aspnetmvc-405189-migration.md
This article explains how to transition DevExpress ASP.NET MVC projects to .NET.
If you are starting a new project or modernizing an existing one, you will likely use .NET instead of the outdated .NET Framework v4.x.
To explore why you might choose one framework over another, refer to the guide in Microsoft’s documentation: Choose between ASP.NET 4.x and ASP.NET Core.
If you target a newer framework you need to rebuild the UI from scratch. You cannot convert an application from .NET Framework v4.x to .NET, but you can reuse your data layer and business logic.
The following sections reference useful migration resources and help you choose DevExpress products designed for .NET instead of ASP.NET MVC.
If you want to use modern .NET versions for server-side web development, consider the following DevExpress product lines instead of ASP.NET MVC:
Blazor UI Components
ASP.NET Core Components
For information on how to upgrade your project, review the following resources:
Most of our product lines contain similar component sets. Regardless of the platform, developers usually require the same UI controls for their business apps and websites.
The table below lists DevExpress ASP.NET MVC extensions and their DevExpress Blazor and ASP.NET Core equivalents (or ways to implement similar functionality).
If you have additional technical questions about migrating to other UI technologies within the DevExpress ecosystem, feel free to contact us: DevExpress Support Center.
No, ASP.NET MVC applications cannot be deployed to Linux-based web servers. ASP.NET MVC applications are designed to run on Windows-based web servers and Internet Information Services (IIS) because they rely on .NET Framework-specific APIs and the System.Web assembly in particular. (We do not take into account Mono runtimes due to their unofficial status and because DevExpress components do not work with them.)
DevExpress offers a variety of feature-rich visual UI controls and non-visual components/libraries for developing desktop, web, and mobile apps including APIs/services (based on modern versions of .NET and JavaScript).
DevExpress UI libraries allow you to build web, hybrid, or cross-platform software with JavaScript, ASP.NET Core, or Blazor. You can also use tools like Electron or BlazorWebView/HybridWebView from .NET MAUI to pack your web applications inside a native container application. Or use .NET MAUI to build native mobile apps.
DevExpress UI libraries include:
Expand the following sections for information on popular scenarios and software requirements:
Generate and Manage Office Files (Word, Excel, PDF)
The DevExpress cross-platform Office File API allows you to create, load, edit, convert, sign, and print rich text documents, Excel spreadsheets/workbooks, and PDF files across all platforms and operating systems that support recent .NET versions:
You can integrate the DevExpress Office File API library in the following application types:
Read the following help topics for additional information:
Design Reports, Export Documents, and Download PDF
DevExpress Reports is our feature-complete reporting platform and component library for the .NET ecosystem that targets Web, Mobile, and Desktop platforms. You can incorporate a Report Viewer or End-User Report Designer directly within your application, generate PDF files from predefined templates, export reports to a variety of file formats. With DevExpress Reports, you can address requirements across multiple operating systems and hosting environments (Windows, Linux or macOS, Azure or AWS).
Read the following help topics for additional information:
Code Sharing, Data Access Security, and Reusable API Services
The amount of code you can reuse from existing applications depends on the architecture of your application. However, upgrading to modern versions of .NET and refactoring your code can increase the likelihood of code reuse so that different UI clients can use the same business logic or API services.
You can share your existing database, data model, business logic, authentication/authorization settings, and cross-platform C# code between multiple UI clients (desktop, web, mobile) that target different platforms. API services are a natural choice that offers security (UI clients cannot access database connection information or directly read/modify database tables), usability, and ease of maintenance. For example, if your application utilizes Entity Framework Core or XPO ORM, you can build a data service that can be used by your DevExpress DevExpress WinForms, Blazor, JavaScript, or mobile applications that target .NET.
Read the following help topics and blog posts for additional information:
Watch Video: Integrate the DevExpress Blazor Components into ASP.NET WinForms with Blazor Hybrid
Footnotes