logo

The Future of ASP.NET Boilerplate

A Journey of Growth and Innovation

It has been an incredible 11-year journey since the first commit to ASP.NET Boilerplate. What started as a personal passion project to create a robust application framework for .NET developers quickly evolved into a widely embraced solution, empowering thousands of developers worldwide. This remarkable growth led to the creation of ASP.NET Zero, further solidifying our path and enabling us to establish Volosoft as a company driven by innovation and community support.

Embracing Change with ABP.IO

The technology landscape has changed dramatically since ASP.NET Boilerplate began. Back then, .NET and ASP.NET were not open-source, .NET Core was just a concept, and Angular 2+ was not yet released. The rise (and fall) of trends like microservices shaped the evolution of software development.

Recognizing the shift in modern software architecture, we saw an opportunity to build something even better – ABP.IO. Launched in 2018, ABP.IO is the natural successor to ASP.NET Boilerplate and ASP.NET Zero, designed to meet the evolving demands of developers. It reflects our commitment to staying ahead of the curve and delivering cutting-edge solutions.

Parallel Development and Continued Support

We understand that ASP.NET Boilerplate has been the foundation for countless applications. That's why we continued to improve and support it, even as ABP.IO became our primary focus. We have maintained ASP.NET Boilerplate for over six years, addressing bugs, updating documentation, and ensuring compatibility with the latest .NET and Angular versions.

However, maintaining two ecosystems in parallel is resource-intensive. To focus our efforts on enhancing ABP.IO and providing the best developer experience possible, we have made the following decisions:

  • ASP.NET Boilerplate will gracefully transition out of active development.
  • ASP.NET Boilerplate will remain supported with only bug fixes and critical updates until May 12, 2026, aligning with Microsoft's support timeline for .NET 9.0.
  • After that date, no updates will be provided, but existing projects can continue to operate without disruption.

Our Recommendations

For new projects: We recommend starting with ABP.IO. Many developers have already adopted this approach and continue to benefit from the platform's advanced features.

For ongoing projects: If your project has a long-term roadmap, consider migrating to ABP.IO. This transition ensures continued innovation and support.

ASP.NET Zero: Continuing Strong

ASP.NET Zero remains a vibrant, commercial product that meets the needs of many businesses developing critical applications. We recognize the importance of ASP.NET Zero to our customers and will continue to maintain and update ASP.NET Boilerplate NuGet packages for ASP.NET Zero users. These packages will be upgraded to .NET 10.0 and will receive ongoing enhancements.

For our ASP.NET Zero customers, rest assured – there is no planned end date for support. You can continue to rely on ASP.NET Zero and even purchase new licenses as needed. However, we encourage exploring ABP.IO to see how it can complement and enhance your projects.

A Bright Future Together

We are incredibly grateful for the support and contributions from our community over the years. This transition represents not an end but an exciting new chapter that promises greater innovation and even more powerful tools for developers.

We remain committed to empowering you on your journey, and we look forward to building the future of software development together.