Asp.NET is an extremely powerful tool when creating web developments (websites or applications). It is an object oriented programming language that was developed by Microsoft. dotNet is a server-side scripting language which means all requests are executed on the web server before being set to the users browser. The .NET framework gives flexibility to the developer as it supports over twenty five programming languages including C#, VB, J# and C++.

The file extension .aspx is used for Asp.NET pages. This file can combine the HTML code and the programming code. However, the best coding practice where dotNet is concerned is to separate the HTML code and the .Net coding into two separate files. For Example, if the C# language is used, the HTML will be included in the .aspx file and the c# coding in an .aspx.cs file.

With dotNet being a server-side language, the user will not have the ability to view any of the .NET coding behind each page as it is converted into true HTML code before being sent to the client. This will prevent other developers from “stealing” your code as they are unable to view the server side code and only view the HTML code that is products which is not much use.

Asp.NET enables developers to rapidly create powerful web applications with ease. The faster applications development is not only an advantage to the developer but also the end user. The end user or client will take advantage of the reduced loading time of the website or application.

This time is significantly reduced due to the fact that the code is dynamically compiled at runtime. The first request of an ASP.NET page will compile the code and keep a copy in memory (cached). A website will be compiled into one or more DLL files (assemblies) on the web server (IIS). Once the code is compiled it is called Microsoft Intermediate language (MSIL), the MSIL is extremely similar to machine code. By performing this operation, the servers response time is reduced, which in turn enables the server to spend less time processing each request.

A better performance is achieved since no additional parsing is required (unlike other programming language like PHP). As the whole site is compiled prior, the code is checked and therefore the number or errors within code is also reduced.