Hands-On Guide: Top 20 .NET Core Libraries You Can't-Miss
![Hands-On Guide: Top 20 .NET Core Libraries You Can't-Miss](png/7d0985dd-f074-4e8c-a20a-ed65a7775b04.png)
Quick Summary
This hands-on guide provides a comprehensive overview of the top 20 essential ASP.NET Core libraries that developers shouldn't overlook. It will equip developers with the knowledge and resources needed to leverage these libraries effectively in their .NET Core projects.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- A Snapshot of the Current .NET Landscape
- Top 20 Useful .Net Core Libraries Developers Need to Know
- AutoMapper
- Swashbuckle
- SignalR
- Dapper
- NLog
- CacheManager
- SaasKit
- Polly
- Ocelot
- LiteDB
- Smidge
- MailKit
- Diagnostics.HealthChecks
- Bcrypt.net
- FluentMail
- Unit Conversion
- AppMetrics
- FastReport
- AutoComplete
- SharpCompress
- Final Thoughts
- People Also Ask
Introduction
Staying abreast of the latest tools and libraries is important when it comes to crafting efficient, scalable, and robust applications. For developers leveraging the .NET Core framework, the abundance of libraries available can be both a blessing and a challenge to navigate. Whether you're building web applications, microservices, or mobile apps, having the right libraries at your disposal can significantly streamline development and enhance the functionality of your projects.
From simplifying common tasks to extending the capabilities of the framework, these libraries encompass a diverse range of functionalities, catering to various development needs and scenarios.
So, without further ado, let's dive into the world of top .NET Core libraries and take the full potential of your development endeavors.
A Snapshot of the Current .NET Landscape
Have a look at the industry verticals where .Net is being used:
Top 20 Useful .Net Core Libraries Developers Need to Know
#1 AutoMapper
The Automapper library simplifies the process of mapping data between objects, reducing boilerplate code and enhancing productivity. It automates the mapping process, allowing developers to focus on core application logic rather than manual object-to-object mapping.
Features:
- Object-to-object mapping
- Convention-based configuration
- Fluent API for customization
- Automatic type conversion
- Support for complex mappings
GitHub – AutoMapper
License – MIT License
Stars – 9.7k
#2 Swashbuckle
For creating interactive API documentation for ASP.NET Core Web APIs, Swashbuckle is an effective tool. It easily interacts with Swagger UI, giving developers an intuitive interface to investigate and test API endpoints, enhancing stakeholder and development team communication.
Features:
- Automatic generation of Swagger documentation
- Interactive API exploration with Swagger UI
- Customizable API metadata
- Support for OpenAPI specification
- Integration with ASP.NET Core Web APIs
GitHub – Swashbuckle
License – MIT License
Stars – 5.1k
#3 SignalR
In .NET Core, SignalR facilitates real-time communication between server and client applications. It makes it easier to add features like live updates, chat apps, and notifications, which improves user experience and engagement with web applications.
Features:
- Real-time bi-directional communication
- Support for WebSockets, Server-Sent Events (SSE), and other transports
- Simplified hub-based architecture
- Scalability and load balancing
- Cross-platform compatibility
GitHub – SignalR
License – Apache 2.0 License
Stars – 9.1k
#4 Dapper
For .NET Core, Dapper is a small, powerful micro ORM (Object-Relational Mapper). By running plain SQL queries and mapping query results to .NET objects, it offers effective data access without the expense of fully functional ORMs. This is a quick and dependable method of doing database operations.
Features:
- High-performance micro ORM
- Lightweight and efficient
- Raw SQL query execution
- Object mapping with minimal overhead
- Support for parameterized queries
GitHub – Dapper
License – Apache 2.0 License
Stars – 17k
#5 NLog
NLog is an adaptable and expandable logging library as it supports a wide range of logging targets—such as files, databases, and email—developers may quickly set up and control logging behavior to satisfy application requirements and debugging demands.
Features:
- Flexible logging configuration
- Extensible logging targets (files, databases, email, etc.)
- Rich logging message formatting
- Asynchronous logging support
- Log-level filtering and routing
GitHub – NLog
License – BSD 3-Clause
Stars – 6.1k
#6 CacheManager
A flexible caching framework for .NET Core that offers a common interface to deal with various caching providers, including distributed, in-memory, and Redis caches. By using effective data caching techniques, it lowers database load and latency and enhances application performance.
Features:
- Unified caching API
- Support for various caching providers (in-memory, distributed, Redis, etc.)
