Working with Blazor Web Applications

This subsection of the Next Progression site is built with the latest .NET 8 Blazor Web App project template and is meant to show replicating common website features in various technologies.

Blazor Web Applications are the culmination of a series of efforts by Microsoft© to bring together several rendering technologies for an all-inclusive, extremely versatile, highly performant solution.

A Brief History of Blazor

The development of Blazor, a web framework in the .NET ecosystem, began as an experiment to bring .NET to the browser via WebAssembly. Introduced by Microsoft©, Blazor initially offered two hosting models: Blazor Server and Blazor WebAssembly (WASM). Blazor Server, released with .NET Core 3.0 in 2019, enabled server-side hosting of Razor components with real-time interaction through SignalR. This model provided a lightweight approach with fast load times but required a constant server connection. Blazor WebAssembly, on the other hand, was officially released with .NET 5 in 2020, allowing client-side execution of .NET code directly in the browser via WebAssembly, which provided a more traditional single-page application (SPA) experience with offline capabilities.

As both models gained traction, developers appreciated their unique advantages but also encountered challenges, especially when choosing between them for different project needs. Blazor Server’s reliance on server connectivity limited its use in scenarios requiring offline support, while Blazor WebAssembly’s initial performance and loading times were concerns due to the download size of the .NET runtime. Despite these limitations, both hosting models demonstrated the versatility and potential of Blazor as a robust framework for building interactive web applications using C# instead of JavaScript.

Recognizing the complementary strengths of both hosting models, the development team aimed to create a unified framework that would provide the flexibility of Blazor Server and the independence of Blazor WebAssembly. This vision materialized with .NET 8, where the two models were seamlessly integrated into a single, cohesive Blazor Web Application framework. This integration aimed to simplify the development process, allowing developers to switch between server-side and client-side execution modes based on application needs without significant code changes or separate project setups.

The unified Blazor Web Application introduced in .NET 8 leveraged a hybrid approach, combining the best features of both hosting models. Developers could now build applications that dynamically adjust between server and client execution, providing optimal performance and user experience. This flexibility was particularly beneficial for applications requiring real-time updates, offline support, or efficient resource utilization. The hybrid model also aimed to reduce the learning curve for developers, fostering a more streamlined and productive development environment.

With the release of .NET 8, Blazor's evolution marked a significant milestone in web development. The unification of Blazor Server and Blazor WebAssembly under a single framework not only simplified the architecture but also empowered developers to build more versatile and resilient web applications. This advancement highlighted Microsoft's commitment to enhancing the .NET ecosystem and providing developers with powerful tools to meet the diverse demands of modern web development. As Blazor continues to evolve, its unified framework is expected to drive innovation and expand the possibilities for building dynamic, high-performance web applications.