--- title: ".NET Development Company | Arbocode" description: "We build enterprise backends and APIs on ASP.NET Core with Entity Framework Core and C#, for systems that call for strong typing and long-term support." url: https://arbocode.com/technologies/dotnet --- 1. [Home](https://arbocode.com/) 2. [Technologies](https://arbocode.com/technologies) 3. .NET Backend # .NET Development Company A statically typed platform with long-term support, suited to backends that must keep running correctly for a decade. [Get a free estimate](https://arbocode.com/get-a-quote) [Speak with an engineer](https://arbocode.com/contact) NDA on request · Free, no-obligation estimate · Reply within one business day NDA signed before we start Full IP ownership on payment Your repository from the first commit Live demo at the end of every sprint Built by senior engineers [How we work](https://arbocode.com/process) ASP.NET Core is Microsoft's cross-platform web framework built on C#. It runs on Linux, Windows or macOS, where older .NET Framework applications required a Windows server. Minimal APIs shrink the boilerplate for small services to roughly what a lightweight framework offers, and the full MVC and dependency injection stack stays available for larger applications that need it. We recommend .NET most for organizations that already run Microsoft infrastructure (Azure, Active Directory, existing .NET applications) and for systems where correctness and long-term maintainability matter more than speed of initial prototyping: financial systems, insurance platforms, and enterprise software with a multi-year support horizon. C#'s type system, nullable reference types and Entity Framework Core's LINQ-based queries give a level of compile-time safety that catches entire categories of bugs before the code runs. Fit ## When .NET is the right choice, and when it is not ### Good fit - The organization already runs on Microsoft infrastructure (Azure, Active Directory, SQL Server, existing .NET applications) and a new system needs to integrate cleanly with that environment - The application is a long-lived enterprise system where strong typing, predictable long-term support windows and Microsoft's backward compatibility guarantees reduce multi-year maintenance risk - You need high raw performance from a statically typed, compiled language, since ASP.NET Core benchmarks competitively against other backend frameworks for throughput - The team includes C# developers or the organization is standardizing on one backend language across several products - The project involves Windows-specific integrations (legacy desktop software, certain enterprise systems) where .NET's tooling is a natural fit ### Consider something else - The startup or team wants the widest possible hiring pool and the fastest ramp-up for new developers in markets where Node.js or Python talent is more available and often less costly - The project is a quick script, internal automation task or prototype where .NET's project setup and build step add more ceremony than the task needs - The organization has no existing Microsoft infrastructure and no specific reason to introduce one; adopting .NET purely for the language, with no Azure or Windows dependency, is a valid but less common path than choosing it for the ecosystem fit - The team is concerned about perceived licensing complexity around some Microsoft tooling; core .NET and ASP.NET Core themselves are open source and free to use, but adjacent tools (SQL Server, certain Azure services) carry their own licensing that needs separate evaluation What we build ## What we build with .NET - ### Enterprise backend systems Multi-layered applications with clear separation between domain logic, data access and API surface, built on ASP.NET Core's dependency injection and configuration system. - ### High-performance APIs with Minimal APIs Lean, fast-starting API endpoints defined with less boilerplate than the full MVC controller pattern, for services where a smaller footprint matters. - ### Entity Framework Core data layers Typed, LINQ-based database access with migrations, used against SQL Server, PostgreSQL or other supported databases depending on the project's existing infrastructure. - ### Azure-native applications Backends built to run on Azure App Service, Azure Functions or AKS, integrating with Azure AD, Key Vault and other managed services already in use by the organization. - ### Legacy .NET Framework modernization Migrating applications from the older, Windows-only .NET Framework to modern, cross-platform .NET, opening the door to containerized deployment and non-Windows hosting. Ecosystem ## Libraries and tools we pair it with - Entity Framework Core for typed database access - ASP.NET Core Identity for authentication and authorization - MediatR for structuring application logic around commands and queries - Serilog for structured logging - xUnit for testing - Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions for CI/CD - Polly for resilience patterns like retries and circuit breakers ## Minimal APIs and when the full MVC pattern is still worth it Minimal APIs let a route be defined in a few lines without a controller class, middleware pipeline configuration, or the other scaffolding that full ASP.NET Core MVC expects. For a small service, an internal API, or a microservice with a narrow scope, this is usually the better starting point: less code, faster startup, easier to reason about end to end. The full MVC pattern with controllers earns its structure back once an application has many related endpoints, complex model binding, or a team large enough that consistent conventions matter more than minimal boilerplate. We typically start new, small services with Minimal APIs and move to the full MVC structure, or a modular monolith pattern, once the application's endpoint count and team size justify the added structure. ## Migrating from .NET Framework to modern .NET Organizations running an older .NET Framework application (4.x, Windows-only) usually come to us because that constraint is now limiting: they cannot containerize easily, cannot deploy to Linux, and are missing years of performance improvements in the modern runtime. The migration path depends heavily on how much the application depends on