- Cache expiration and eviction policies
- Cache dependencies and invalidation
- Seamless integration with .NET Core applications
GitHub – CacheManager
License – Apache 2.0 License
Stars – 2.3k
#7 SaasKit
The development of multi-tenant SaaS applications in .NET Core is made easier using SaasKit. It gives developers the necessary tools to easily create scalable and secure SaaS products by offering features for tenant management, isolation, and customization.
Features:
- Multi-tenancy support
- Tenant isolation and customization
- Centralized tenant management
- Scalable architecture for SaaS applications
- Integration with ASP.NET Core middleware pipeline
GitHub – SaasKit
License – MIT License
Stars – 1.1k
#8 Polly
For .NET Core applications, Polly is a transient-fault-handling library which enhances the app resilience and fault tolerance by enabling developers to design and put into practice solutions for handling transient problems like network outages and timeouts.
Features:
- Resilience policies for transient fault handling
- Retry, circuit breaker, and fallback strategies
- Fluent API for policy configuration
- Asynchronous and parallel execution support
- Integration with .NET Core applications
GitHub – Polly
License – BSD 3-Clause
Stars – 12.9k
#8 Ocelot
Ocelot is a lightweight package for .NET Core API gateways that makes it easier to load balance, route, and authenticate HTTP requests in microservices systems. Scalability and security are improved while microservices-based system administration are made easier.
Features:
- Lightweight API gateway for microservices architectures
- Dynamic routing and load balancing
- Authentication and authorization middleware
- Request aggregation and transformation
- Extensibility through middleware pipeline
GitHub – Ocelot
License – MIT License
Stars – 8.1k
#10 LiteDB
For .NET Core apps, LiteDB is a straightforward and lightweight NoSQL database option. Without the complexity of conventional RDBMS systems, developers may integrate document-oriented databases into their applications thanks to its MongoDB-like API for data store and retrieval.
Features:
- Embedded NoSQL database for .NET Core
- MongoDB-like API for document storage
- ACID transactions support
- Simple file-based data storage
- Cross-platform compatibility
GitHub – LiteDB
License – MIT License
Stars – 8.2k
#11 Smidge
It is a small and effective asset management library widely used by .Net developers across the world. By bundling, minifying, and caching assets, it optimizes the delivery of CSS and JavaScript files, lowering page load times and bandwidth consumption for better performance.
Features:
- Asset bundling and minification
- Efficient delivery of CSS and JavaScript files
- Caching of bundled assets
- Dependency management for web assets
- Integration with ASP.NET Core applications
GitHub – Smidge
License – MIT License
Stars – 352
#12 MailKit
Developers highly prefer using MailKit as it is a cross-platform email tool that provides robust support for email message creation, sending, and retrieval. It offers features such as MIME parsing, SMTP, POP3, and IMAP support, making it a versatile choice for implementing email functionality in .NET Core applications.
Features:
- Cross-platform email library for .NET Core
- MIME message parsing and generation
- SMTP, POP3, and IMAP protocol support
- Secure email transmission (SSL/TLS)
- Attachment handling and inline image embedding
GitHub – MailKit
License – MIT License
Stars – 5.9k
#13 Diagnostics.HealthChecks
Diagnostics.HealthChecks is a library for implementing health checks in .NET Core applications. It enables developers to monitor the health and status of application components, dependencies, and external services, facilitating proactive detection and resolution of potential issues before they impact users.
Features:
- Health monitoring and reporting for .NET Core applications
- Built-in health checks for common dependencies (database, cache, etc.)
- Custom health check implementations
- Integration with health monitoring systems (e.g., Azure Monitor)
- Endpoint for exposing health status to monitoring tools
GitHub – Diagnostics.HealthChecks
License – Apache 2.0 License
Stars – 3.9k
#14 Bcrypt.net
This library is widely used for securely hashing passwords using the bcrypt hashing algorithm in .NET Core applications. It offers strong cryptographic protection against brute-force attacks and password cracking, enhancing security and privacy for user authentication mechanisms.
Features:
- Password hashing with bcrypt algorithm
- Strong cryptographic protection against brute-force attacks
- Salt generation for enhanced security
- Cross-platform compatibility
- Integration with .NET Core authentication systems
GitHub – Bcrypt.net
License – MIT License
Stars – 775
#15 FluentMail
FluentMail is an API for sending email messages in .NET Core applications. Email functionality can be easily integrated into .NET Core apps with its short and expressive syntax for creating and delivering emails with attachments, HTML content, and custom headers.
