Efficient Development in C# 2024: Selected Utility Libraries

preamble

In normal development, good class libraries can help us quickly realize the function, C# has a lot of well-packaged class libraries.

In this article, we will introduce some of the C# class libraries that are particularly popular in 2024 and analyze the advantages of each to make our programming to write code easier and faster.

Quickly take a look to see if there are commonly used libraries, welcome to leave a comment to add your friends.

1、Entity Framework Core

Entity Framework Core is Microsoft's recommended ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) framework that supports a wide range of database systems, including SQL Server, MySQL and PostgreSQL, and provides rich query, update and delete operations. In addition, it has advanced features such as delayed loading and change tracking, allowing us to focus more on the implementation of business logic.

vantage

ORM support: provides a powerful object-relational mapping functionality , making database operations more intuitive and simple .
Cross-platform: supports multiple operating systems, including Windows, Linux and macOS.
Query Functionality: LINQ query expressions are supported, making complex query statements simple.
Performance Optimization: Built-in query optimizer and caching mechanism improves the efficiency of database operations.

drawbacks

Learning curve: For beginners, understanding and mastering EF Core may take some time.
Performance overhead: In some cases, the ORM layer may introduce additional performance overhead.

2、

is a commonly used JSON manipulation library in C#, providing a rich API for serializing and deserializing JSON data.

Whether it's converting an object to a JSON string or parsing a JSON string to an object, it's easy to handle and supports custom behaviors to meet complex needs.

vantage

Flexibility: support for complex serialization and deserialization operations , able to handle a variety of complex data structures .
Ease of use: The API is designed to be simple and easy to understand and use.
Extensive support: strong community support with tons of documentation and tutorials.

drawbacks

Performance: Performance may not be as good as some specialized serialization libraries when working with large datasets.
Dependencies: additional dependencies are required and may add to the complexity of the project.

3、AutoMapper

AutoMapper is an object mapper that converts an object of one type to an object of another type. Mapping rules and methods are provided so that we can map two classes without much configuration.

vantage

Automated mapping: Automatically maps the properties of one object to another, reducing the effort of manual mapping.
Flexible configuration: supports customized mapping rules to meet complex mapping needs.
Performance optimization: Improve mapping performance by caching mapping configurations.

drawbacks

Learning cost: need to understand the mapping configuration and rules, there may be some learning cost for newbies.
Complexity: In large projects, too many mapping rules may increase the complexity of the code.

4、HttpClient

HttpClient is a very important class library in .NET for sending HTTP requests and receiving HTTP responses. It is indispensable in many scenarios, in applications that interact with Web services.

vantage

Simple API design: Providing an intuitive and easy-to-use API, sending web requests becomes simple.
Support for asynchronous operations: It supports an asynchronous programming model that helps improve application responsiveness and scalability.
Reusability: Designed to be reused across multiple requests, helping to reduce resource consumption and improve performance.
Flexibility: You can customize the handling of requests and responses, including setting timeouts, adding request headers, handling cookies, and more.
Security: HTTPS is supported and SSL/TLS can be configured to secure data transmission.

drawbacks

Resource management: If not managed correctly, this can lead to resource leaks, such as not releasing connections correctly or not calling the Dispose method.
Default Configuration May Not Be Enough: In some cases, the default configuration of HttpClient may not be suitable for all scenarios and additional configuration is required.
Exception handling: Various network exceptions and error responses need to be handled manually, which can add complexity to the code.
Performance considerations: although designed to be reusable, if not used correctly (e.g., frequent creation and destruction of instances), performance may be impacted.
Dependent on the network environment: network requests are greatly affected by the network environment, and network instability may lead to request failure or delay.
Security Configuration: In some cases, SSL/TLS certificates need to be configured manually, which can add complexity to the configuration.

5、Serilog

Serilog is a flexible logging library widely used in C# applications. It provides a clean API for logging information and supports a variety of output targets such as console, file and web services. Logging levels and formats can also be customized to better meet different logging needs.

vantage

Structured logging: supports structured logging for easy log analysis.
Performance: Efficient log processing mechanism with low impact on application performance.
Extensibility: Supports multiple log output targets and formats.

drawbacks

Configuration complexity: Configuration can be complex, especially for beginners.
Learning Costs: It takes some time to learn how to fully utilize its features.

6、Hangfire

Hangfire is a powerful .NET library for handling background jobs and scheduled tasks. It provides a clean set of APIs that allow us to easily schedule long-running tasks or timed operations in our applications.

Support for multiple storage options, including SQL databases and Redis, and the ability to track the status of jobs in real time ensures reliability and transparency in task execution.

vantage

Background Tasks: Supports execution of tasks in the background, including timed and recurring tasks.
Monitoring: Provides visual dashboards to monitor task status.
Reliability: Supports task persistence to ensure task reliability.

drawbacks

Performance: There may be an impact on performance when dealing with a large number of tasks.
Configuration complexity: some configuration is required to set up task storage and processing.

