How do I migrate from ASP.NET 4.8 to .NET Core 7.0? Print

Migrating from ASP.NET Framework 4.8 to .NET 8

Migrating from ASP.NET Framework 4.8 to .NET 8 is a significant undertaking but brings major benefits including cross-platform support, improved performance, and modern development patterns.

Before You Begin

• Ensure you have Visual Studio 2022 (17.8 or later)
• Install the .NET 8 SDK
• Review your dependencies for .NET 8 compatibility

Step 1: Analyze Your Project

Use the .NET Upgrade Assistant:

dotnet tool install -g upgrade-assistant
upgrade-assistant analyze YourProject.csproj

Step 2: Create New .NET 8 Project

Create a new project with the same type:

dotnet new webapp -n YourProject.New -f net8.0

Step 3: Migrate Code

Key differences to address:

• Startup.cs is replaced by Program.cs with minimal hosting
• System.Web references must be removed
• Use dependency injection instead of static helpers
• Replace Web.config with appsettings.json
• Update authentication to ASP.NET Core Identity

Step 4: Update Dependencies

Replace Framework packages with .NET 8 equivalents:

• Newtonsoft.Json - still works, or use System.Text.Json
• Entity Framework - migrate to EF Core 8
• ASP.NET MVC - built into ASP.NET Core

Step 5: Configure for Plesk

1. Publish: dotnet publish -c Release
2. In Plesk, set .NET Core Version to 8.0.x
3. Set Application Startup File to YourProject.dll
4. Deploy via Web Deploy or FTP

Resources

• Microsoft Upgrade Assistant documentation
• Our "Getting Started with .NET 8" article
• Our "Troubleshooting .NET 8 Application Errors" article