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.NET web framework · by Microsoft

ASP.NET Core

Microsoft's free, cross-platform, open-source web framework for C# with minimal APIs, MVC, Blazor, SignalR, gRPC, built-in auth and yearly .NET releases with LTS.

Visit dotnet.microsoft.com ↗ Alternatives Open source Open source Self-hostable
ASP.NET Core homepage
§1

Overview

ASP.NET Core is a cross-platform, high-performance, open-source framework for building web apps and services with .NET and C#. It runs on Windows, Linux and macOS and deploys to any major cloud, your own servers or hosting providers.

The framework includes a lightweight modular request pipeline, the Kestrel HTTP server, integrated dependency injection, environment-based configuration and rich logging, tracing and metrics. Minimal APIs declare fast web APIs with little code; MVC and Razor serve larger apps; Blazor builds interactive web UI in C# without JavaScript; SignalR adds real-time communication; gRPC offers high-performance RPC. Security features cover authentication, authorisation, data protection, XSS and CSRF, and a built-in user store supports multi-factor and external logins.

Microsoft cites the independent TechEmpower benchmarks (Round 23) as showing ASP.NET Core faster than any other popular web framework.

A new major .NET release ships every November. Even-numbered releases are LTS with three years of free support; odd-numbered releases are STS with two years. .NET 10 (November 2025) is the current LTS, supported until November 2028.

§2

Pricing and plans

Free and open source. Paid Microsoft support and Azure hosting are optional; Microsoft advertises 10 free ASP.NET Core websites on Azure.

Source: dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/platform/support/policy/dotnet-core · prices as published, excluding tax.

§3

What it does

Minimal APIs
Declare routes and endpoints fluently with little code.
Kestrel
High-performance cross-platform HTTP server.
Blazor
Interactive web UI components in C#.
SignalR and gRPC
Real-time messaging and high-performance RPC.
Identity and security
Built-in user store, MFA, external logins, data protection, XSS and CSRF protections.
Dependency injection
Integrated DI and environment-based configuration.
§4

Strengths and limitations

Strengths

  • Very high performance in TechEmpower benchmarks
  • Complete stack from APIs to UI (Blazor) in C#
  • Predictable yearly releases with LTS
  • Backed by Microsoft with first-class tooling

Limitations

  • Tied to the .NET release cycle: LTS support lasts three years and STS two, so apps must move to new versions regularly
  • Systems must stay on the latest patch to remain supported under Microsoft's policy
  • C# and .NET only
  • Microsoft's free Azure hosting offer and much of its tooling guidance centre on Azure and Visual Studio
§5

Who it suits

Good for

  • Enterprise APIs and web apps in C#
  • Teams wanting one language for server and UI (Blazor)
  • High-throughput services

Look elsewhere if

  • Teams without .NET experience who want the smallest learning curve
  • Very small scripts or edge functions
§6

Pricing history

  • .NET 10 LTS released

    .NET 10, including ASP.NET Core 10, was released on 11 November 2025 as a Long Term Support release supported until 14 November 2028. Source ↗

  • .NET STS releases now supported for 24 months

    Announced 16 September 2025: Standard Term Support releases get 24 months instead of 18, starting with .NET 9, which now ends support on 10 November 2026. LTS stays at three years. Source ↗

§7

Alternatives to ASP.NET Core

Tool From Free option Stages
Laravel Batteries-included PHP framework
$5/mo Open source
Django Batteries-included Python web framework
— Open source
FastAPI Python API framework
$20/mo Free tier
Encore Backend framework with infrastructure from code
$49/mo Free tier
Gin Go HTTP web framework
— Open source
Fastify High-performance Node.js web framework
— Open source

All backend frameworks →

§8

Questions

Is ASP.NET Core free?

Yes. It is free and open source, and runs on Windows, Linux and macOS.

Which .NET version should I use?

The current LTS, .NET 10, is supported until November 14, 2028.

Does ASP.NET Core run on Linux?

Yes. It is cross-platform.

How long is .NET STS supported?

Two years, since Microsoft extended STS support from 18 to 24 months starting with .NET 9.

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