🎁 Top 15 open-source projects every .NET web developer should know
As a small New Year’s gift for the //devdigest community, our editor Vlad Furdak has carefully prepared this curated list — a selection of materials to wrap up the year, catch up on what you might have missed, and start the new one with fresh ideas and inspiration.
🧪 Demo-projects
⏺ eShop (Microsoft)
A production-ready reference app from Microsoft showing how to use .NET Aspire, built with a microservice architecture.
⏺ ASP.NET RealWorld example app
A sample project built with ASP.NET Core (feature-oriented), including CRUD, auth, routing, pagination, and more
📚 Cookbooks & practical “recipes”
⏺ ASP.NET Cookbook (Practical ASP.NET Core)
Hands-on examples across many ASP.NET Core topics: middleware configuration, authentication, caching, routing, Minimal APIs, YARP, etc.
⏺ ORM Cookbook
A collection of code recipes for ORM frameworks: EF / EF Core, Dapper, NHibernate, ServiceStack ORM, Linq2DB, LLBLGenPro, and more.
⏺ MAUI Samples
35 MAUI sample projects - very helpful for learning MAUI.
⏺ Milan Jovanović code samples (repositories)
Tons of useful examples on many topics that are practical for real commercial .NET development.
🏗️ Clean Architecture (guide + template/boilerplate)
⏺ Clean architecture implementation example (Clean Architecture Manga)
Source code + a mini-book about application architecture. Clean Architecture implemented with .NET Core + React.
⏺ Clean architecture boilerplate (Jason Taylor - CleanArchitecture)
A template for a straightforward, efficient approach to enterprise app development using Clean Architecture and ASP.NET Core.
🧩 Sample business apps (DDD / CQRS / Event Sourcing)
⏺ POS application
Demonstrates CQRS, Event Sourcing, Generic Repository, Unit of Work, DDD, Ocelot API Gateway, Kafka.
⏺ Merp
Event-based Micro ERP using ASP.NET Core 3.1.
💬 Community apps (forum/blog)
⏺ POPForums
Forum + Q&A app with real-time updates, image uploads, and private message chat in multiple languages
⏺ POPBlog
From the creators of POPForums: a lightweight blog app using ASP.NET.
🎵 Blazor / WASM real-world app
⏺ MLocker
A browser-based music player built with ASP.NET + Blazor WASM.
🛒 E-commerce platforms (used in production)
⏺ GrandNode
A powerful, scalable e-commerce platform built with MongoDB.
⏺ nopCommerce
The legendary open-source e-commerce engine built with ASP.NET.
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As a small New Year’s gift for the //devdigest community, our editor Vlad Furdak has carefully prepared this curated list — a selection of materials to wrap up the year, catch up on what you might have missed, and start the new one with fresh ideas and inspiration.
🧪 Demo-projects
A production-ready reference app from Microsoft showing how to use .NET Aspire, built with a microservice architecture.
A sample project built with ASP.NET Core (feature-oriented), including CRUD, auth, routing, pagination, and more
📚 Cookbooks & practical “recipes”
Hands-on examples across many ASP.NET Core topics: middleware configuration, authentication, caching, routing, Minimal APIs, YARP, etc.
A collection of code recipes for ORM frameworks: EF / EF Core, Dapper, NHibernate, ServiceStack ORM, Linq2DB, LLBLGenPro, and more.
35 MAUI sample projects - very helpful for learning MAUI.
Tons of useful examples on many topics that are practical for real commercial .NET development.
🏗️ Clean Architecture (guide + template/boilerplate)
Source code + a mini-book about application architecture. Clean Architecture implemented with .NET Core + React.
A template for a straightforward, efficient approach to enterprise app development using Clean Architecture and ASP.NET Core.
🧩 Sample business apps (DDD / CQRS / Event Sourcing)
Demonstrates CQRS, Event Sourcing, Generic Repository, Unit of Work, DDD, Ocelot API Gateway, Kafka.
Event-based Micro ERP using ASP.NET Core 3.1.
💬 Community apps (forum/blog)
Forum + Q&A app with real-time updates, image uploads, and private message chat in multiple languages
From the creators of POPForums: a lightweight blog app using ASP.NET.
