Migration to .NET from .NET Framework in v25.2+

Feb 03, 2026
3 minutes to read

XAF v25.2 introduces many changes. Before upgrading, you need to make specific changes to your application in v25.1. The migration process has several steps: you can use the XafApiConverter tool to automate some tasks and simplify the update, but manual code review and adjustments are still required.

Prerequisites

Ensure that the following components are installed on your machine:

DevExpress Universal Subscription v25.1 and v25.2 or DevExpress NuGet feed.
.NET 8+ SDK and runtime
Visual Studio 2022

What Has Changed in XAF v25.2

The major changes are listed below. For the complete list of removed APIs, refer to the following knowledge base article: XAF - Legacy .NET Framework (WinForms and ASP.NET WebForms) APIs, .NET-based API/Modules, and Security System have been removed from distribution.

End of .NET Framework support
End of Entity Framework 6 (EF6) support
The following modules have been removed from XAF:
- Maps (DevExpress.ExpressApp.Maps.Web)
- KPI (DevExpress.ExpressApp.Kpi)
- Script Recorder (DevExpress.ExpressApp.ScriptRecorder)
- Pivot Chart (DevExpress.ExpressApp.PivotChart.Web)
- Workflow (DevExpress.ExpressApp.Workflow)
Security System, which includes built-in user and role types other than PermissionPolicyUser and PermissionPolicyRole or the legacy SHA-512 password hashing algorithm has been deprecated
Built-in business classes have been removed

The New DevExpress Cross-IDE Template Kit

The legacy Solution Wizard no longer allows you to create new XAF project and item templates. Instead, use the new DevExpress Template Kit that is now automatically added as a Visual Studio extension by our Unified Component Installer.

To access the DevExpress Template Kit for project templates, select File → New → Project… in Visual Studio 2022+.
To access the DevExpress Template Kit for item templates, invoke the context menu in Solution Explorer and select Add | New Item…

For additional information, refer to the following help topic: Template Kit.

Note

The new Template Kit also supports Rider and VS Code.

The XafApiConverter Tool

We developed a tool designed for those migrating an XAF application to v25.2+. It automates the following routine migration tasks:

Updates legacy security APIs.
Removes .NET Framework APIs, and legacy .NET-based APIs and modules.
Converts an application from .NET Framework to .NET.

You can find the tool source code in the following GitHub repository: XafApiConverter. Refer to the repository description for additional information about the XafApiConverter tool.

Upgrade Scenarios

See the following help topics for information on the corresponding upgrade scenarios: