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.NET Ecosystem Glossary for Developers

AI-GENERATED published: November 15, 2025 estimate: 5 min read view-cnt: 15 views

You already know Node, Python, Go, or Java. Now you’re exploring .NET and encountering unfamiliar terms like “Blazor WebAssembly,” “Scoped services,” or “Azure App Service Plans.”

This glossary cuts through the noise. It skips universal concepts you already know (like what a REST API is) and focuses on .NET-specific terminology you’ll actually encounter. Terms are organized by category for quick reference.

Core .NET Concepts

.NET / .NET Core

• Modern, cross-platform framework from Microsoft
• Runs on Windows, Linux, macOS
• Previously called ”.NET Core”, now just ”.NET” (confusing, I know)

.NET Framework

• Old Windows-only version (4.8 is last version)
• Don’t use for new projects
• If you see this in tutorials, skip to newer ones

LTS (Long Term Support)

• Stable versions supported for 3 years
• .NET 6, 8 are LTS (even numbers)
• Odd numbers (7, 9) supported for 18 months

NuGet

• Package manager for .NET (like npm for Node)
• Download libraries from nuget.org
• Managed in .csproj file or via CLI

.csproj

• Project file (XML format)
• Contains dependencies, build settings, metadata
• Edit directly or via Visual Studio

Razor

• Syntax mixing C# and HTML
• @if, @foreach, @{ code blocks }
• Used in Blazor, Razor Pages, MVC

Blazor-Specific Terms

Blazor

• Framework for building interactive web UI with C# instead of JavaScript
• Three types: Server, WebAssembly, Hybrid

Blazor Server

• Runs on server, communicates via SignalR
• Small download, needs connection

Blazor WebAssembly / WASM

• Runs in browser via WebAssembly
• Large download, works offline
• Pronounced “wasm”

@page directive

• Makes component routable
• @page "/about" → accessible at /about

@code block

• Where C# logic lives in components
• Event handlers, state, lifecycle methods

EventCallback

• Way child components communicate with parents
• Like props in React, but C# typed

Render Mode (.NET 8+)

• How component renders: Server, WASM, Auto, etc.
• @rendermode InteractiveServer

SignalR

• Real-time communication library
• Used by Blazor Server for UI updates
• Also used for chat apps, live dashboards

JS Interop

• Calling JavaScript from C# (and vice versa)
• IJSRuntime interface
• Used when Blazor can’t do something natively

ASP.NET Terms

ASP.NET Core

• Web framework for building web apps/APIs
• Includes Blazor, Razor Pages, MVC, Minimal APIs

Razor Pages

• Page-based framework (traditional web apps)
• Each page = one .cshtml file
• Simpler than MVC for basic sites

Minimal APIs (.NET 6+)

• Lightweight way to create APIs
• No controllers needed
• Quick endpoints: app.MapGet("/hello", () => "World");

Middleware

• Pipeline components that handle requests
• Authentication, routing, error handling
• Configured in Program.cs

Kestrel

• Built-in web server
• Fast, cross-platform
• Can run behind IIS/nginx in production

Scoped / Transient / Singleton

• Service lifetimes in DI: Singleton (app lifetime), Scoped (per request), Transient (per use)

Azure Services

Azure

• Microsoft’s cloud platform
• Competes with AWS, Google Cloud

Azure Portal

• Web UI at portal.azure.com

Resource Group

• Logical container for Azure resources
• Groups related services together
• Delete group = delete everything in it

Subscription

• Billing account
• All resources belong to a subscription
• Can have multiple subscriptions

App Service

• Managed web hosting (PaaS)
• Runs web apps, APIs
• Easiest way to host ASP.NET/Blazor

App Service Plan

• Compute resources for App Service
• Multiple apps can share one plan
• Pricing tier: F1 (free), B1 (basic), S1 (standard), P1 (premium)

Static Web Apps

• Hosting for static sites (HTML/CSS/JS)
• Perfect for Blazor WASM
• Free tier includes Functions, custom domain, SSL

Azure Functions

• Serverless compute (run code without managing servers)
• Triggered by HTTP, timers, storage events
• Used as API backend for Static Web Apps

Azure SQL Database

• Managed SQL Server in the cloud
• Pricing by DTU or vCore

Cosmos DB

• NoSQL database (document/key-value/graph)
• Globally distributed
• More expensive than SQL