🎵 Blazor / WASM real-world app
A browser-based music player built with ASP.NET + Blazor WASM.
🛒 E-commerce platforms (used in production)
A powerful, scalable e-commerce platform built with MongoDB.
The legendary open-source e-commerce engine built with ASP.NET.
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⚡️ Git Integration Still Feels a Decade Away
After years of updates, even Visual Studio’s 'improved Git integration' feels half-baked. For many developers, seamless VCS workflows remain a mirage—commercial nuclear fusion might realistically beat perfect Git UI to market. It’s a reminder of how stubbornly complex core dev tooling can be, despite all the AI hype around it.
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After years of updates, even Visual Studio’s 'improved Git integration' feels half-baked. For many developers, seamless VCS workflows remain a mirage—commercial nuclear fusion might realistically beat perfect Git UI to market. It’s a reminder of how stubbornly complex core dev tooling can be, despite all the AI hype around it.
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ploeh blog
Git integration is ten years away
We'll get commercial nuclear fusion earlier.
⚡️ Fixing High CPU Burn on GitHub Actions Runners
Self-hosted GitHub Actions runners can chew through CPU even when idle — one core locked at 100%, by design. The culprit is a busy-wait loop in the runner’s sleep logic, not your workflows. Digging into the code reveals a simple but costly tradeoff between responsiveness and efficiency.
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Self-hosted GitHub Actions runners can chew through CPU even when idle — one core locked at 100%, by design. The culprit is a busy-wait loop in the runner’s sleep logic, not your workflows. Digging into the code reveals a simple but costly tradeoff between responsiveness and efficiency.
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Meziantou's blog
Reduce GitHub Actions runner CPU usage
In this post, I'll show you how to reduce the CPU usage of your self-hosted GitHub Actions runners by replacing the default busy-waiting sleep implementation with a more efficient one.
⚡️ The Most-Read .NET Stories of 2025
From the rise of .NET 10 to advances in AI integration and performance tuning, 2025 was a strong year for Microsoft’s developer ecosystem. The year’s top blog posts captured the pulse of a community balancing rapid innovation with deep technical rigor.
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From the rise of .NET 10 to advances in AI integration and performance tuning, 2025 was a strong year for Microsoft’s developer ecosystem. The year’s top blog posts captured the pulse of a community balancing rapid innovation with deep technical rigor.
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Microsoft News
Top .NET Blog Posts of 2025
Let's look back at the most-read .NET blog posts published in 2025, from .NET 10 to AI, performance, and developer tooling.
⚡️ The Best .NET Videos and Streams of 2025
From deep-dive dev sessions to standout community streams, 2025 delivered some of the most engaging .NET content yet. Microsoft’s platform continues to evolve in real time — and the developer community is clearly keeping pace.
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From deep-dive dev sessions to standout community streams, 2025 delivered some of the most engaging .NET content yet. Microsoft’s platform continues to evolve in real time — and the developer community is clearly keeping pace.
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Microsoft News
Top .NET Videos & Live Streams of 2025
Let's take a look back at the amazing .NET videos, events, and live streams from 2025!
⚡️ Azure’s December 2025 Partner Update Focuses on AI
Azure’s latest partner update highlights a decisive shift: leading organizations are embedding AI at the core of their operations, not as an add-on. By rethinking processes and integrating new tech from day one, they’re positioning efficiency and intelligence as default settings — not future goals.
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Azure’s latest partner update highlights a decisive shift: leading organizations are embedding AI at the core of their operations, not as an add-on. By rethinking processes and integrating new tech from day one, they’re positioning efficiency and intelligence as default settings — not future goals.
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partner.microsoft.com
Azure updates for partners: December 2025
Azure’s December 2025 partner updates highlight new AI‑powered tools, governance capabilities, and cloud innovations that help partners deliver smarter, scalable solutions.
⚡️ Kipo and the Future of MonoGame in F#
F# Weekly kicks off 2026 spotlighting Kipo — a new initiative redefining how MonoGame integrates with F#. The discussion dives into cross-language game development and what modern F# workflows might look like for creative coders building on open platforms.
