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Being open-source and created by Microsoft are two good enough reasons for millions of developers around the world to use .NET developer tools. Having support from a strong and large community is another catalyst in the growth of a wide range of third-party development tools. But with a large number of tools available in the market, Web developers are divided on which one works best for the .NET development project.
But fret not, we have compiled a small list that consists of dot net tools that are popular, battle-tested, and preferred by most dot net developers in India as well as around the world.
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Best Tools for .NET Developers
.NET Reflector
.NET Reflector is a multi-purpose tool as it can work as a static analyzer, disassembler, and decompiler for .NET technology. This dot net developer tool can be leveraged to detect problems in your app. .NET reflector tool can debug any.NET development code. This allows you to simplify your software development process.
.NET Reflector comes with a comprehensive add-in model that has an API that can be adjusted as per the requirements. You can download it as an extension for Visual Studio.
ReSharper
You can now eliminate the errors in the code of your application by conducting on-the-fly code analysis with the help of ReSharper. It is a popular dot net tool developed by JetBrains.
Generally, automating development and refactoring scenarios is a very challenging and time-consuming task. But ReSharper can help you with that easily. This tool comes with a 30-day trial. You can use it as an extension to Visual Studio. After that, you have to pay to use it. The most important features provided by ReSharper include:
- Code generation
- Supports on-the-fly code analysis
- Supports an in-built unit test runner
- Eliminate errors and code smells
LINQPad
LINQPad is the next most popular dot net tool on the list. It is lightweight and can be used for free to test queries that are written in LinQ, F#, C#, or code snippets. This tool can also be leveraged to query databases such as MySQL, Postgres, Oracle, and more. All LINQ APIs including PLINQ, and Entity framework are supported with LINQPad. The standard edition of LINQPad is free to use with no expiry date and no need for a license.
Postman
Postman is an open-source platform and a popular HTTP client that is used to design, develop, and test APIs. It is available as both a Chrome extension and a Desktop client. Although there is a free version, Postman has varying pricing models namely, Free, Teams, Business, and Enterprise editions.
You can try out the free version to create and test APIs. And if it works for your business then you can move on to your suitable paid version. Some of the excellent features of Postman are as mentioned below:
- API monitoring
- API Client for testing REST, SOAP, and GraphQL APIs
- Automated Testing
- Generate API Documentation
NDepend
NDepend is a robust dot net developer tool that enables you to conduct static code analysis. You can use its Visual Studio extension to measure the quality of the source code of your application. Some of the benefits of using NDepend are –
- Create trend charts
- Can easily integrate with Visual Studio
- Better code building
- Enhances the maintainability of code
- Enhance the productivity of the team
- Can measure code coverage
- Have complete control over the risks and costs
- Provides support for CQLINQ that can help you customize the code analysis.
SQL Complete
Devart has produced a robust dot net tool that can help developers boost their productivity, the name is SQL Complete. Developers can use this tool to write high-quality SQL code and that too with correct formatting.
For SSMS, SQL Complete is available as an add-in. Developers can leverage this popular tool to retrieve information from database objects that are in the SQL server management studio or visual studio. They can further use it to rename columns, tables, functions, and procedures, speed up query writing, and format SQL queries. SQL Complete consists of the following features:
- Context-sensitive suggestion
- Productivity extension
- T-SQL formatting
- Code refactoring
NCrunch
NCrunch is an automated testing tool widely used for unit testing in Visual Studio, this dot net tool can collect your code and profile the tests. After running a test, NCrunch can also provide performance metrics and information about code coverage. Essential features of NCrunch include:
- Smart execution of tests
- Code coverage analysis
- Supports automated concurrent testing
- Performance Metrics
Entity Developer
If you are looking for a robust code generation tool then this ORM tool from Devart might be the right choice for you. Entity Developers cannot just map data but also enable you to design a data access layer visually easily. The chances of error in this automated generated code are minimal.
The official website of this ORM also claims that the tool can help developers design models for various dot net ORMs in a single unified interface. You have a choice to either work with a supported ORM by purchasing a separate edition or you can get the support of all ORMs in a single tool like Entity Developer.
dotConnect for Oracle
dotConnect for Oracle is a feature-rich tool. It is also used as a robust ADO.NET provider for Oracle. This high-performing tool also supports ORM. And the best thing? There is no need to install Oracle Client Software to use it. DotConnect for Oracle also supports other visual ORM designer tools like ENtity framework, LinqConnect, and more. dotConnect for Oracle provides many features including:
- Cross-platform tool
- Support Sync framework
- Supports all the latest versions of every type of .NET framework
- Support for the popular encryption and checksum algorithms
- Built-in visual ORM designer
- Direct access to Oracle
- SSL/TLS encryption support
Stackify Prefix
Stackify Prefix is a lightweight desktop profiler that .NET and Java developers can use for free. All kinds of .NET and .NET Core apps can be profiled with the help of this tool. Additionally, you can leverage it to obtain performance data as it allows the developers to track the performance of the application by any method necessary.
Summary
So, this was the short list of top dot net developer tools. There are certain factors you need to consider while selecting the tool like performance, code metrics, code quality, scalability, and more. Also, it is of utmost importance that the tool you pick must help you boost your productivity or at least help you out with the testing of your dot net application.
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