That answers the question of "can .NET Core and .NET Framework coexist within a single project?"
There are still stable versions of .NET Framework with active support. Companies can securely use their systems and not move to .NET Core. However, there’re special cases to start the migration.
You need
a cross-platform support
You want to use microservices in the project
Cloud-native opportunities are vital for system
growth
You plan to expand the business, which implies the use of the modern technology
Business Logic Layer
Data access layer
Scheme
Firstly, our team evaluated and extracted the legacy business logic from the old application.
After that, we built a standalone Business Logic Layer (BLL) in .NET Core that encompasses the field-level and business-level logic for the application.
The process also involved moving out the logic for synchronizations jobs to the separate job.
The fullest guide on upgrading your .NET Framework app to .NET Core or .NET 7 or 8.
Learn moreBlog Posts
Back to .NET Framework and .NET Core migration compatibility, there were critical cases that required a portion of manual work.
Therefore, while working on a root project (controllers, views, models), we changed models to comply with .NET Core language changes. It was also decided to rewrite views to express queries.
Code quality directly affects the system performance, which was crucial for the client’s business.
In doing this, we were guided by KISS, SOLID, and DRY principles, which stand for effective development.
The next step was to refactor existed unit tests to work in the new project. They covered the whole functionality and conducted through each iteration. This way, we released a quality product to the end users.
Cross-platform accessibility
Extensive support
Simplified maintenance and higher code efficiencyIn contrast to .NET Framework limitations, .NET Core lets the system run smoothly on Mac, Linux, and Windows. That means developers spend less time on scaling the software. With the new .NET standard libraries, the dev team implements crucial features much faster in different environments at once.
Provided that .NET Core is an open-source project, portable class libraries from NuGet speed up the development process. If there are issues within a project, developers can instantly resolve it using documentation that are regularly updated.
.NET Core gives an outstanding performance with such features as execution speed and memory allocation. Speaking of maintenance, NuGet packages can be easily released and upgraded. Hence, the client can quickly jump to the newer version without making big changes in the codebase.
Results
Refactor the code until you can't. Restructuring the codebase is an essential part of the software development cycle. Neat and clean code eventually will save your resources.
Plan on upgrading the software in advance, even if it’s not your top priority right now. Start investing in documenting it all, as poor documentation is the number one problem encountered when transforming legacy systems.
Even plain migration projects can go sideways. Get a consultation from an experienced legacy software modernization company to cover all the bases. As an outcome, you’ll be aware of all the issues under the hood and possible pitfalls during the migration.
I prefer choosing modern frameworks for my projects. Of course, sometimes upgrades come with a cost, but the benefits are obvious. .NET Core offers a lot more in terms of speed development and greater efficiency, which are markers for high productivity.
Actions speak louder than words! Take a look at our legacy app modernization
services in essence.
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