At the end of February, Microsoft rolled out .NET 10 Preview 1, a significant update packed with enhancements across the entire platform. This first preview promises to elevate your development experience with major improvements in the .NET Runtime, SDK, libraries, C#, ASP.NET Core, Blazor, .NET MAUI, and more.

ASP.NET Core Evolution: Embrace OpenAPI 3.1!

One of the most exciting updates in .NET 10 is the full-fledged support for OpenAPI 3.1 in ASP.NET Core. Developers can now effortlessly generate OpenAPI documents with enhanced integration capabilities for the latest JSON Schema draft 2020-12. Sophisticated methods for configuring OpenAPI versions have also been introduced. However, it’s essential to note that breaking changes are in place, which means applications using document transformers will need updates to function seamlessly.

In a bold move, .NET 10 now allows developers to serve OpenAPI documents in YAML format, offering a neater and more concise alternative to JSON. This streamlining is incredibly helpful when managing lengthy descriptions!

Future Forward: YAML Document Generation Coming Soon

Currently, YAML support is accessible only during runtime. However, the .NET team is on it, signaling that support for generating OpenAPI documents in YAML at build time will be included in future previews.

Blazor's Upgrades: Style and Efficiency!

Blazor is not left behind in this wave of improvements. The new QuickGrid now sports a RowClass parameter that enables conditional styling, enhancing the UI experience. Furthermore, Blazor scripts are served as static web assets with better precompression. This change significantly trims down file sizes, creating a more efficient development environment.

Quality Boost in .NET MAUI: Performance and Compatibility

Focusing on providing a seamless experience, .NET MAUI Preview 1 is all about quality enhancements across iOS, Mac Catalyst, Android, and more. A notable feature is the default activation of CollectionView handlers for iOS and Mac Catalyst, boosting both performance and stability. Not to mention, the release also introduces support for Android 16 (Baklava) Beta 1, with new recommendations for minimum supported Android APIs now set to API 24. Developers can also breathe a sigh of relief with the addition of JDK 21 support, facilitating a smoother dotnet run command experience for .NET Android projects.

Entity Framework Core 10 Preview: Revolutionary Query Simplifications!

On the database front, Entity Framework Core 10 Preview 1 is introducing several groundbreaking features. LINQ support for the LeftJoin operator is now first-class, making previously complex queries more intuitive. Developers will also find it easier to work with ExecuteUpdateAsync, which now supports regular non-expression lambdas.

Additionally, enhancements to SQL Server scaffolding, performance boosts for Count operations on ICollection<T>, and refined date/time function translations offer notable optimizations. For projects needing better performance, improvements in handling distinct MIN/MAX calls and consecutive LIMIT operations breathe new life into efficiency.

Enter C# 14: New Features to Accelerate Development!

C# 14 has rolled in with some compelling updates. Noteworthy features include support for field-backed properties, making the shift from auto-implemented to custom properties smoother than ever. The nameof expression will now accommodate unbound generics, and implicit conversions for Span<T> and ReadOnlySpan<T> simplify manipulation of data types.

Lambda expressions have received a makeover too, allowing parameter modifiers such as ref and in, enhancing code clarity without burdening developers with extraneous types. Furthermore, an experimental feature yields the ability to emit string literals as UTF-8 data, potentially unlocking performance advantages.

With these updates in .NET 10 Preview 1, developers are not just geared up for today’s challenges. They are also provided a roadmap to harness the full power of future capabilities that this robust platform promises. Buckle up for the groundbreaking features ahead!