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I began my profession as a .NET developer and have seen .NET evolve during the last couple of many years. Like lots of you, I additionally developed a number of enterprise purposes in .NET Framework that ran solely on Home windows. I fondly bear in mind constructing my first enterprise utility with .NET Framework. Though it served us nicely, the know-how panorama has considerably shifted. Now that there’s an open supply and cross-platform model of .NET that may run on Linux, these legacy enterprise purposes constructed on .NET Framework should be ported and modernized.
The advantages of porting to Linux are compelling: purposes value 40 p.c much less to function as a result of they save on Home windows licensing prices, run 1.5–2 instances sooner with improved efficiency, and deal with rising workloads with 50 p.c higher scalability. Having helped port a number of purposes, I can say the trouble is definitely worth the rewards.
Nevertheless, porting .NET Framework purposes to cross-platform .NET is a labor-intensive and error-prone course of. You must carry out a number of steps, reminiscent of analyzing the codebase, detecting incompatibilities, implementing fixes whereas porting the code, after which validating the adjustments. For enterprises, the problem turns into much more advanced as a result of they could have tons of of .NET Framework purposes of their portfolio.
At re:Invent 2024, we previewed this functionality as Amazon Q Developer transformation capabilities for .NET to assist port your .NET purposes at scale. The expertise is out there as a unified net expertise for at-scale transformation and inside your built-in growth surroundings (IDE) for particular person undertaking and answer porting.
Now that we’ve integrated your priceless suggestions and strategies, we’re excited to announce in the present day the overall availability of AWS Remodel for .NET. We’ve additionally added new capabilities to assist initiatives with non-public NuGet packages, port model-view-controller (MVC) Razor views to ASP .NET Core Razor views, and execute the ported unit exams.
I’ll broaden on the important thing new capabilities in a second, however let’s first take a fast have a look at the 2 porting experiences of AWS Remodel for .NET.
Giant-scale porting expertise for .NET purposes
Enterprise digital transformation is usually pushed by central groups liable for modernizing tons of of purposes throughout a number of enterprise items. Completely different groups have possession of various purposes and their respective repositories. Success requires shut coordination between these groups and the appliance homeowners and builders throughout enterprise items. To speed up this modernization at scale, AWS Remodel for .NET offers an online expertise that allows groups to attach on to supply code repositories and effectively rework a number of purposes throughout the group. For choose purposes requiring devoted developer consideration, the identical agent capabilities can be found to builders as an extension for Visible Studio IDE.
Let’s begin by how the net expertise of AWS Remodel for .NET helps port tons of of .NET purposes at scale.
Internet expertise of AWS Remodel for .NET
To get began with the net expertise of AWS Remodel, I onboard utilizing the steps outlined within the documentation, register utilizing my credentials, and create a job for .NET modernization.
AWS Remodel for .NET creates a job plan, which is a sequence of steps that the agent will execute to evaluate, uncover, analyze, and rework purposes at scale. It then waits for me to arrange a connector to hook up with my supply code repositories.
After the connector is in place, AWS Remodel begins discovering repositories in my account. It conducts an evaluation targeted on three key areas: repository dependencies, required non-public packages and third-party libraries, and supported undertaking varieties inside your repositories.
Based mostly on this evaluation, it generates a really useful transformation plan. The plan orders repositories based on their final modification dates, dependency relationships, non-public bundle necessities, and the presence of supported undertaking varieties.
AWS Remodel for .NET then prepares for the transformation course of by requesting particular inputs, such because the goal department vacation spot, goal .NET model, and the repositories to be remodeled.
To pick the repositories to rework, I’ve two choices: use the really useful plan or customise the transformation plan by deciding on repositories manually. For choosing repositories manually, I can use the UI or obtain the repository mapping and add the personalized checklist.
AWS Remodel for .NET robotically ports the appliance code, builds the ported code, executes unit exams, and commits the ported code to a brand new department in my repository. It offers a complete transformation abstract, together with modified recordsdata, take a look at outcomes, and urged fixes for any remaining work.
Whereas the net expertise helps speed up large-scale porting, some purposes might require developer consideration. For these circumstances, the identical agent capabilities can be found within the Visible Studio IDE.
Visible Studio IDE expertise of AWS Remodel for .NET
Now, let’s discover how AWS Remodel for .NET works inside Visible Studio.
To get began, I set up the most recent model of AWS Toolkit extension for Visible Studio and arrange the stipulations.