7、xUnit

xUnit is a popular C# unit testing framework with a powerful assertion library and flexible test organization .

With xUnit, we can write repeatable and maintainable test code to ensure software quality. It also supports parameterized and data-driven testing, making the testing process more efficient and flexible.

vantage

Powerful Assertion Library: Provides a rich set of assertion methods to simplify the writing of test code.
Flexible Test Organization: Supports multiple test structures for easy management and maintenance of test code.
Parameterized testing: supports running the same test with different datasets to improve testing efficiency.
Data-driven testing: test data can be separated from test logic to enhance the flexibility of testing.
Real-time feedback: Provide real-time results feedback during test execution to facilitate rapid problem localization.

drawbacks

Learning curve: For first-time users, some of the advanced features of xUnit may take time to master.
Configuration Complexity: Despite its power, the configuration and integration environment can be relatively complex.

8、OxyPlot

OxyPlot is a class library for data visualization that supports a wide range of chart types, including line, bar and pie charts, and is highly customizable.

Supports cross-platform development for Windows, macOS, and Linux, and seamlessly integrates with a variety of C# UI frameworks such as Windows Forms and WPF.

Data visualization can be easily achieved by using OxyPlot to help users better understand and analyze data.

vantage

Rich Chart Types: Support many chart types, such as line charts, bar charts, pie charts and so on.
Highly customizable: users can customize the chart style and layout according to their needs.
Cross-platform support: for operating systems such as Windows, macOS and Linux.
UI framework compatibility: Seamless integration with multiple C# UI frameworks such as Windows Forms and WPF.
Easy to Integrate: Provides easy-to-use APIs for quick implementation of data visualization features.

drawbacks

Performance issues: Chart rendering performance may be degraded when working with large amounts of data.
Configuration complexity: A high degree of customization may lead to a more complex configuration process.

9、Task Parallel Library (TPL)

The Task Parallel Library (TPL) is a class library for asynchronous programming in C# that provides a rich set of APIs for implementing parallel and asynchronous operations.

It's easy to write high-performance, responsive asynchronous applications using the TPL, which supports features such as task scheduling, canceling, and exception handling, and integrates seamlessly with other asynchronous programming models such as async/await.

vantage

Rich API: Provides a wide range of APIs to support complex parallel and asynchronous operations.
Task Scheduling: Supports priority scheduling and resource management of tasks.
Cancellation mechanism: long running tasks can be canceled gracefully.
Exception Handling: Provides a powerful exception handling mechanism to facilitate the capture and handling of errors in asynchronous operations.
Seamless Integration: Seamlessly integrates with other asynchronous programming models such as async/await to improve development efficiency.

drawbacks

Learning Curve: There may be a learning curve for novices to understand and use the advanced features of TPL.
Debugging Difficulty: Parallel and asynchronous programming may increase the complexity of debugging.
Resource management: Improper task management may lead to overconsumption or leakage of resources.

10. and NEST

and NEST are the official .NET client libraries for Elasticsearch.

Elasticsearch is a distributed , RESTful search engine built on Lucene , providing real-time full-text search , analytics , monitoring and other functions .

NET client for Elasticsearch, NEST provides concise API interfaces to facilitate our interaction with Elasticsearch clusters for efficient data indexing, searching and analysis.

It supports full-text search, structured search and analytics, and provides a distributed real-time analytics search engine. NET applications can be easily integrated with .NET applications through the officially provided Elasticsearch .NET client.

vantage

High performance: fast search and analysis capabilities to handle large-scale data.
Scalability: can easily scale to multiple nodes to handle large amounts of data and requests.
Real-time: The ability to index and search data in real time allows users to quickly access the most up-to-date information.

drawbacks

High learning cost: For beginners, learning the use and configuration of Elasticsearch may take some time and effort.
High hardware requirements: Higher hardware configuration is required to ensure system performance and stability.
Data Security: Relatively weak in data security, requiring additional configuration and controls to secure data.

summarize

This article is a selection of useful class libraries that are commonly used and efficient in C#, covering a wide range of areas from data access, JSON manipulation classes, network programming, unit testing, asynchronous programming, search components, logging to charting.

By introducing the core functions, advantages and disadvantages, and application scenarios of various libraries, it helps us to choose the most suitable libraries to meet the needs of the project and improve the development efficiency and project quality.

Welcome partners to leave a message to discuss, have a good framework can also be recommended.

ultimate

If you found this article helpful, why not support it with a like? Your support is what keeps me motivated to continue sharing my knowledge. Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions or need further help.

You can also join WeChat[DotNet Technician] community to share ideas and grow with other tech-loving peers!Excellence is a habit, so feel free to leave a comment and learn!