Docker containers – Should I use .NET Core or .NET Framework?

Cesar De la Torre

The short answer is: “For Docker containers, use .NET Core whenever is possible”. But, below is a summary decision table depending on your architecture or application type and the server operating system you are targeting for your Docker containers.

Take into account that if you are targeting Linux containers you will need Linux based Docker hosts (VMs or Servers) and in a similar way, if you are targeting Windows containers you will need Windows Server based Docker hosts (VMs or Servers).

And here’s a written summary about it:

You should use .NET Core for your containerized Docker server application when: •    You have cross-platform needs. You want to use Linux containers and Windows containers. •    Your application architecture is based on microservices. •    You need best-in-class high performance and hyper-scale.

You should use .NET Framework for your containerized Docker server application when: •    Your application currently uses .NET Framework and has strong dependencies on Windows •    You need to use third-party .NET libraries or NuGet packages not available for .NET Core. •    You need to use .NET technologies that are not available for .NET Core. •    You need to use a platform that doesn’t support .NET Core.

I’m writing further details about this subject in a separate and longer document, but I thought it would be good to share this summary table with the community and get some feedback. Please, post your feedback here in the blog post or send me direct feedback to cesardl at microsoft.com

Cesar De la Torre Principal Program Manager, Azure

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