Difference between ASP.NET MVC, C#, and ASP.NET Core

Quick Summary

Term	What It Is	Common Use
C#	A programming language	Used to write backend logic in ASP.NET, Core, Unity, desktop apps, etc.
ASP.NET MVC	A web framework built on the .NET Framework (Windows-only, older)	Building web apps with the Model-View-Controller pattern
ASP.NET Core	A newer, cross-platform web framework (open source, faster)	Building modern web APIs, web apps, Blazor, etc., on any OS

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1. What is C#?

• A programming language , just like Java or Python.

• Used in many .NET technologies:

  • ASP.NET Web Apps

  • Console/Desktop Apps

  • Web APIs

  • Azure Functions

  • Game dev with Unity

• You write your logic in C# no matter what framework you're using (ASP.NET MVC, Core, etc.)

Example (in C#)

  
    public class Product {
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public decimal Price { get; set; }
}
  

So
C# = language, not a framework
❌ It doesn’t define how your app runs — frameworks do (like ASP.NET MVC or Core)

2. What is ASP.NET MVC?

A framework for building web apps on .NET Framework (Windows-only)

• Uses Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture

• Typically uses Razor Views (.cshtml), Controllers, and Models

• Deployed to IIS (Windows)

• Limited to Windows OS and older .NET versions (like .NET 4.8)

• Many enterprise systems still use this

Structure

  
    - Controllers/
   - HomeController.cs
- Views/
   - Home/
      - Index.cshtml
- Models/
   - Product.cs
  

Good for: existing projects, Windows servers
❌ Not ideal for new cross-platform development

3. What is ASP.NET Core?

A modern, faster , open-source version of ASP.NET. Cross-platform (.NET 6/7/8+)

• Supports MVC, Razor Pages, Blazor, and Web API — all in one framework

• Works on Windows, Linux, macOS

• Much faster, modular, cloud-ready

• Supports dependency injection by default

• Used with .NET Core, .NET 5, 6, 7, 8...

Example in ASP.NET Core (Program.cs)

  
    var builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder(args);
builder.Services.AddControllersWithViews();
var app = builder.Build();
app.MapDefaultControllerRoute();
app.Run();
  

✅ Good for: modern apps, APIs, cloud apps
✅ Runs on Docker, Azure, Linux
✅ High performance
✅ Long-term future
❌ Requires new learning if coming from old ASP.NET

Summary Table

Feature	ASP.NET MVC	ASP.NET Core	C#
Type	Web framework	Modern web framework	Programming language
Platform	Windows-only	Cross-platform	Works anywhere .NET works
Based on	.NET Framework	.NET Core / .NET 5+	.NET
Architecture	MVC only	MVC, Web API, Razor Pages	N/A
Performance	Slower	Faster	N/A
Open source	Partially	Fully	Yes
Hosting	IIS	Kestrel, IIS, Nginx	N/A
Support lifetime	Limited (legacy)	Active & future-focused	Ongoing