Microsoft does not stop! For months now we have seen updates and news from the .NET development team and they have just released the third preview of .NET 7. This final version is planned for release in November this year, but until then let’s talk about the new features and performance improvements it will bring!
.NET 7 also intends to improve the developer experience by creating secure authentication and authorization that is easier to configure. This method enhances the application startup and execution of runtime.
The .NET 7 Preview 3 has many things to offer like enhancements to observability, codegen, native AOT compilation, GC regions, startup times, and many more. Well, you can also download .NET 7 Preview 3 from its official website for macOS, Windows, and Linux.
Now, let’s understand some .NET 7 new features and its latest updates in this release.
Native AOT for Lighter and Faster Apps
In the previous versions of .NET, AOT was in the experimental zone. But with the resale of .NET 7, AOT has become an official functionality in the DotNET or runtime repo.
AOT is referred to as Ahead-of-Time. AOT compilation is considered a pool of technologies that create code during application build time but not at run-time. However, if you are a .NET developer, you should know that AOT is not a new concept.
ReadyToRun is now available for clients and server scenarios, and Mono AOT for WASM and mobile. Native AOT offers full native pre-compilation to .NET desktop server and client cases.
In fact, the Native AOT is the same as existing AOT technologies of .NET. However, it only offers native artifacts. Since everything in the Native AOT is platform-specific, the Native AOT runtime cannot read .NET assembly file formats. The underlying operating system handles the processing of executable file formats completely.
The key advantages of Native AOT are its faster startup time, lower memory usage, restricted platform access (no JIT allowed), and reduced disk size. Applications begin to operate as soon as the operating system loads them into memory. The data structures are designed to run AOT-generated code rather than compiling new code at runtime. Well, other languages like Go, Swift, and Rust compile in a similar way. Native AOT is best suited when startup speed is important.
Make Your Apps Native AOT Ready
Native AOT enables app developers and library authors to leverage the advantages by ensuring that their apps can be trimmed easily. As we know, trimming is an essential method for Native AOT compilation. Hence, it will help your apps get ready for Native AOT.
Crossgen tool is one type of app included in .NET 7 when compiled with Native AOT. Crossgen is a CoreCLR AOT compiler and part of the .NET SDK. It generates ReadyToRun executables.
Because Native AOT is a short-lived process, the startup overhead reduces the overall execution time. Therefore, Crossgen can benefit from:
| Scenario | ReadyToRun | NativeAOT |
|---|---|---|
| Compile CoreLib | 4182 ms | 3512 ms |
| Compile HelloWorld | 185 ms | 49 ms |
| Configuration | Size |
|---|---|
| ReadyToRun | 34.8 MB |
| NativeAOT | 17.6 MB |
In the future releases of .NET, native AOT compatibility will be improved, but there will always be reasons to favor JIT in many circumstances.
GC Regions
Region’s functionality has been activated by default in .NET Preview 3, which should aid with memory utilization for high throughput apps. Regions are available for every platform except macOS and NativeAOT.
Cryptography: Parsing X.500 Names
This update makes working with certificates easier by introducing a class that clarifies the parsing of X.500 names. The CertificateRequest functionality considers an X500DistingishedName type as input for the certificate request subject in many of its constructor arguments.
Allow me to give you an example with the code here.
request = new CertificateRequest($"CN={subjectName},OU=Test,O=""Fabrikam, Inc.""", ...);This is usually fine, except when subjectName contains a comma, a quote, or anything else that affects the parser. The X500DistinguishedNameBuilder class was created to remedy this issue.
There is no ambiguity in parsing because each method only works with a single relative differentiated name (RDN). You no longer have to guess what “CN” stands for (“Common Name”) because the RDN identifiers have been increased.
X500DistinguishedNameBuilder nameBuilder = new();
nameBuilder.AddCommonName(subjectName);
nameBuilder.AddOrganizationalUnitName("Test");
nameBuilder.AddOrganizationName("Fabrikam, Inc.");
request = new CertificateRequest(nameBuilder.Build(), ...);Other amazing features that set .NET 7 apart:
Orleans
Comprehensive documentation and increased integration with cloud services such as Azure App Services and Azure Container Apps will result from additional investments in the .NET cross-platform framework for creating distributed apps.
Enhanced Performance
It enhances the application startup and runtime execution performance.
Simplified Configuration
It makes configuration easier, ensuring secure authorization and authentication.
Cloud-Native Architecture
The major goal is to enhance the scale in large applications by developing self-contained systems (microservices) that can be installed and scaled independently while minimizing long-term expenses. Microservices architecture is adaptable and built to evolve in a way that monolithic architecture cannot.
Better Containers
Microsoft wants to improve telemetry to enhance container observability and make container images robust, secure, smaller, and faster. It is preferred for many enterprises to deploy cloud-native apps and microservices.
Enhanced .NET Upgraded Assistant
.NET Upgrade Assistant now comes in a better way. It is used to assist developers in upgrading their application portfolio with confidence and efficiency. The update will include more analyzers, code fixers, and support for more app types.
