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ASP.NET facts for kids

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Not to be confused with UNESCO ASPNet.
For its rewrite, see ASP.NET Core.
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ASP.NET (software)
Developer(s) Microsoft
Initial release January 5, 2002; 23 years ago (2002-01-05)
Stable release
4.8.1 / August 9, 2022; 3 years ago (2022-08-09)
Written in .NET languages
Operating system Microsoft Windows, Linux, macOS
Platform .NET Framework
Type Web framework
License Proprietary software
ASP.NET (file format)
Filename extension .aspx, .cshtml, .vbhtml
Internet media type
text/html
Developed by Microsoft

ASP.NET is a special tool or "framework" that helps computer programmers build websites. It's like a set of building blocks and rules that make it easier to create dynamic web pages. Dynamic means the pages can change and show different information to different users, unlike simple, unchanging web pages.

Microsoft created ASP.NET to help developers make interactive websites, online applications, and web services. The name ASP.NET stands for Active Server Pages Network Enabled Technologies.

It first came out in January 2002. It was an improved version of Microsoft's older Active Server Pages (ASP) technology. ASP.NET is built on something called the Common Language Runtime (CLR). This allows programmers to write ASP.NET code using many different programming languages.

In 2016, Microsoft introduced ASP.NET Core. This is a newer, updated version of ASP.NET. It's designed to be more flexible and can work on different types of computers, not just Windows.

How ASP.NET Works

ASP.NET offers different ways, or "programming models," to build web applications. Think of these as different styles or approaches to building a house.

Building Web Pages

  • ASP.NET Web Forms: This is a way to build web pages using ready-made parts, like dragging and dropping pieces onto a page. It's mainly for older ASP.NET versions and works on Windows.
  • ASP.NET MVC: This method helps organize the code into three main parts: the Model (data), the View (what you see), and the Controller (how things work). This makes big projects easier to manage.
  • ASP.NET Web Pages: This is a simpler way to add changing content and data directly into the HTML code of a web page.
  • ASP.NET Web API: This is used to build "APIs" (Application Programming Interfaces). APIs allow different computer programs to talk to each other, like when a mobile app gets information from a website.
  • SignalR: This is a cool tool that allows websites to have "real-time" communication. This means the website can instantly send updates to your browser without you having to refresh the page. Think of live chat or online games.

Extra Tools for ASP.NET

ASP.NET also has other helpful extensions:

  • ASP.NET AJAX: This adds "Ajax" features to web pages. Ajax helps parts of a web page update without reloading the whole page. This makes websites feel faster and smoother.
  • ASP.NET Dynamic Data: This extension helps build websites that work with lots of data very quickly.

ASP.NET Versions Over Time

ASP.NET has been updated many times, usually along with new versions of the .NET Framework. Each new version brought improvements and new features.

Date Version What's New Key ASP.NET Features Added
January 16, 2002 Old version, no longer maintained: 1.0 This was the very first version. It came out with Visual Studio .NET.
  • Made web development more like building with objects, allowing for reusable code.
  • Helped developers create stronger applications with better error handling.
April 24, 2003 Old version, no longer maintained: 1.1 Released with Windows Server 2003 and Visual Studio .NET 2003.
  • Added tools for mobile devices.
  • Improved automatic checking of user input.
November 7, 2005 Old version, no longer maintained: 2.0 Released with Visual Studio 2005 and SQL Server 2005.
  • New controls for showing data (like tables and forms).
  • Introduced "Master Pages" to easily create a consistent look across many pages.
  • Added login controls, themes, and ways to personalize websites.
November 21, 2006 Old version, no longer maintained: 3.0 Released with Windows Vista.
  • Included new ways to build user interfaces (WPF) and manage workflows (WF).
  • Improved communication between different software parts (WCF).
November 19, 2007 Old version, no longer maintained: 3.5 Released with Visual Studio 2008.
  • New data controls like ListView.
  • ASP.NET AJAX was now a built-in part of the framework.
  • Better support for web feeds like RSS.
August 11, 2008 Old version, no longer maintained: 3.5 Service Pack 1 Released with Visual Studio 2008 Service Pack 1.
  • ASP.NET Dynamic Data was added.
  • Improved control over browser history in Ajax applications.
  • Ability to combine JavaScript files for faster loading.
April 12, 2010 Old version, no longer maintained: 4.0 Released with Visual Studio 2010.
  • Added new properties to web pages for better search engine optimization.
August 15, 2012 Old version, no longer maintained: 4.5 Released with Visual Studio 2012 for Windows 8.
  • Continued improvements for parallel processing.
October 17, 2013 Old version, no longer maintained: 4.5.1 Released with Visual Studio 2013 for Windows 8.1.
  • Included Bootstrap 3.0 for responsive web design.
  • Improvements to Web API 2, MVC 5, and SignalR.
May 5, 2014 Older version, yet still maintained: 4.5.2
  • Better ways to inspect and change HTTP headers.
  • New methods for scheduling background tasks.
July 20, 2015 Older version, yet still maintained: 4.6 Released with Visual Studio 2015 for Windows 10.
  • Support for HTTP/2 when running on Windows 10.
  • More APIs that work with asynchronous tasks.
November 30, 2015 Older version, yet still maintained: 4.6.1
August 2, 2016 Older version, yet still maintained: 4.6.2
  • Improved support for asynchronous operations in caching and session providers.
April 11, 2017 Older version, yet still maintained: 4.7 Included in the Windows 10 Creators Update.
  • Better operating system support for secure communication protocols (TLS).
October 17, 2017 Older version, yet still maintained: 4.7.1 Included in the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update.
  • Improved accessibility features.
  • Support for SHA-2 encryption.
April 30, 2018 Older version, yet still maintained: 4.7.2
August 09, 2022 Current stable version: 4.8.1 This is the latest version of the original ASP.NET.
  • Improvements in how code runs (JIT and NGEN).
  • Updates to compression libraries (ZLib).
  • Accessibility and UI improvements for Windows applications.
November 18, 2015 Old version, no longer maintained: 5 RC1 This version later became the start of a completely new project called ASP.NET Core. An entirely new project with different goals and ways of developing.
Legend:
Old version
Older version, still maintained
Latest version
Latest preview version
Future release

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: ASP.NET para niños

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