Blob Storage

• Object storage for files
• Cheap ($0.02/GB/month)
• Used for images, documents, backups

Application Insights

• Monitoring and logging service
• Tracks errors, performance, usage
• Can get expensive if left unchecked

Key Vault

• Secure storage for secrets
• API keys, connection strings, certificates
• Better than hardcoding secrets

Azure AD / Entra ID

• Identity and access management
• Single sign-on, user authentication
• Renamed from Azure Active Directory to Entra ID

CI/CD & DevOps

Azure Pipelines

• CI/CD service in Azure DevOps
• Similar to GitHub Actions, more enterprise features

Azure DevOps

• Suite of tools: Repos, Pipelines, Boards, Artifacts
• Alternative to GitHub
• More enterprise-focused

Workflow / Pipeline

• Automated CI/CD process (build → test → deploy)

Job

• Unit of work in a pipeline
• Runs on a build agent/runner

Agent / Runner

• Machine that executes pipeline jobs (Microsoft-hosted or self-hosted)

Artifact

• Build output (compiled app, package)
• Stored and passed between pipeline stages

Oryx

• Microsoft’s auto-build detection tool
• Used by Azure Static Web Apps, App Service
• Figures out how to build your app automatically

Database & ORM

Entity Framework Core / EF Core

• ORM (Object-Relational Mapper)
• Write C# instead of SQL
• DbContext, DbSet<T>

Migration

• Database schema change
• dotnet ef migrations add AddUserTable
• Version control for database structure

DbContext

• Database connection and operations
• Central class in EF Core
• Usually one per database

LINQ

• Language Integrated Query
• Query collections/databases with C# syntax
• users.Where(u => u.Age > 18).OrderBy(u => u.Name)

Authentication & Security

Identity

• ASP.NET’s built-in auth system
• User registration, login, roles
• Stores users in database

OAuth / OpenID Connect

• Standards for authentication
• “Login with Google/Microsoft”

Claims

• Facts about a user (name, email, role)
• Used in authorization: [Authorize(Roles = "Admin")]

Deployment Concepts

Self-Contained

• Includes .NET runtime in output
• Larger size, but runs without .NET installed

Framework-Dependent

• Requires .NET runtime on server
• Smaller size

IIS (Internet Information Services)

• Windows web server
• Common for enterprise ASP.NET hosting

Development Tools

Rider

• JetBrains IDE for .NET
• Paid, but powerful
• Cross-platform

Hot Reload

• See changes without restart
• dotnet watch run
• Works for code and UI

Performance & Optimization

AOT (Ahead-of-Time compilation)

• Compile to native code before runtime
• Faster startup, larger size
• Available for WASM

Trimming

• Remove unused code
• Reduces app size
• <PublishTrimmed>true</PublishTrimmed>

Lazy Loading

• Load code/data only when needed
• Reduces initial download

Testing Terms

xUnit / NUnit / MSTest

• Unit testing frameworks
• xUnit most popular for .NET

Moq

• Mocking library for tests
• Create fake dependencies

bUnit

• Testing library for Blazor components
• Render components in tests

**File Extensions

.cs - C# code file
.csproj - Project file
.sln - Solution file (groups multiple projects)
.razor - Blazor component
.cshtml - Razor Page or View
.dll - Compiled library (Dynamic Link Library)
.exe - Compiled executable (Windows)

Advanced Topics

Dapr

• Distributed application runtime
• Abstracts cloud services (pub/sub, state, secrets)
• Runs as sidecar alongside your app

.NET Aspire

• Cloud-native stack for orchestrating multi-service apps
• Like Docker Compose with built-in observability
• Includes AppHost project and service defaults

WCF / Web Forms / Service Fabric

• Legacy technologies (avoid for new projects)

Next Steps

This glossary covers the essentials, but .NET is vast. As you build projects, you’ll naturally encounter more terms—just look them up as needed.

Where to go from here:

• Build something small - A simple Blazor app or Minimal API teaches more than reading docs
• Follow official tutorials - Microsoft’s .NET docs are actually good (unlike some other ecosystems)
• Join the community - r/dotnet, .NET Discord, and Stack Overflow are active

Welcome to .NET. It’s opinionated, enterprise-heavy, but surprisingly pleasant once you get past the Microsoft-isms.