Windows-specific APIs, particularly older ones without a direct modern equivalent. We typically start by porting the class libraries with no Windows-specific dependencies first, since those usually compile against modern .NET with minimal changes, then work through the harder Windows-coupled pieces one at a time, replacing or isolating them behind an interface so the rest of the application can move forward without waiting on the hardest part to finish. - Port dependency-free class libraries to modern .NET first - Isolate remaining Windows-specific code behind an interface rather than blocking the whole migration on it - Validate behavior with existing test coverage before and after each ported piece, since .NET Framework and modern .NET have subtle runtime differences Services ## Services that use .NET - [Custom Software DevelopmentWe build software around the processes your business already runs on, so operations no longer depend on spreadsheets, workarounds and tools never built for your workflow.](https://arbocode.com/services/custom-software-development) - [ERP DevelopmentWe build the operations backbone that runs inventory, procurement, finance and production, either as a custom system or as an extension of Odoo or Dynamics 365.](https://arbocode.com/services/erp-development) - [Backend DevelopmentWe build the server-side systems beneath your product, including data models, business logic, queues and the infrastructure that keeps them fast under load.](https://arbocode.com/services/backend-development) - [API DevelopmentWe design, build, document and version REST and GraphQL APIs so partners can integrate without asking your engineers for help.](https://arbocode.com/services/api-development) - [Cloud & DevOpsWe design cloud infrastructure as code, build CI/CD pipelines and prepare your team for incidents before they happen.](https://arbocode.com/services/cloud-devops) Industries ## Where we use it - [Fintech & BankingFinancial software with KYC/AML checks and PCI DSS-aligned payment flows designed in from the schema onward, with ledgers that reconcile to the cent.](https://arbocode.com/industries/fintech) - [InsurancePolicy administration, claims and underwriting software that speaks ACORD with carriers, MGAs and agents from the first integration attempt.](https://arbocode.com/industries/insurance) - [ManufacturingShop floor, ERP and traceability software linking PLC data to the systems your planners and OEM customers rely on.](https://arbocode.com/industries/manufacturing) - [Energy & UtilitiesTelemetry, meter data and outage management software that carries SCADA protocols into a data layer your teams can query.](https://arbocode.com/industries/energy-utilities) FAQ ## Questions about .NET Is .NET only for Windows applications? No, modern .NET (since .NET 5, unifying the old .NET Framework and .NET Core lines) runs natively on Linux, macOS and Windows, and is commonly deployed in Linux containers. The perception of .NET as Windows-only mostly traces back to the older .NET Framework, which is no longer where new development happens. Do we need Azure to use .NET? No, ASP.NET Core deploys the same way to any cloud provider or on-premises server that can run a Linux or Windows container. Azure integrates especially smoothly with .NET (managed identity, Azure AD, first-party SDKs), which is why organizations already on Azure often see the strongest fit, but it is not a requirement. How does .NET compare to Java for enterprise backend systems? Both are statically typed, compiled, long-term-supported platforms with mature enterprise tooling, and the choice between them usually comes down to existing organizational investment and team background rather than a technical gap. .NET tends to have a slight edge in Microsoft-centric environments; Java tends to have a slight edge where the organization already runs JVM infrastructure. What is the cost of migrating from .NET Framework to modern .NET? It depends primarily on how much the application depends on Windows-specific APIs that lack a direct modern equivalent, not on the application's overall size. A well-layered application with minimal platform-specific code can migrate in weeks; one with deep, scattered Windows dependencies takes considerably longer and benefits from an incremental approach. Is .NET a good fit for a startup building its first product? It can be, particularly if a founding engineer already knows C# well or the product needs to integrate with Microsoft infrastructure from day one. For a startup with no existing language preference prioritizing the fastest possible initial build and the broadest hiring pool, we more often start the conversation with Node.js or Python instead. Compare ## Alternatives we also work with - [Java & Spring BootA deliberately verbose language that keeps a system readable for the next team after the first one moves on.](https://arbocode.com/technologies/java) - [Node.jsA single language across frontend and backend, with an event loop designed for high-concurrency I/O.](https://arbocode.com/technologies/nodejs) - [Go (Golang)A deliberately small language for services that need speed, concurrency and easy operation.](https://arbocode.com/technologies/golang) Insights ## Guides on this topic - [6 min readWhat Custom ERP Development CostsCustom ERP development cost starts around $80,000 for a single-module system and reaches $500,000 or more for a multi-site platform. See what drives it.](https://arbocode.com/blog/erp-development-cost) - [6 min readWhat Custom CRM Development Cost Looks LikeCustom CRM development cost starts near $40,000 for a focused pipeline tool and reaches $250,000+ for a multi-team platform with automation and reporting.](https://arbocode.com/blog/crm-development-cost) - [7 min readCustom Development vs No-Code ComparedCustom development vs no-code tools, compared on build speed, cost at scale, and where each approach holds up as your workflows grow more complex.](https://arbocode.com/blog/custom-development-vs-no-code) ## Talk to a .NET developer Send a short description of the project. A senior engineer reads each request and answers with questions, next steps and an early budget range. [Get a free estimate](https://arbocode.com/get-a-quote) [Speak with an engineer](https://arbocode.com/contact)