It’s been a long time coming, but its finally here: Microsoft announced that Blazor WebAssembly 3.2.0 will be supported in production, alongside Blazor Server. Microsoft announced this new development at the Build Developer’s Conference, which usually runs from 19 to 21 May.
Why is Blazor WebAssembly 3.2.0 important?
Blazor WebAssembly is the second component under the Blazor ecosystem with Blazor Server being the first. It’s a framework that allows developers to develop single-page web applications using .Net.
Previously, developers had the option to develop a web application using Blazor Server, but only from the server-side. While apps developed with Blazor Server are fast and powerful, developers had limited options because they could not access the client-side.
The release of Blazor WebAssembly 3.2.0 is an exciting development for Blazor users because it opens up the client-side server to programmers. The framework has a host of new features and capabilities that were simply not available before. Developers can now run web applications developed with .Net within the client’s browser itself, without any plugins needed.
According to Microsoft, Blazor WebAssembly offers several features to help developers stay productive when working on their web application project.
For starters, developers can now leverage both .Net and C# on the client and server-side, respectively. Something, which is bound to improve productivity.
However, there are also other features, like built-in support for authentication, environment-based configuration, full-stack debugging and built-in compression, which is sure to provide developers with the support needed to develop powerful web applications.
Furthermore, developers and programmers have access to apps and components, like SynCfunsion and DevExpress to build UI rich applications quickly. For example, DevExpress comes with 15 UI components, like Data Grid, while SynCfunsion offers over 65 lightweight UI components.
Since Blazor is a thriving open-source community, there are a lot of test frameworks and component libraries, like bUnit and Blazored, that can be used in future projects. Access to all these tools will accelerate development.
With all these features on offer, programmers will have a much easier time putting together feature-rich UI on both the client and server-side, thanks to Blazor WebAssembly.
How do you upgrade to Blazor WebAssembly 3.2.0?
If you are using Blazor WebAssembly 3.2.0 Release Candidate and want to switch to the official release version, then all you have to do is update the Microsoft.ASPnetCore.Components.WebAssembly. and System.Net.http.Json package references to 3.2.0.
What does this mean for the future of Blazor?
Microsoft plans to expand the functionality of Blazor WebAssembly by upgrading the framework. Their chief concern is preparing WebAssembly for .Net 5. (which will be released in November 2020). In fact, Microsoft is already working on a preview, which will be ready at the end of the month.
The release of Blazor WebAssembly 3.2.0 marks another exciting step in the ever-expanding Blazor ecosystem. With the client-side now supported, programmers can now bring the power of .Net onto a client’s desktop without additional plugins required. This will expand the number of options available to programmers.