.NET Multi-Platform App UI (.NET Maui)
.NET Maui is the future of cross-platform native UI with .NET, and it’s a big element of .NET 7. It will improve internal development loop performance, support the latest .NET SDK tooling, enable faster app performance, and share more code when it ships for .NET 7.
Looking Forward with ASP.NET Core 7 Hosting Provider!
1. ASPHostPortal – Best Value ASP.NET Core 7 Hosting
Windows hosting has a reputation for being costly, but ASPHostPortal shared ASP.NET Core 7 hosting range shows it doesn’t have to be that way.
Prices start from $1.00/month, the most basic plan, in this plan you get 1 website, 1 GB disk space, 10 GB bandwith, 24/7 support time. This plan is suitable for newbie that want to deploy their ASP.NET Core 3 to hosting server.
If you need MSSQL databases and MySQL databases, then you can start from their Host One plan. Host One comes with unlimited hosted domains, MSSQL databases up to 1 GB space, dedicated application pool, and your plan will run on their newest Windows Server 2016 or even Windows Server 2019.
Their Host Three plan is really interesting, you will get 50 GB disk space, 500 GB bandwith, unlimited email accounts, regular malware scanning, turbo speed server, and integrated Cloudflare based, this is good value for money too, it is priced at $11.46/month.
The minimum contract with them is quarterly plan, but they do have 30 days money back guarantee. You can ask for refund if you don’t satisfied with their services. Just try out their ASP.NET Core 6 hosting with minimum risk!
2. HostForLIFE.eu – Unlimited ASP.NET Core 7 Hosting Features
HostForLIFE.eu is a capable provider with a huge range of plans covering everything from basic shared products, cloud hosting, dedicated server, reseller hosting, and also domain SSL registration.
HostForLIFE.eu Windows ASP.NET Core 7 hosting include a capable Classic plan priced at €3.49/month. This is shared hosting product, but is is quite good, with unlimited websites, unlimited bandwith, unlimited email accounts, 2 MSSQL databases up to 1 GB space, and more.
If you go with their Business plan (their powerful plan) on shared hosting, instead of unlimited disk space, unlimited bandwith, unlimited email accounts, you will also get free site migration, automatic backups, SSD storage that increase your website speed 10 times, cloudflare CDN that claimed average of 200% faster page loads.
Your ASP.NET website will be hosted on their newest Windows Server. You can also choose Windows Server 2012. They basically will activate your account on their newest Windows Server version. Windows Server 2016 debuted many new features – Nano Server, containers, ReFS, Linux Secure Boot support – but you won’t be using these capabilities on a shared ASP.NET Core 7 hosting plan.
All their shared ASP.NET hosting plan will support any of Microsoft products, such as ASP.NET 1.1, ASP.NET 2.x, 3.x, 4.x and also Classic ASP, ASP.NET Core 2.2, ASP.NET MVC 4 or 5, IIS 8.5, MSSQL 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019.
If shared hosting is not enough, then you can consider their Cloud hosting, Reseller hosting, or even their Windows Cloud Server plan. Their Windows Cloud Server plan is also offering interesting price, start from only €12.99/month.
3. UKWindowsHostASP.NET – Flexible ASP.NET Core 7 Hosting
While there are plenty of low cost ASP.NET Core 7 hosting packages around, they are not the best choice for everyone. I suspect that many users who need a ASP.NET website will also require more speed and functionality than the average customer, and budget hosting may not be good enough.
UKWindowsHostASP.NET has a range of ASP.NET Core 7 hosting plans covering personal and business-friendly shared hosting, and ranging up to highly-specified dedicated servers with the power to run just about anything.
Most of these products are distinctly short on limits and restrictions. The starter Starter plan may only support 5 domains, but you’re allowed unlimited subdomains, emails, MySQL and Microsoft SQL Server databases, and 20 GB bandwidth and 1 GB disk space. It’s priced from £2.99 (£2) a month if you sign up for the five-year plan, which is cheaper than the equivalent Windows ASP.NET hosting plans of some providers.
UKWindowsHostASP.NET also offer latest Windows Server so new customers can enjoy host their ASP.NET Core 7 website on their newest Windows Server. It also support latest MSSQL Server 2019 that you can easily create via control panel.
Final Conclusion – Upgrade Your Projects to .NET 7
.NET came into existence with the internet revolution in which distributed systems communicated over the internet. It was at the forefront of innovation, with many languages, one runtime, and a base set of libraries and APIs that were all integrated. However, like everything else in technology, .NET has also had to evolve.
On the 20th anniversary of .NET, Microsoft is changing the playing field after years of resisting open-source with .NET 7. Microsoft puts the .NET community at the center of everything they do, and they actively welcome fresh ideas and code contributions. The goal is to make the .NET ecosystem the platform of choice for developers all around the world.
The new functionalities and features of the platform iteration are open sources and cross-platform, putting Microsoft in a good position for the future. The general release of .NET 7 is scheduled for November 2022, and based on the previews, it appears to be a big success.
All three of these ASP.NET Core 7 hosting companies offer you a 99.9% uptime guarantee, so functionally, there isn’t a lot of difference between them.
My bottom line recommendation is to examine carefully the independent reviews for each company you’re considering. Then select the ASP.NET Core 7 hosting provider with the best overall reviews and customer support.
