When .NET is the better choice
We suggest .NET instead of PHP when any of these apply to your organisation:
- You already use Microsoft systems — Windows Server, SQL Server, Active Directory or Microsoft 365
- You want staff to log in with their existing office accounts instead of creating new passwords
- The system will run for many years and needs to stay easy to change safely
- Many people will use it at the same time — .NET handles heavy traffic very well
- A donor or contract requires Microsoft technology
What is Entity Framework Core?
Entity Framework Core (EF Core) is the tool that lets .NET talk to your database.
Normally a developer has to write database instructions by hand throughout the whole application. EF Core removes that. The developer describes the data once, and EF Core handles the database work automatically.
What it takes care of for you:
- Safe database changes that can be undone if something goes wrong
- Links between related records
- Saving only what actually changed, which keeps things fast
- Making sure multi-step operations either fully finish or fully cancel
- Blocking database attacks automatically
For very heavy reports we also use a second tool called Dapper, which is faster for reading large amounts of data.
Which style of ASP.NET Core we use
ASP.NET Core offers several ways to build an application. Picking the right one matters:
- MVC — for big systems with many screens
- Razor Pages — simpler, good for data entry systems
- Web API — for connecting mobile apps or other systems
- Blazor — for very interactive screens
- Minimal APIs — for small, focused services
We choose during planning, based on how you will actually use the system.
Security in .NET applications
Every page and every connection point checks permissions separately. We never assume that because someone is logged in, they are allowed to do everything.
Passwords, database details and keys stay in protected server settings — never inside the code and never in files that get copied around.
Old .NET systems
Older ASP.NET systems are common in government and institutional offices, and they get harder to keep secure every year.
We review the code, the database and the security, then recommend the sensible path — repair, gradual upgrade, or rebuild. We explain the reasoning so you can decide.