Welcome to our first featured blog post on the MSDN Community platform! Today, we're diving deep into the exciting world of .NET MAUI, Microsoft's open-source, cross-platform framework for creating native mobile and desktop applications with C# and XAML.

.NET MAUI Logo

What is .NET MAUI?

.NET MAUI is the evolution of Xamarin.Forms, providing a unified project structure and a streamlined development experience. It allows developers to build applications for Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows from a single codebase, significantly reducing development time and effort.

Key Features and Benefits

  • Single Project: Manage all your platform-specific code, resources, and UI in one project.
  • XAML and C# UI: Choose your preferred declarative UI approach or build your UI entirely in C#.
  • Native Performance: Compile directly to native code for optimal performance on each platform.
  • Rich Ecosystem: Leverage the vast .NET ecosystem, including NuGet packages and C# features.
  • Modern Controls: Access a comprehensive set of modern UI controls that adapt to different platforms.

Getting Started with .NET MAUI

To start building your first .NET MAUI application, you'll need to install the .NET 7 SDK (or later) and the .NET MAUI workload. You can do this via the .NET CLI:

dotnet workload install maui

Once installed, you can create a new MAUI project using Visual Studio or the .NET CLI:

dotnet new maui -n MyFirstMauiApp

This will set up a basic application structure ready for you to customize. Explore the project files, especially the AppShell.xaml and MainPage.xaml, to understand how the application is organized.

Community Spotlight

"The ability to write code once and deploy it across multiple platforms is a game-changer for developers. .NET MAUI truly delivers on this promise."
- A Happy MAUI Developer

Looking Ahead

The .NET MAUI community is vibrant and growing. We encourage you to explore the official documentation, participate in forums, and contribute to open-source projects. Stay tuned for more in-depth articles on specific MAUI features, tips, and tutorials!

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