I open a .NET Framework answer, and within the Answer Explorer, I see the context menu merchandise Port undertaking with AWS Remodel for a person undertaking.
I present the required inputs, such because the goal .NET model and the approval for the brokers to autonomously rework code, execute unit exams, generate a metamorphosis abstract, and validate Linux-readiness.
I can overview the code adjustments made by the brokers domestically and proceed updating my codebase.
Let’s now discover a number of the key new capabilities added to AWS Remodel for .NET.
Help for initiatives with non-public NuGet bundle dependencies
Throughout preview, solely initiatives with public NuGet bundle dependencies had been supported. With common availability, we now assist initiatives with non-public NuGet bundle dependencies. This has been some of the requested options throughout the preview.
The characteristic I actually love is that AWS Remodel can detect cross-repository dependencies. If it finds the supply code of my non-public NuGet bundle, it robotically transforms that as nicely. Nevertheless, if it may’t find the supply code, within the net expertise, it offers me the flexibleness to add the required NuGet packages.
AWS Remodel shows the lacking bundle dependencies that should be resolved. There are two methods to do that: I can both use the offered PowerShell script to create and add packages, or I can construct the appliance domestically and add the NuGet packages from the packages folder within the answer listing.
After I add the lacking NuGet packages, AWS Remodel is ready to resolve the dependencies. It’s greatest to offer each the .NET Framework and cross platform .NET variations of the NuGet packages. If the cross platform .NET model will not be out there, then at a minimal the .NET Framework model is required for AWS Remodel so as to add it as an meeting reference and proceed for transformation.
Unit take a look at execution
Throughout preview, we supported porting unit exams from .NET Framework to cross-platform .NET. With common availability, we’ve additionally added assist for executing unit exams after the transformation is full.
After the transformation is full and the unit exams are executed, I can see the leads to the dashboard and consider the standing of the exams at every particular person take a look at undertaking stage.
Transformation visibility and abstract
After the transformation is full, I can obtain an in depth report in JSON format that offers me a listing of remodeled repositories, particulars about every repository, and the standing of the transformation actions carried out for every undertaking inside a repository. I can view the pure language transformation abstract on the undertaking stage to grasp AWS Remodel output with project-level granularity. The abstract offers me with an outline of updates together with key technical adjustments to the codebase.
Different new options
Let’s have a fast have a look at different new options we’ve added with common availability:
- Help for porting UI layer – Throughout preview, you might solely port the enterprise logic layers of MVC purposes utilizing AWS Remodel, and also you needed to port the UI layer manually. With common availability, now you can use AWS Remodel to port MVC Razor views to ASP.NET Core Razor views.
- Expanded connector assist – Throughout preview, you might join solely to GitHub repositories. Now with common availability, you may hook up with GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket repositories.
- Cross repository dependency – When you choose a repository for transformation, dependent repositories are robotically chosen for transformation.
- Obtain evaluation report – You’ll be able to obtain an in depth evaluation report of the recognized repositories in your account and personal NuGet packages referenced in these repositories.
- E-mail notifications with deep hyperlinks – You’ll obtain e mail notifications when a job’s standing adjustments to accomplished or stopped. These notifications embrace deep hyperlinks to the remodeled code branches for overview and continued transformation in your IDE.
Issues to know
Some further issues to know are:
- Areas – AWS Remodel for .NET is mostly out there in the present day within the Europe (Frankfurt) and US East (N. Virginia) Areas.
- Pricing – At present, there may be no further cost for AWS Remodel. Any sources you create or proceed to make use of in your AWS account utilizing the output of AWS Remodel can be billed based on their normal pricing. For limits and quotas, seek advice from the documentation.
- .NET variations supported – AWS Remodel for .NET helps remodeling purposes written utilizing .NET Framework variations 3.5+, .NET Core 3.1, and .NET 5+, and the cross-platform .NET model, .NET 8.
- Utility varieties supported – AWS Remodel for .NET helps porting C# code initiatives of the next varieties: console utility, class library, unit exams, WebAPI, Home windows Communication Basis (WCF) service, MVC, and single-page utility (SPA).
- Getting began – To get began, go to AWS Remodel for .NET Consumer Information.
- Webinar – Be a part of the webinar Speed up .NET Modernization with Agentic AI to expertise AWS Remodel for .NET by means of a stay demonstration.
– Prasad
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