Server-side rendered SPAs with ASP.NET and no Javascript 

With .NET 5, direct support of WinRT has been removed from the C# language and CLR, including most of the functionality previously provided in System.Runtime.InteropServices. In some cases, C#/WinRT provides equivalent functionality. In other cases, functionality may no longer be supported. This article provides a migration guide for interop scenarios in C#/WinRT. 

Here’s the list of what’s new in this preview:

• New Razor features: @attribute, @code, @key, @namespace, markup in @functions
• Blazor directive attributes
• Authentication & authorization support for Blazor apps
• Static assets in Razor class libraries
• Json.NET no longer referenced in project templates
• Certificate and Kerberos Authentication
• SignalR Auto-reconnect
• Managed gRPC Client
• gRPC Client Factory
• gRPC Interceptors 

using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc;

namespace Core3xWebApi.Controllers
{
    [ApiController]
    [Route("[controller]")]
    public class HomeController : ControllerBase
    {
        [HttpGet]
        public ActionResult<string> Get()
        {
            return null;
        }
    }
}

namespace Core3xWebApi
{
    public class Startup
    {
        public void ConfigureServices(IServiceCollection services)
        {
            services.AddControllers(options =>
            {
                // remove formatter that turns nulls into 204 - No Content responses
                // this formatter breaks SPA's Http response JSON parsing
                options.OutputFormatters.RemoveType<HttpNoContentOutputFormatter>();
                options.OutputFormatters.Insert(0, new HttpNoContentOutputFormatter
                {
                    TreatNullValueAsNoContent = false
                });
            });
        }

• We improved solution load performance by optimizing design time build.
• We've added installation progress details on Visual Studio Installer.
• You can pause your installation and resume at a later time.
• We streamlined the update process so the notification takes you directly to the Installer.
• Non-administrators can create a VS layout.
• We added a new shortcut for Edit.Duplicate in the keyboard mapping.
• We made significant improvements to the F# language and tools, particularly for .NET Core SDK projects.
• The C++ compiler optimizes your code to run faster through improved optimizations.
• C++ Mapfile generation overhead is reduced in full linking scenarios.
• Debug options are available for Embedded ARM GCC support.
• We added strong name signing on CoreCLR for the C# compiler.
• Visual Studio Tools for Xamarin has lots of new productivity updates for iOS and Android developers.
• Python no longer requires a completion DB, and Anaconda users have support for conda.
• The Performance Profiler's CPU Usage Tool can display logical call stacks for asynchronous code.
• The CPU Usage tool displays source line highlighting and async/await code with logical 'Call Stack Stitching'.
• The debugger supports thread names set via SetThreadDescription APIs in dump debugging.
• Snapshot Debugging can be started from the Debug Target dropdown for ASP.NET applications.
• We've launched the initial implementation of Navigate to decompiled sources for .NET code navigation.
• New enhancements for Configure Continuous Delivery include support for TFVC, Git authentication over SSH, and containerized projects.
• You can now click on the Continuous Delivery tile in Team Explorer to configure automated build and deployments for your application.
• Team Explorer supports Git tags and checking out pull request branches.
• Service Fabric Tooling for the 6.1 Service Fabric release is now available.
• The Windows 10 Insider Preview SDK can be installed as an optional component.
• File versions for a number of Visual Studio executables now reflect the minor release.
• Test Explorer has a hierarchy view and real time test discovery is now on by default.
• We have added support for testing Win10 IoT Core applications.
• Visual Studio Build Tools supports TypeScript and Node.js.
• ClickOnce Tools support signing application and deployment manifests with CNG certificate.
• You can access Azure resources such as Key Vault using your Visual Studio accounts. 

Building Web Sites that Work Everywhere 

I think you might want to be a software developer for a long time, in the same way that some people are musicians for a long time, or artists for a long time, or roofers for a long time. If not, you can hit “back” in your browser. It’s cool, no harm no foul. But I think maybe you would like to be a twenty-year programmer, or forty-year, or more. 

ASP.NET Community Standup - Blazor United in .NET 8
The Blazor team shares early thoughts on Blazor United in .NET 8, an effort to create a single unified model for all your web UI scenarios that combines the best of Razor Pages, Blazor Server, and Blazor WebAssembly.
 

This article explains how to get started with WebSockets in ASP.NET  Core. WebSocket is a protocol that enables two-way persistent communication channels over TCP connections. It is used for applications such as chat, stock tickers, games, anywhere you want real-time functionality in a web application.  

• Accessibility improvements in narration, high contrast and focus control areas
• .NET Framework support for .NET Standard 2.0 and compiler features
• More secure SHA-2 support in ASP.NET and System.Messaging
• Configuration builders
• ASP.NET Execution step feature
• ASP.NET HttpCookie parsing
• Enhancements in Visual Tree for WPF applications
• Performance and reliability improvements