Today the Sitefinity assemblies are built against .NET framework 4.5. However, Microsoft no longer provides security updates, technical support or hotfixes for it. Because of this we decided to upgrade to the latest .NET framework and technology trends and move to .NET 4.7.
Sitefinity 11.0, which is coming this spring, will bring full support for .NET 4.7.1. This change will help us improve our productivity and resolve many bugs faster thanks to the new features that come with C# 7. In addition, three big features of the framework are worth mentioning - support for .NET Standard 2.0, security improvements and the improved performance of garbage collection. Following the latest trends, we want to make sure that Sitefinity developers have everything they need to code more productively.
How does this affect my work as a developer or IT administrator?
The 4.7.1 version of the .NET framework doesn’t come with each Windows/Windows Server machine and you should install it. This is an expected implication 🙂, since this is the newest .NET framework. In this comparison table you can find more information about which Windows versions support it. Keep in mind that in addition to the development environment, the server on which your Sitefinity application is deployed should also have the framework installed.
We’re excited about all the new features and upgrades we’ll be bringing you with Sitefinity 11.0, including this update to the latest version of the .NET framework. But this is not all, the UX in the admin area will be reimagined. To get a better idea, check at least the screenshots from this post.
We hope this notice gives you plenty of time to prepare yourself until you upgrade to Sitefinity 11.0 or start coding new projects on it.
Peter Filipov
Peter Filipov (Pepi) is a Product Builder focused on building the future of Sitefinity, relying on the newest technologies such as .NET 6 (and up), React and Angular. His previous experience as a Developer Advocate and Manager of Engineering helps him to understand the customers’ and market needs of Sitefinity. He also is passionate about being active and healthy.