In 2022, I wrote a fun post called, Why C# Will be the Most Popular Language by 2035, in the spirit of .NET 20th anniversary. In that article, I explained the reasons for why I predicted what I predicted. A couple of months after I published that article .NET MAUI was officially released, and I feel like that is imperative to factor in that new technology into the equation. For that same reason I thought I’d write about why you should learn C# in 2023.
This article is really for people who are getting into programming career, but could have been for those veterans in the industry wanting to switch to programming in C# from another language. You see, people who are beginning to learn web programming have a plethora of choices when it comes to languages to choose from. Python, JavaScript, Rust, GO, and C# are some of the top recommended languages for their ease of use and employment desirability
Lost in the discussions, though, are the recent changes and updates in C# with regards to its role in .NET and how it has evolved just in the last 5 years to take on some of the challenges in web development, which, in the last 10 years have been driven by the growth of data science and social media.
As you might not already know, C# is not your grandma’s .NET language from 20 years ago. It is a lot easier and more fun to learn, and more importantly, it can do more than just a backend language for .NET. Should learn C# in 2023? That’s what we’re here to find out.
Content
- ASP.NET Core is a well-loved framework
- Cross-platform applications with MAUI Blazor and C#
- C# is easy to learn
- C# is widely-used in game engines
- Azure offers excellent support for C# and .NET
- Conclusion
ASP.NET Core is a well-loved framework
The first reason why you should learn C# is because it is the primary language of ASP.NET Core. And, according to the Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2022, ASP.NET Core is the 4th most well-loved and most wanted web framework in 2022.
I included the image of the ranking from that section of the article, shown below.
According to the survey, ASP.NET Core is the 4th most well-loved and most wanted web framework in 2022. This bodes well for people searching or securing a career in C#.
Cross-platform applications with MAUI Blazor and C#
The second reason to learn C# in 2023 is because of .NET MAUI Blazor. MAUI(Multi-platform App UI) is a framework that allows developers to build cross-platform applications using C# and XAML. It is designed to be easy to use and to provide a seamless developer experience across different operating systems and hardware platforms.
Blazor is a framework for building interactive web UIs using C# and Razor syntax. It allows developers to create client-side web applications using C# and WebAssembly, which is a new standard that allows web browsers to execute code in a high-performance, compiled form.
Together, .NET MAUI and Blazor allow C# to be used for building a wide range of applications, including web applications, native mobile apps, and desktop apps, that can run on any operating system and hardware platform. This gives C# developers a lot of flexibility and makes it possible to create applications that can reach a wide audience.
C# is a powerful and popular programming language that is well-suited for a wide range of development tasks. Many developers prefer C# because of its type safety, object-oriented design, and strong support for asynchronous programming. With Blazor, C# can now run within the web browser natively via WebAssembly, a feat that Javascript only could do only a few years ago. While JavaScript is also a popular language, C# may be a good choice for developers who are looking for an alternative that offers more robust features and a more robust ecosystem.
C# is easy to learn
Contrary to popular belief, C# is easy to learn! The .NET team has done a good job in recent years in making C# easy to understand and learn via minimal API and top-level statements features.
C#’s Minimal API feature means that there is a small set of classes and methods that are required to be used in order to develop a C# application. This makes C# a very concise language and helps reduce the amount of code that needs to be written. Additionally, C#’s Top-level statements feature allows code to be written at the top level of a program, without the need for a class or namespace. This can simplify code and make it easier to read.
Learning C# is a worthwhile investment for any programmer. C# is a powerful, versatile language that is well suited for a wide range of tasks. With C#’s Minimal API and Top-level statements, you can write code quickly and easily. So if you’re looking for a language that is easy to learn, powerful, and versatile, then C# is the language for you.
Moreover, ASP.NET Core has a large and active community, which means there are many resources available for learning and development. This is a great benefit for developers who want to learn and develop with ASP.NET Core. ASP.NET Core is also supported by Microsoft, which means you can get help and support from Microsoft if you need it. This is a great benefit for developers who want to use a web framework that is supported by a major company.
C# is widely-used in game engines
The fourth reason to learn C# is game development. C# is a popular programming language that is often used to develop games and game engines like Unity, MonoGame , Godot, Stride, FlatRedBall, Evergine, and CryEngine. One of the main reasons for this is that C# is a high-level, object-oriented language that is easy to learn and use, making it well-suited for game development.
In terms of game engines, C# is often used to write the scripting components of the engine. This can include things like character controllers, collision detection, and physics simulations. C# is also often used to write tools and editor extensions, which can be used to create and modify assets, levels, and other game-related content.
When it comes to developing games themselves, C# is used to write the code that controls the game’s logic and behavior. This can include things like character movement, enemy AI, and user input handling. C# is also often used to write code that interfaces with the game engine, allowing the game to take advantage of the engine’s built-in functionality.
C# is also widely used for the development of Unity game engine which is popular for creating 2D and 3D games for multiple platforms including Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android. Also, Unity supports C# as its primary scripting language and also provides a lot of documentation, tutorials, and built-in functionality for game developers that makes game development easier.
Overall, C# is a versatile programming language that is well-suited for game development, both in terms of game engines and game development itself. If you are interested in game development, learning C# can be a great way to get started.
Azure offers excellent support for C# and .NET
The fifth reason you should learn C# in 2023 is Microsoft Azure. Azure is a cloud computing platform and infrastructure created by Microsoft for building, deploying, and managing applications and services through a global network of Microsoft-managed data centers. It provides a range of cloud services, including those for computing, analytics, storage, and networking. Users can choose from these services to develop and scale new applications, or run existing applications in the public cloud.
As for how Azure can help C# as a programming language, here are a few points to consider:
- C# is a popular language for building Windows applications and is heavily used in the development of ASP.NET web applications. Azure provides a range of services that are well-suited to these types of applications, including Azure App Service for hosting web apps, Azure Functions for building serverless applications, and Azure Virtual Machines for running Windows workloads.
- Azure also provides a number of tools and services that make it easier to build and deploy C# applications, including Visual Studio, a popular integrated development environment (IDE) for C#, and Azure DevOps, a set of development tools, services, and features that enable teams to plan, develop, deliver, and maintain software more efficiently.
- Azure offers excellent support for C# and .NET, with a range of documentation, tutorials, and other resources available to help developers get started and learn more about the platform. There is also a large and active community of C# developers who use Azure, which can be a valuable source of support and inspiration.
Overall, Azure can be a great choice for C# developers looking to build and deploy applications and services in the cloud. While other languages such as Python, Java, and JavaScript may also have their own strengths and suitability for certain types of projects, C# can be a good fit for many scenarios on Azure.
Conclusion
C# is a powerful, type-safe language that is easy to learn and is well-suited for creating a wide range of applications.
C# plays a large role in .NET MAUI (Multi-platform App UI) Blazor, a new framework for building cross-platform apps using C# and the .NET platform. It allows developers to create native apps for multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, using a single codebase. Blazor allows developers to build interactive web UIs using C# and Razor syntax. It allows developers to create client-side web applications using C# and WebAssembly, making it possible to write rich, interactive web applications using C# instead of JavaScript.
Python and Ruby are not the only languages that are easy to learn. C# is a minimal programming language, meaning it has a small, easy-to-learn syntax and a minimal set of features. This makes it an excellent choice for beginners or for developers who want to quickly get up to speed with a new language.
C# is a widely used programming language in business, web and game development. If you want to have a bright future in software development there’s no better time to learn C# than in 2023!
