Christian WellsWhat is .NET 8.0?
.NET 8.0 is the latest Long-Term Support (LTS) release of Microsoft’s unified, cross-platform development platform for building web, desktop, mobile, cloud, and IoT applications. Released in November 2023, .NET 8 brings performance enhancements, modern language features, and robust support for cloud-native and AI-driven development.
Running .NET 8.0 on Ubuntu 24.04 provides a secure and scalable platform for deploying and hosting applications across a wide range of workloads—whether you’re building microservices, APIs, real-time apps, or cross-platform desktop tools.
Key Features of .NET 8.0
Cross-Platform Support
- Run apps on Linux, Windows, and macOS
- Build once and deploy anywhere with consistent behavior
Improved Performance
- Further enhancements to JIT compiler, GC (Garbage Collector), and threading
- Native AOT (Ahead-of-Time) compilation improvements for minimal startup time and memory usage
ASP.NET Core Enhancements
- New Blazor Web App template combining SSR + WebAssembly
- Improved SignalR, Kestrel, and minimal APIs
- Enhanced gRPC and WebSocket support
Native AOT
- Produce standalone, low-footprint binaries with no runtime dependencies
- Faster startup and lower memory usage, ideal for microservices and containers
Enhanced AI Integration
- Built-in support for ONNX runtime, TorchSharp, and third-party ML libraries
- Easy access to Azure OpenAI, Hugging Face, and other AI providers
C# 12 Features (Bundled with .NET 8)
- Primary constructors for non-record types
- Interpolated string handlers
- Collection expressions and improved lambda expression syntax
Why Use .NET 8.0 on Ubuntu 24.04?
Ubuntu 24.04 is a robust, modern LTS release with support through 2029, making it an excellent choice for:
- Web and API development using ASP.NET Core
- Containerized microservices in cloud-native architectures
- CI/CD pipelines and cross-platform development
- Enterprise-grade hosting environments
Microsoft provides official .NET packages for Ubuntu, and .NET 8 is fully supported on Ubuntu 24.04 via the Microsoft APT repository.
System Requirements
| Component | Minimum Requirement |
|---|---|
| OS | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (64-bit) |
| CPU | x64, ARM64 (AArch64) |
| Memory | 1 GB minimum (2+ GB for most apps) |
| Disk Space | 500 MB+ for SDK, less for runtime only |
| Dependencies | libicu, libssl, libcurl4, zlib1g, krb5 |
SDK and runtime packages are available for x64, ARM64, and RISC-V (experimental).
Typical Use Cases
- RESTful APIs and microservices with ASP.NET Core
- Real-time apps using SignalR or WebSockets
- Desktop GUIs via .NET MAUI (preview on Linux)
- Cloud functions and background workers
- AI and data processing with ML.NET or external models
- Console tools with native AOT for quick execution
Comparison: .NET 8 vs Other Runtimes
| Feature | .NET 8.0 | Node.js | Java (OpenJDK 21) | Python 3.12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Language Support | C#, F#, VB.NET | JavaScript, TypeScript | Java, Kotlin | Python |
| AOT Compilation | Yes (Native AOT) | No | Yes (GraalVM) | Limited (Cython/Numba) |
| Web Framework | ASP.NET Core | Express, Fastify | Spring, Micronaut | Django, Flask |
| Performance | High | Medium | High | Medium |
| Best Use Case | Enterprise, APIs, Cloud | Web apps, real-time | Large enterprise apps | Data science, scripting |
Developer Tools and Ecosystem
- Visual Studio Code: Lightweight IDE with excellent .NET support on Linux
- JetBrains Rider: Full-featured C# IDE (commercial)
- CLI Tools:
dotnet build,dotnet run,dotnet publish, etc. - NuGet: Package manager for libraries and dependencies
- Docker Images: Official .NET 8 runtime and SDK images available for containerized deployments
Security Best Practices
- Keep runtime and SDK updated with latest patches
- Use HTTPS, data encryption, and identity providers (OAuth, OpenID)
- Follow OWASP guidelines when building web apps
- Use code analyzers,
dotnet format, anddotnet security audit - Harden containers and servers with UFW, AppArmor, and resource limits
Deployment on Ubuntu 24.04
Common Stack Example:
- Web Server: Kestrel (built-in) or behind Nginx reverse proxy
- Database: PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, or SQL Server on Linux
- Monitoring: Prometheus, Grafana, Elastic APM
- CI/CD: GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, Jenkins, GitLab CI
- Containers: Docker or Podman, with Kubernetes support (Helm, Dapr)
.NET 8.0 on Ubuntu 24.04 offers a powerful, performant, and flexible development environment for building modern cloud, web, and desktop applications. Whether you’re creating scalable APIs, microservices, or cross-platform apps, .NET 8 delivers significant speed, security, and deployment advantages—while Ubuntu 24.04 provides a stable and production-ready base to run them.
This combination is especially well-suited for teams seeking an open-source, cross-platform, enterprise-grade framework supported by a vast ecosystem of libraries, tools, and services.
Step 1: Launch a VPS on Shape.Host
Go to https://shape.host and sign in.
Click Create, then choose Instance.
Select a location close to your audience.
Pick Ubuntu 24.04 (64-bit) as your OS.
Choose a plan with at least 2 CPUs, 4 GB RAM, and 20 GB SSD.
Hit Create Instance.
Note the IP address under your instance’s Resources section.
Step 2: Connect to Your Server
On Linux/macOS:
ssh root@your_server_ip
On Windows:
Use PuTTY and log in with your root credentials.
Step 3: Update System Packages
apt update
Makes sure your server has access to the latest package versions.
Step 4: Install .NET 8 SDK
apt install dotnet8
Installs the .NET 8.0 Software Development Kit, including the CLI and runtime.
Step 5: Confirm .NET Installation
dotnet --version
Displays the installed version to verify that .NET 8 is ready to use.
Step 6: Create a New Console App
dotnet new console -o helloworld
cd helloworld
dotnet run
- This creates a simple console app named
helloworld. - The final command runs it and displays “Hello, World!” output.
Step 7: Create a New Razor Web App
dotnet new razor -o asp.net
cd asp.net
dotnet run --urls=http://0.0.0.0:5000/
- Generates a basic Razor web project in a folder named
asp.net. - The app will now listen on all IPs via port
5000.
Step 8: Test Your Web App
Open your browser and visit:
http://your_server_ip:5000
You should see the default Razor app home page.
You’ve installed .NET 8.0, created and tested a console and web app, all on Ubuntu 24.04.
Shape.Host offers fast, reliable Cloud SSD VPS servers ideal for .NET development:
- Instant deployment
- Full root access
- Powerful performance
Start your next .NET project at https://shape.host