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F# Weekly kicks off 2026 spotlighting Kipo — a new initiative redefining how MonoGame integrates with F#. The discussion dives into cross-language game development and what modern F# workflows might look like for creative coders building on open platforms.
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Sergey Tihon's Blog
F# Weekly #1, 2026 – Kipo & future of MonoGame
Welcome to F# Weekly, A roundup of F# content from this past week: News Top .NET Videos & Live Streams of 2025 – .NET Blog Top .NET Blog Posts of 2025 – .NET Blog Java at Microsoft:…
⚡️ Rethinking Coupling Through a Big-O Lens
What if software coupling could be measured like algorithmic complexity? A new thought experiment proposes viewing coupling in terms of Big-O — where truly DRY code enables O(1) edits. It’s an unfinished idea, but one that reshapes how we think about scalability in architecture itself.
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What if software coupling could be measured like algorithmic complexity? A new thought experiment proposes viewing coupling in terms of Big-O — where truly DRY code enables O(1) edits. It’s an unfinished idea, but one that reshapes how we think about scalability in architecture itself.
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ploeh blog
Coupling from a big-O perspective
Don't repeat yourself (DRY) implies O(1) edits.
⚡️ Zero-Copy BinaryData from MemoryStream in .NET
Handling BinaryData just got faster in .NET. A new zero-copy approach lets developers convert MemoryStream data into BinaryData without duplicating buffers—cutting down on allocations and improving performance. It’s a small optimization with big impact for high-throughput .NET apps.
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Handling BinaryData just got faster in .NET. A new zero-copy approach lets developers convert MemoryStream data into BinaryData without duplicating buffers—cutting down on allocations and improving performance. It’s a small optimization with big impact for high-throughput .NET apps.
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Meziantou's blog
Zero-copy BinaryData creation from MemoryStream in .NET
Learn how to create BinaryData from MemoryStream without copying memory, improving performance and reducing allocations in your .NET applications.
⚡️ VS Live! Orlando Sessions Hit YouTube During the Holidays
While most teams paused for the holidays, Microsoft’s Visual Studio crew sprinted — uploading 20 full VS Live! Orlando sessions to YouTube. The surprise wasn’t the speed, but the traction that followed, showing developers are hungry for in-depth learning even in the year’s quietest week.
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While most teams paused for the holidays, Microsoft’s Visual Studio crew sprinted — uploading 20 full VS Live! Orlando sessions to YouTube. The surprise wasn’t the speed, but the traction that followed, showing developers are hungry for in-depth learning even in the year’s quietest week.
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Microsoft News
Welcome to 2026, A Growth Year for All of Us
See what developers learned at VS Live! Orlando and why 2026 is the year for immersive, hands-on Visual Studio training in Las Vegas or Redmond.
⚡️ Generative AI Comes Natively to C#
Microsoft is introducing native support for Large Language Models in C#, giving .NET developers practical tools to build generative AI apps without leaving their ecosystem. By 2026, AI integration in C# workflows becomes not just possible but straightforward—bringing machine intelligence closer to everyday enterprise codebases.
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Microsoft is introducing native support for Large Language Models in C#, giving .NET developers practical tools to build generative AI apps without leaving their ecosystem. By 2026, AI integration in C# workflows becomes not just possible but straightforward—bringing machine intelligence closer to everyday enterprise codebases.
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Microsoft News
Generative AI with Large Language Models in C# in 2026
A practical introduction to modern AI for .NET developers.
⚡️ Microsoft and NVIDIA gear up for Rubin-scale AI era
Microsoft is positioning its AI data centers to seamlessly run NVIDIA’s Rubin platform, revealed ahead of CES 2026. Azure is already tuned for massive, GPU-heavy workloads — signaling a new phase of enterprise-scale AI infrastructure built for next-gen compute.
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Microsoft is positioning its AI data centers to seamlessly run NVIDIA’s Rubin platform, revealed ahead of CES 2026. Azure is already tuned for massive, GPU-heavy workloads — signaling a new phase of enterprise-scale AI infrastructure built for next-gen compute.
