Microsoft Build 2020 Highlights New .NET 5 Features and Developer Tools
Microsoft hosts its first completely free and virtual Build conference, unveiling significant updates to Visual Studio, .NET 5, and C# 9. Developers also receive new tools for building cross-platform applications with a single codebase.
Microsoft hosts its annual Build developer conference as a completely free and virtual event for the first time. The company unveils a wealth of new technologies aimed at improving developer productivity and application performance across all platforms. Key highlights include major updates to core developer tools and programming languages that shape the future of the Microsoft ecosystem.
The update to Visual Studio 2019 version 16.6 arrives alongside .NET 5 Preview 4, which brings significant performance improvements for HTTP processing and a new Pinned Object Heap for better memory management. C# 9 introduces exciting preview features such as init-only properties, records for immutable data objects, and top-level programs that eliminate boilerplate code. Additionally, C# Source Generators allow developers to inspect code and generate new source files automatically during compilation.
Microsoft also expands its framework capabilities with the introduction of .NET Multi-platform App UI, enabling developers to build applications for any device from a single codebase. ASP.NET Blazor now supports WebAssembly, allowing developers to run C# code directly in the browser without plugins. Together, these announcements reflect a strong push toward unified, cross-platform development and modernized application architectures.