.NET 8 has arrived, bringing with it a multitude of improvements for developers. This latest version of Microsoft’s open-source, cross-platform application development platform boasts thousands of enhancements in performance, security, and stability. With an emphasis on cloud-native development and the integration of Generative AI, .NET 8 is poised to shape the creation of intelligent applications and high-traffic services.

Released on November 14, .NET 8 is now available for Windows, Linux, and macOS. As the newest LTS (Long Term Support) version of the platform, it offers three years of support. This update includes a new code generator, Dynamic Profile-Guided Optimization (PGO), which optimizes code based on real-world usage and can improve application performance by up to 20%. Additionally, support for the AVX-512 instruction set enables parallel operations for faster processing of data. Microsoft reports an 18% improvement in the JSON API scenario, with nearly one million requests per second using the Minimal APIs in ASP.NET Core.

For cloud-native development, .NET 8 introduces a preview of .NET Aspire, an opinionated stack designed for building configurable applications for the cloud. This includes a set of components that are enhanced for cloud-native applications, with built-in telemetry, configuration, resilience, and health checks. It also enables the discovery of essential dependencies, and is set to be available in spring 2024.

The platform also simplifies the use of AI for developers through various features and integrations with tools. Improvements to the System.Numerics code library enhance compatibility with generative AI workloads, making it easier to integrate Tensor primitives. And with collaborations with partners such as Azure OpenAI and Qdrant, Microsoft ensures that .NET developers have access to AI models, services, and platforms through SDKs. The open-source Semantic Kernel SDK simplifies the integration of these AI components into both new and existing applications.

In terms of containers, Microsoft has also made efforts to improve the packaging of applications. Every .NET image now includes a non-root user for more secure containers and has simplified one-line configuration. The .NET SDK tools also publish container images without a Dockerfile and default to non-root.

Following the release of .NET 7 last November, which also focused on cloud-native development, .NET 8 introduces a range of other new features, including enhanced support for.NET 8 is fully supported by the entire Visual Studio family, including the recently released Visual Studio 2022 17.8. Developers can also create .NET 8 applications using Visual Studio Code with the C# Dev Kit or the GitHub Codespaces template for .NET.

In summary, .NET 8 offers a host of improvements and new features for developers, with a focus on cloud-native development and the integration of AI. With its LTS status and support from the Visual Studio family, .NET 8 is a promising tool for creating future-forward and intelligent applications.