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Microsoft Azure Blog
Microsoft’s strategic AI datacenter planning enables seamless, large-scale NVIDIA Rubin deployments | Microsoft Azure Blog
Read how NVIDIA’s next-generation systems slot directly into infrastructure that has anticipated its requirements years ahead of the industry.
⚡️ NetEscapades.EnumGenerators adds System.Memory support
NetEscapades.EnumGenerators gets a practical boost with System.Memory integration and fresh APIs, unlocking faster and more memory‑efficient enum handling. For developers leaning on source generators for high‑performance C#, this update refines both speed and ergonomics in everyday use.
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NetEscapades.EnumGenerators gets a practical boost with System.Memory integration and fresh APIs, unlocking faster and more memory‑efficient enum handling. For developers leaning on source generators for high‑performance C#, this update refines both speed and ergonomics in everyday use.
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Andrew Lock | .NET Escapades
Recent updates to NetEscapades.EnumGenerators: new APIs and System.Memory support
In this post I describe some recent changes to the NetEscapades.EnumGenerators source generator, including support for the System.Memory package and new APIs
⚡️ Inside Azure ARM’s Hyperscale Engine
At the heart of Azure, the Resource Manager (ARM) handles billions of daily requests—spanning VMs, Storage, Databases and more. Backed by Azure Cosmos DB, it’s the orchestration layer defining how hyperscale reliability and agility look in practice. ARM isn’t just keeping up with demand; it’s setting the performance baseline for the cloud itself.
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At the heart of Azure, the Resource Manager (ARM) handles billions of daily requests—spanning VMs, Storage, Databases and more. Backed by Azure Cosmos DB, it’s the orchestration layer defining how hyperscale reliability and agility look in practice. ARM isn’t just keeping up with demand; it’s setting the performance baseline for the cloud itself.
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Microsoft News
How Azure Cosmos DB Powers ARM’s Federated Future: Scaling for the Next Billion Requests
Azure Resource Manager scales Azure to hyperscale using a federated, regionally isolated architecture powered by Azure Cosmos DB to deliver global reliability, performance, and cost efficiency.
⚡️ Semantic Reranking Lands in Azure SQL and SQL Server 2025
Developers can now use Cohere Rerank models directly with Azure SQL and SQL Server 2025 to boost retrieval precision. While there’s still no universal API for re‑ranking, Microsoft’s integration makes it easier to implement tailored relevance tuning through manual REST calls — a big step for anyone optimizing data‑driven applications.
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Developers can now use Cohere Rerank models directly with Azure SQL and SQL Server 2025 to boost retrieval precision. While there’s still no universal API for re‑ranking, Microsoft’s integration makes it easier to implement tailored relevance tuning through manual REST calls — a big step for anyone optimizing data‑driven applications.
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Microsoft News
Semantic Reranking with Azure SQL, SQL Server 2025 and Cohere Rerank models
Learn how to implement semantic reranking with Cohere models in Azure SQL and SQL Server 2025 for better search results.
⚡️ Building AI Tooling in Go with the MCP SDK
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) has quickly become the go‑to standard for linking AI apps with external systems. A new hands‑on walkthrough shows how to use the MCP SDK in Go to build servers that connect AI tools directly to Azure Cosmos DB — giving developers a unified, language‑agnostic way to expose data and workflows to intelligent agents.
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The Model Context Protocol (MCP) has quickly become the go‑to standard for linking AI apps with external systems. A new hands‑on walkthrough shows how to use the MCP SDK in Go to build servers that connect AI tools directly to Azure Cosmos DB — giving developers a unified, language‑agnostic way to expose data and workflows to intelligent agents.
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Microsoft News
Build AI Tooling in Go with the MCP SDK – Connecting AI Apps to Databases
Learn how to connect AI applications with Azure Cosmos DB using the new MCP SDK for Go developers and enhance your projects.
⚡️ Encrypted Queries and Vector Search Arrive in EF Core
MongoDB’s EF Core provider now supports Queryable Encryption and Vector Search — a rare combo that merges data security with AI capability. Developers can encrypt sensitive fields and still query them, or build semantic search features directly within EF Core, without leaving the familiar .NET stack.
