Summary

The provided web content is an article that showcases ten innovative C# applications, ranging from e-commerce platforms to security tools, emphasizing their impact on various industries and the C# community.

Abstract

The article "10 C# Apps You Should Know" introduces readers to a curated list of C# applications that exemplify the language's versatility and power. It begins with eShopOnContainers, a microservices and container-based architecture project for scalable e-commerce applications, and moves on to Stealerium, an ethical hacking and cybersecurity framework. The list includes Avalonia, a cross-platform desktop application framework, and BTCPayServer, a self-hosted cryptocurrency payment processor. It also features nopCommerce, a modular e-commerce platform, and a TODO application demonstrating C#'s capabilities in frontend and backend development. The article further highlights Ryujinx, a Nintendo Switch emulator, and WattToolkit, a Steam account management tool. Bitwarden, a secure password manager, and MemoryPack, a high-performance serializer, conclude the list. The author expresses personal admiration for these projects, noting their contributions to the C# ecosystem and their role in promoting best practices and innovation in software development.

Opinions

The author is impressed by eShopOnContainers' modular and expandable design, which facilitates customization and integration of services.
Stealerium's commitment to ethical hacking and its collaborative approach to improving cybersecurity are highly regarded by the author.
Avalonia's use of a scalable vector graphics rendering engine is praised for ensuring pixel-perfect applications across various platforms.
BTCPayServer's dedication to providing a decentralized and private payment processing alternative is commended.
nopCommerce's scalability, customization options, and user-friendly interface are highlighted as key strengths.
The TODO application's architecture, which includes web assembly, EntityFramework, and .NET Identity, is seen as a valuable resource for C# developers.
Ryujinx's ability to emulate Nintendo Switch titles is acknowledged as a testament to C#'s capabilities beyond traditional applications.
WattToolkit's cross-platform functionality, including support for Android, demonstrates C#'s versatility outside the Microsoft ecosystem.
Bitwarden's open-source nature and potential for better security practices are suggested as reasons for its growing popularity, especially in light of LastPass's security issues.
MemoryPack's performance, offering serialization speeds up to 200 times faster than standard solutions, is recognized as a significant asset for C# developers and Unity game developers.

10 C# Apps You Should Know

1 eShopOnContainers

Dotnet-architecture’s eShopOnContainers is a great project that provides a full set of microservices and container-based architecture for creating scalable e-commerce apps.

It makes use of the.NET platform’s power by using technologies such as ASP.NET Core, Entity Framework, Docker, and Kubernetes. As a developer, I love that the modular and expandable design of eShopOnContainers allows me to easily customize and integrate many services.

The project also includes many real-world use cases, making it a great resource for learning best practices for developing robust and efficient e-commerce systems.

Update: the repo was archived. Development is done under new repo, you’ll find the link in the original repo announcement.

2 Stealerium

The exciting open-source project Stealerium focuses on ethical hacking and cybersecurity research. It provides a framework and a collection of tools for designing and testing security solutions. Developers and security experts may use Stealerium to simulate numerous cyberattack situations, allowing them to examine vulnerabilities and create effective defense methods.

What reeled me in is this project’s dedication to promoting ethical hacking practices and assisting organizations in strengthening their security posture.

Stealerium’s collaborative nature also encourages information sharing, allowing the community to learn from one another’s experiences and jointly contribute to a safer digital world.

3 Avalonia

Avalonia fascinated me as a project because it takes an innovative technique to develop cross-platform desktop apps. This open-source framework, created by AvaloniaUI, allows developers to design attractive and responsive user interfaces in C#, XAML, and.NET.

What distinguishes Avalonia is its usage of a scalable vector graphics rendering engine, which allows apps to seem pixel-perfect on any platform or screen size. Avalonia has a versatile and expandable framework, allowing developers to easily design spectacular apps.

Avalonia’s cross-platform capabilities give up new opportunities for developers looking to provide outstanding user experiences across Windows, macOS, and Linux.

4 BTCPayServer

BTCPayServer is a powerful open-source project that is transforming payment processing with Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. This self-hosted payment processor offers a safe, decentralized alternative to standard payment gateways.

BTCPayServer, created by a dedicated community, enables companies and individuals to accept Bitcoin payments without the use of third-party intermediaries. The robustness, flexibility, and devotion to privacy distinguish BTCPayServer is what particularly impressed me. It gives consumers complete control over their finances and integrates seamlessly with existing e-commerce systems.

BTCPayServer contributes significantly to the adoption and expansion of decentralized finance and the Bitcoin ecosystem.

5 nopCommerce

nopCommerce is a free and open-source e-commerce platform. nopCommerce is a powerful platform for constructing attractive online businesses because of its modular architecture and large feature set.

The scalability, customization possibilities, and user-friendly administrative interface distinguish this project. nopCommerce provides a robust set of plugins, themes, and integrations that allow businesses to customize their online presence to their unique requirements.

nopCommerce’s active community assures continual progress and innovation, making it a top choice for e-commerce development.

6 TODO Application

The app made by David Fowler offers a unique view on building frontend and backend around C# language.

Frontend is a web assembly built with Blazor. Data access is handled by EntityFramework and SQLLite. Identity is managed by .NET Identity framework. It handles cookie and JWT authentication.

The API can be tested with Swagger that is already set up. Sweet!

The only disadvantage is there is no screenshot of the frontend, but it is understandable since it is an architecture showcase, and also a nice way to bootstrap your C# app.

7 Ryujinx — Nintendo Switch Emulator

C# is a multipurpose language. Ryujinx proves it to be capable of emulating consoles. The experimental project already handles thousands of Nintendo Switch titles aiming at providing performance and accuracy. Something very important for these dynamic console games.

I am not playing on Nintendo Switch, so I am not the target for this project. But I find it fascinating to browse through the code, and being able to propose improvements is fun on it’s own.

Read to the end for a bonus!

8 WattToolkit (Steam++) — Steam Toolkit

For those of you who can’t live without playing games, WattToolkit may come in handy. It is a tool written in C# to help you manage your Steam accounts.

You can manage your achievements, switch between accounts and do things I don’t understand at all. Interestingly enough, it is a cross platform project.

Aside of Windows, Linux and MacOS it runs also on Android proving C# with the .NET Framework successfully broke free from the Microsoft ecosystem.

9 Bitwarden — Password Manager

Bitwarden is a popular password manager. It becomes more popular lately due to LastPass total failure at protecting users data. If you feel that I am upset about LastPass leak, I am.

Bitwarden is open source, meaning it may offer a solution that is secured better. For that I don’t know for sure. But it is worth to try it out if you are looking for a password manager.

Maybe they don’t store saved URLs unencrypted, and do little to protect data of users for half of a year after a breach. Yeah, I am still writing about the LastPass failure.

10 MemoryPack — 200x Faster Serializer

Serializing data is essential for a vast majority of apps and games. MemoryPack is a result of years of development and offers unprecedented data serialization performance. In some cases it is 200 times faster than the standard solutions.

It makes MemoryPack popular among C# coders and Unity game developers.

Only 1% of people read such long articles to the end. Congrats! It must be a pleasure to talk with you about coding. You are my favorite people, I hope you will connect by subscribing!

BTW. WOW. You are really interested in C#! I’ve designed C# card game called Summon The JSON: C#. What a coincidence! You can order them now!

Do you like C#? Clap, subscribe, like and share in your social media!

Join 11 000 developers who follow Tom Smykowski! For $5 per month you will have access to all Medium articles and Tom will get a part of it, so he will write more about C#! Become a member now!

Also join the new C# Programming Guild group on Linkedin that welcomes all C# enthusiasts and creators!