Features:
- Fluent API for email composition and sending
- Support for HTML and plain text email content
- Attachment handling
- Custom headers and message options
- Integration with SMTP servers and email providers
GitHub – FluentMail
License – MIT License
Stars – 2.9k
#16 Unit Conversion
A library called Unit Conversion is used to carry out unit conversions in .NET programs. Its broad range of supported units and conversion types improves flexibility and usability in applications by enabling developers to convert between various measurement units with ease.
Features:
- Comprehensive unit conversion library for .NET Core
- Support for various measurement units (length, mass, volume, etc.)
- Conversion between different unit systems (metric, imperial, etc.)
- Custom unit definitions and conversions
- Flexible API for unit manipulation and calculation
GitHub – UnitConversion
License – MIT License
Stars – 130
#17 AppMetrics
AppMetrics is one of the best ASP.Net core a library for monitoring and measuring performance metrics. It enables developers to collect and analyze various application metrics, including CPU usage, memory usage, request latency, and throughput, empowering informed decision-making and performance optimization.
Features:
- Performance monitoring and metrics collection
- CPU, memory, and disk usage tracking
- Request latency and throughput measurement
- Integration with logging and monitoring systems
- Custom metric definitions and aggregation
GitHub – AppMetrics
License – Apache 2.0 License
Stars – 2.2k
#18 FastReport
FastReport is a feature-rich reporting tool that offers the ability to create and manage dynamic documents and reports. With support for many report formats, data sources, and visualization choices, it's a flexible alternative for producing expert reports for .NET Core applications.
Features:
- Feature-rich reporting tool for .NET Core
- Design and generation of dynamic reports and documents
- Support for various report formats (PDF, Excel, etc.)
- Data visualization and charting capabilities
- Integration with data sources and ORM frameworks
GitHub – FastReport
License – MIT License
Stars – 2.5k
#19 AutoComplete
AutoComplete is a library for implementing auto-complete functionality that simplifies the integration of auto-complete features in text input fields. This enhances the user experience and productivity by providing real-time suggestions and predictions based on user input.
Features:
- Auto-complete functionality for text input fields
- Real-time suggestions based on user input
- Customizable auto-complete behavior
- Support for large datasets
- Integration with front-end frameworks and libraries
GitHub – AutoComplete
License – MIT License
Stars – 3.6k
#20 SharpCompress
SharpCompress is a compression library for .NET Core, offering support for various archive formats such as ZIP, RAR, TAR, and 7z. It enables developers to compress, decompress, and manipulate archive files programmatically, facilitating efficient data storage, transmission, and archival in .NET Core applications.
Features:
- Compression and decompression library for .NET Core
- Support for multiple archive formats (ZIP, RAR, TAR, etc.)
- Efficient file compression and extraction
- Streaming and asynchronous APIs
- Cross-platform compatibility
GitHub – SharpCompress
License – MIT License
Stars – 2.2k
Final Thoughts
This hands-on guide has shed light on the indispensable role of the top 20 .NET Core libraries in modern software development. From simplifying data mapping and enhancing API documentation to facilitating real-time communication and optimizing performance monitoring, these libraries offer a wealth of functionalities to empower developers in their quest to build exceptional applications.
Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting your journey with .NET Core, incorporating these libraries into your toolkit will surely boost your development endeavors and enable you to tackle complex challenges with confidence.
People Also Ask
- How do I choose the right .NET Core library for my project?
When choosing a .NET Core library for your project, consider factors such as the specific functionality you need, the library's compatibility with your project's requirements and existing technologies, its performance and scalability characteristics, and the level of community support and documentation available.
- Are .NET Core libraries open source?
Many ASP.NET Core libraries are open source, meaning that their source code is publicly available and can be freely modified, distributed, and used by developers. Open-source libraries often benefit from community contributions and peer review, leading to improved quality and reliability.
- Can I contribute to ASP.NET Core libraries?
Yes, many .NET Core libraries welcome contributions from the community. Developers can contribute to open-source projects by submitting bug fixes, feature enhancements, documentation improvements, or even new library implementations. Most libraries provide guidelines for contributing to their GitHub repositories.
- What are the benefits of choosing your .NET Core development services?
Our .NET Core development services provide numerous benefits, including expertise in the latest .NET Core technologies, customized solutions tailored to your business requirements, timely delivery of projects, and ongoing support and maintenance.
- What industries do you specialize in for .NET Core development?
We specialize in serving various industries such as eCommerce, healthcare, finance, education, and more with our .NET Core development services. Our team has experience working with diverse business domains and can adapt our solutions to meet your industry-specific needs.