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MongoDB’s EF Core provider now supports Queryable Encryption and Vector Search — a rare combo that merges data security with AI capability. Developers can encrypt sensitive fields and still query them, or build semantic search features directly within EF Core, without leaving the familiar .NET stack.
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Microsoft News
Secure and Intelligent: Queryable Encryption and Vector Search in MongoDB EF Core Provider
The MongoDB EF Core provider now supports Queryable Encryption and Vector Search. Learn how to encrypt sensitive data while querying it and build AI-powered semantic search applications directly with EF Core.
⚡️ Cosmos DB Mirroring Gains Private Endpoint Support
Microsoft opens public preview of private endpoint support for Azure Cosmos DB Mirroring in Fabric. Teams can now sync operational data securely over private networks, combining the flexibility of Fabric analytics with the isolation and compliance controls enterprises rely on.
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Microsoft opens public preview of private endpoint support for Azure Cosmos DB Mirroring in Fabric. Teams can now sync operational data securely over private networks, combining the flexibility of Fabric analytics with the isolation and compliance controls enterprises rely on.
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Microsoft News
Public Preview: Cosmos DB Mirroring in Microsoft Fabric with Private Endpoints
Announcing public preview of Private Endpoint support for Azure Cosmos DB Mirroring, enabling secure VNet‑based replication of operational data into Microsoft Fabric.
⚡️ C# named TIOBE Language of the Year
C# tops TIOBE’s 2024 rankings, reclaiming momentum as developers drive renewed interest in the .NET ecosystem. The index also signals a coming surge for TypeScript, underscoring the web stack’s continuing evolution. Cross-checks with RedMonk and PYPL reveal shifting priorities in the global dev landscape.
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C# tops TIOBE’s 2024 rankings, reclaiming momentum as developers drive renewed interest in the .NET ecosystem. The index also signals a coming surge for TypeScript, underscoring the web stack’s continuing evolution. Cross-checks with RedMonk and PYPL reveal shifting priorities in the global dev landscape.
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Visual Studio Magazine
C# Grabs Language of the Year, TIOBE Predicts TypeScript Rise -- Visual Studio Magazine
C# was named TIOBE’s Programming Language of the Year, while the index also pointed to a potential rise for TypeScript. Here’s how the latest rankings compare across TIOBE, RedMonk, and PYPL.
⚡️ AI and .NET Shift Developer Learning Habits
Developers are leaning hard into immersive, hands-on training as AI-assisted coding and modern .NET architectures redefine how software gets built. Surging engagement at VSLive! Orlando underscores a broader shift — learning by doing has become the new professional baseline in tech.
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Developers are leaning hard into immersive, hands-on training as AI-assisted coding and modern .NET architectures redefine how software gets built. Surging engagement at VSLive! Orlando underscores a broader shift — learning by doing has become the new professional baseline in tech.
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Visual Studio Magazine
Microsoft: Devs Are Choosing Immersive Learning as AI and Modern .NET Accelerate -- Visual Studio Magazine
Strong holiday viewership of advanced VSLive! Orlando sessions points to growing demand for immersive, hands-on training as AI-assisted development and modern .NET architectures reshape how developers work.
⚡️ Mibo and WREN stack push F# into new terrain
The second F# Weekly of 2026 spotlights Mibo and the emerging WREN stack — two projects reshaping what modern F# development looks like. With new tools extending functional programming into web and system layers, this wave shows F# moving confidently beyond its traditional niches.
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The second F# Weekly of 2026 spotlights Mibo and the emerging WREN stack — two projects reshaping what modern F# development looks like. With new tools extending functional programming into web and system layers, this wave shows F# moving confidently beyond its traditional niches.
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Sergey Tihon's Blog
F# Weekly #2, 2026 – Mibo and WREN Stack
Welcome to F# Weekly, A roundup of F# content from this past week: News Mibo: A Functional Game Framework for F# Generative AI: The Future of Consumer Technology – .NET Blog XAML Studio is no…
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