Blazor is a relatively new web framework that allows developers to build interactive and dynamic web applications using .NET and C# instead of JavaScript. It was first introduced by Microsoft in 2018 and has gained a lot of popularity since then. In this blog post, we will explore what Blazor is, its benefits, and its future.

What is Blazor?

Blazor is a web framework that allows developers to build interactive web applications using C# and .NET. With Blazor, you can write your entire application using C# and .NET and run it in the browser using WebAssembly. This means that you can create web applications without having to write any JavaScript.

Blazor offers two modes of operation: server-side and client-side. In the server-side mode, the application runs on the server and communicates with the browser using SignalR. In the client-side mode, the application runs entirely in the browser and communicates with the server using WebSockets.

Benefits of Blazor

Blazor offers several benefits over traditional web frameworks like Angular, React, and Vue. Here are some of the key benefits of Blazor:

1. Use C# and .NET

One of the biggest advantages of Blazor is that you can use C# and .NET to build your web application. This means that you can reuse your existing skills and codebase to build web applications. Additionally, C# is a statically-typed language, which makes it easier to catch errors at compile-time.

2. Cross-platform

Blazor is a cross-platform framework, which means that you can use it to build web applications that run on Windows, macOS, Linux, and even mobile devices. This is because Blazor uses WebAssembly, which is supported by all major browsers.

3. Full-stack

With Blazor, you can build full-stack web applications using C# and .NET. This means that you can build your backend and frontend using the same language and framework, which can save you a lot of time and effort. In Galominds we are using asp.net core with blazor for our accounting products.

4. Performance

Blazor offers excellent performance because it runs in the browser using WebAssembly. This means that your web application will run faster than traditional web applications that rely on JavaScript. However, it is worth noting that the initial loading time of Blazor applications may be longer than that of traditional JavaScript applications.

The Future of Blazor

Blazor is still a relatively new web framework, but it has already gained a lot of popularity among developers. Here are some of the ways in which Blazor is expected to evolve in the future:

1. Blazor WebAssembly

Blazor WebAssembly is the client-side mode of Blazor, and it is expected to become the primary mode of operation for Blazor in the future. This is because Blazor WebAssembly offers better performance and a better development experience than the server-side mode. We in Galominds using WebAssembly for our buildingbooks product.

2. More Components and Libraries

As Blazor gains more popularity, we can expect to see more components and libraries being developed for it. This will make it easier for developers to build web applications using Blazor. In Galominds we are using radzen blazor for in built controls.

3. Improved Tooling

Microsoft is continuously working on improving the tooling for Blazor. Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code both have excellent support for Blazor, and we can expect to see more improvements in the future.That said the current tooling is sufficient for fast pace development. Need more improvements on hotloading, right now development evironment is not up to the microsoft standards.

4. Blazor on Mobile

Blazor is a cross-platform framework, which means that it can be used to build web applications that run on mobile devices. We can expect to see more developers using Blazor to build mobile web applications in the future.

5. Docker and wasm

With latest support of running wasm into docker , it opens a new gate for running server side apps using wasm. Running docker without container and using wasm interpreter makes docker more light weight as it dont need os libraries and in future it will be a game changing one.

Conclusion

Blazor is a powerful web framework that allows developers to build interactive and dynamic web applications using C# and .NET. It offers several benefits over traditional web frameworks, including the ability to use C# and .NET, cross-platform support, and excellent performance. As Blazor continues to evolve, we can expect to see new use cases emerge, and we can look forward to new features and improvements from Microsoft.

Hot reloading is a useful feature that can speed up the development process by allowing developers to see changes they make to their code in real-time without having to stop and restart their application. In .NET Core, hot reloading is a powerful tool that can help you to make your development process more efficient and productive.

What is Hot Reloading?

Hot reloading is a feature that allows developers to modify their code while the application is running and see the changes immediately, without having to stop and restart the application. This can save a lot of time during the development process, especially when working with large applications that take a long time to start up.

Hot reloading is not the same as live reloading. Live reloading is a feature that automatically reloads the application when changes are made to the code. This is useful, but it still requires the application to be restarted, which can be time-consuming.

Hot reloading, on the other hand, updates the application in real-time, without the need to restart it. This means that you can see the changes you make to the code immediately, without having to wait for the application to restart.

How does Hot Reloading work in .NET Core?

Hot reloading in .NET Core works by modifying the application's IL (Intermediate Language) code on the fly. IL code is the low-level code that the .NET runtime uses to execute your application. When you modify your code, the compiler generates new IL code, and the hot reloading feature replaces the old IL code with the new IL code.

Hot reloading is available for both ASP.NET Core and Blazor applications. To use hot reloading in your application, you need to install the Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.Razor.RuntimeCompilation package. This package provides the necessary infrastructure for hot reloading to work.

Conclusion

Hot reloading is a powerful tool that can help you to develop applications more efficiently and productively. With hot reloading, you can see changes you make to your code in real-time, without having to stop and restart your application. In .NET Core, hot reloading is easy to set up and use, and can save you a lot of time during the development process.

In software development, the continuous delivery approach has gained a lot of attention and popularity over the years. It is a practice that allows developers to release new features and updates to their software in a continuous and reliable manner. One important aspect of continuous delivery is feature toggling, which enables developers to selectively enable or disable new features, without deploying a new version of the software.

What is Continuous Delivery?

Continuous delivery is a software development practice that involves building, testing, and releasing new code changes to production in a frequent and automated way. With continuous delivery, the software is always in a deployable state, meaning that it can be released at any time.

Continuous delivery involves automating the entire software delivery process, from building the code to deploying it to production. This can be achieved by using tools like Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Deployment (CD) pipelines, which help to automate the build, test, and release process.

By adopting continuous delivery, organizations can reduce the time it takes to deliver new features and updates to customers, improve the quality of their software, and increase customer satisfaction.

What is Feature Toggling?

Feature toggling, also known as feature flagging, is a technique that allows developers to selectively enable or disable new features in their software, without having to release a new version. Feature toggling is used to control the release of new features, so they can be tested in a production environment before being made available to all users.

Feature toggling involves adding a flag to the code that controls whether a new feature is enabled or disabled. This flag can be set by developers, or by other tools like A/B testing frameworks, which help to determine whether a new feature should be made available to all users.

By using feature toggles, developers can release new features in a controlled manner, gradually rolling them out to a small subset of users to test their functionality and performance, before releasing them to all users.

How Feature Toggling and Continuous Delivery Work Together

Feature toggling and continuous delivery work hand-in-hand, as feature toggling enables developers to test new features in a production environment, without having to wait for a full release. This means that new features can be developed, tested, and released more quickly, without impacting the overall stability of the software.

By using feature toggles, developers can also release new features to specific users or user groups, which can help to reduce the risk of introducing bugs or other issues that could impact the overall user experience.

In addition, feature toggles can be used to enable or disable features based on specific conditions, such as the user's location, device type, or subscription status. This can help to provide a more personalized experience for users, and can also help to reduce the risk of issues arising from unexpected changes to the software.

CD in Galominds

Continuous delivery and feature toggling are two powerful techniques that can help organizations to release new features and updates to their software more quickly and reliably. By adopting these practices in our company, we improve the quality of the software, reduce the time it takes to deliver new features, and increase customer satisfaction. With the right tools and processes in place, continuous delivery and feature toggling is helping us to stay ahead of the competition and deliver value to their customers faster.