.NET Modernization: Data Protection and Security

In the world of software development, it is crucial to keep up with the latest technologies and migrate existing applications to modern platforms. Microsoft recently released updates for two key tools that simplify this process: .NET Upgrade Assistant and Azure Migrate application and code assessmentThese updates not only improve data protection and security, but also add useful new features.

.NET Upgrade Assistant

The .NET Upgrade Assistant is a powerful tool that helps developers upgrade their solutions to newer versions of .NET. Whether you want to migrate from .NET Framework to .NET 8 or between .NET Core versions (from .NET 6 or 7 to .NET 8 or 9), the Upgrade Assistant supports you. It shows you what changes are required and automates many of these changes for you.

Azure Migrate application and code assessment

Azure Migrate application and code assessment helps developers understand what changes are needed to migrate an application to an Azure Platform-as-a-Service environment, such as Azure App Service, Azure Kubernetes Service, or Azure Container Apps. The tool's reports highlight issues in your application's code and configuration that need to be addressed before migrating from on-premises to Azure. While the tool doesn't automate code changes, its integration with GitHub Copilot Chat can help you review and resolve these issues.

Important improvements

Installation per user

One of the most notable changes is the user-based installation of Visual Studio extensions. This means that administrative privileges are no longer required to install the tools. This change was implemented in response to user requests from those who do not have administrator rights on their development machines. In some cases, users who have installed older versions of the extensions with administrator privileges will need to uninstall them before installing the new versions. However, this is only necessary once to switch to the user-based installation of the extensions.

Improvements in data protection for reports

To better protect user data, both the .NET Upgrade Assistant and Azure Migrate application and code assessment now require users to actively consent before including code snippets in the reports generated by these tools. This change allows users to create reports without worrying about potentially exposing sensitive source code. By default, the snippets are omitted unless the user chooses otherwise.

There are now three data protection modes when exporting a report:

  • Limited: Excludes code snippets from the report and only includes problem descriptions and line numbers where problems were found.
  • Protected: Additionally includes the specific .NET APIs that were used, but does not include snippets of user code.
  • Unrestricted: Includes code snippets in the report that illustrate the problems.

These options give developers the flexibility to control data privacy according to their requirements.

Conclusion

With new privacy options and easier installation in Visual Studio, the latest versions of the .NET Upgrade Assistant and Azure Migrate application and code assessment are more user-friendly than ever. These improvements make it easier for developers to begin modernizing their applications while maintaining data privacy.