Microsoft calls time on ASP.NET Core 2.3 on .NET Framework
(2026/04/08)
- Reference: 1775659412
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2026/04/08/aspnet_net_framework/
- Source link:
Microsoft has set an end-of-support date of April 7, 2027, for ASP.NET Core 2.3, the only supported version on .NET Framework, even though .NET Framework (and the original ASP.NET) will continue to be supported.
"After that date, Microsoft will no longer provide security patches, bug fixes, or technical support for ASP.NET Core 2.3," [1]said principal product manager Daniel Roth. Users are advised to upgrade to modern ASP.NET on .NET 10.
The .NET Framework is the Windows-only version of .NET and is still maintained, though focused on stability rather than major new features. Version 4.8.1 is the latest release, which added native support for Arm64 as well as accessibility improvements for Windows Forms and WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation) applications. It is classified as a component of Windows and shares the Windows support lifecycle.
[2]
ASP.NET Core was introduced at the same time as .NET Core, the current cross-platform variant of .NET, but the first version, released in 2016, could also run on the .NET Framework. That ability was dropped with the release of ASP.NET 3.0 in 2019.
[3]
[4]
This is where the compatibility story gets confusing. The last version of ASP.NET Core to run on .NET Framework was 2.2, released at the end of 2018, but the last LTS (long-term support) release was 2.1, issued earlier in 2018. Developers with applications using features of 2.2 but running on .NET Framework were in a tough spot when it went out of support, the choice being to revert to 2.1 and fix compatibility issues, or upgrade to run on .NET Core.
Microsoft fudged this problem by releasing ASP.NET Core 2.3 in early 2025, which despite the version number was a [5]re-release of version 2.1. The logic was that version 2.2 had breaking changes from 2.1, and became unsupported earlier. Version 2.3 therefore reverted to the most recently supported version.
[6]
This is not the way SemVer (semantic versioning) is meant to work, and it caused some problems. "This change, which is affecting dozens of our on-prem applications that sadly can't be migrated due to running on older Windows Servers on .NET Framework, is that bumping version 2.1 to 2.3 removed some code added on 2.2 which, despite 2.1 being the LTS, isn't expected since it is a breaking change on a minor version upgrade," [7]said one user at the time, describing it as "a massive problem for us."
It now turns out that ASP.NET Core 2.3 is to have a short lifespan, being supported for fewer than two years. Microsoft justifies this by defining the framework as a "tool." According to [8]this document , if something is a tool, the only lifecycle requirement is that "the product receives a minimum of 12 months notification before the support ends." This appears to be why the date set is one year from Roth's post yesterday.
[9]Stack Overflow abandons redesign after loyalists criticize it
[10]Cloudflare previews 'EmDash' – an AI-driven rebuild of WordPress in TypeScript
[11]Ruby Central report reopens wounds over RubyGems repo takeover
[12]Anthropic admits Claude Code users hitting usage limits 'way faster than expected'
[13]Statistics from the .NET package repository NuGet show that both version 2.2 and 2.3 remain frequently installed.
Roth said the reason for ending support was the ongoing cost of maintenance and compliance, which "pulls resources from investment in our modern .NET platform." According to Roth, the main reason for supporting ASP.NET Core on .NET Framework was to ease migration from ASP.NET to ASP.NET Core, but that version 2.3 was now so out of date that "we no longer recommend it as a long-term migration strategy." He said users migrating from ASP.NET should now use AI tools to assist them.
Some users nevertheless feel that Microsoft is using its tooling loophole to end support prematurely. "They showed a long-term commitment with 2.3 and now they're suddenly dropping it," [14]said one.
[15]
Migrating to .NET 10 and modern ASP.NET has many advantages, not least the ability to run on Linux as well as Windows, but business users would like their legacy custom applications to simply continue working. It turns out that the developers who refused even to migrate to ASP.NET Core on .NET Framework are the ones who now remain supported. ®
Get our [16]Tech Resources
[1] https://devblogs.microsoft.com/dotnet/aspnet-core-2-3-end-of-support/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2adZ7qmYRL851UvOXvxOdSwAAAMk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44adZ7qmYRL851UvOXvxOdSwAAAMk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33adZ7qmYRL851UvOXvxOdSwAAAMk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://devblogs.microsoft.com/dotnet/servicing-release-advisory-aspnetcore-23/
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44adZ7qmYRL851UvOXvxOdSwAAAMk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://github.com/dotnet/aspnetcore/issues/58598#issuecomment-2596133585
[8] https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/developer/webapps/aspnet/development/support-lifecycle-web-stack
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2026/04/07/stack_overflow_retires_redesign_beta/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2026/04/02/cloudflare_previews_emdash_an_aidriven/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2026/04/01/ruby_central_report/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2026/03/31/anthropic_claude_code_limits/
[13] https://www.nuget.org/stats/packages/Microsoft.AspNetCore?groupby=Version
[14] https://old.reddit.com/r/dotnet/comments/1sf2avh/microsoft_announces_end_of_support_for_aspnet/oevomot/
[15] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33adZ7qmYRL851UvOXvxOdSwAAAMk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[16] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
"After that date, Microsoft will no longer provide security patches, bug fixes, or technical support for ASP.NET Core 2.3," [1]said principal product manager Daniel Roth. Users are advised to upgrade to modern ASP.NET on .NET 10.
The .NET Framework is the Windows-only version of .NET and is still maintained, though focused on stability rather than major new features. Version 4.8.1 is the latest release, which added native support for Arm64 as well as accessibility improvements for Windows Forms and WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation) applications. It is classified as a component of Windows and shares the Windows support lifecycle.
[2]
ASP.NET Core was introduced at the same time as .NET Core, the current cross-platform variant of .NET, but the first version, released in 2016, could also run on the .NET Framework. That ability was dropped with the release of ASP.NET 3.0 in 2019.
[3]
[4]
This is where the compatibility story gets confusing. The last version of ASP.NET Core to run on .NET Framework was 2.2, released at the end of 2018, but the last LTS (long-term support) release was 2.1, issued earlier in 2018. Developers with applications using features of 2.2 but running on .NET Framework were in a tough spot when it went out of support, the choice being to revert to 2.1 and fix compatibility issues, or upgrade to run on .NET Core.
Microsoft fudged this problem by releasing ASP.NET Core 2.3 in early 2025, which despite the version number was a [5]re-release of version 2.1. The logic was that version 2.2 had breaking changes from 2.1, and became unsupported earlier. Version 2.3 therefore reverted to the most recently supported version.
[6]
This is not the way SemVer (semantic versioning) is meant to work, and it caused some problems. "This change, which is affecting dozens of our on-prem applications that sadly can't be migrated due to running on older Windows Servers on .NET Framework, is that bumping version 2.1 to 2.3 removed some code added on 2.2 which, despite 2.1 being the LTS, isn't expected since it is a breaking change on a minor version upgrade," [7]said one user at the time, describing it as "a massive problem for us."
It now turns out that ASP.NET Core 2.3 is to have a short lifespan, being supported for fewer than two years. Microsoft justifies this by defining the framework as a "tool." According to [8]this document , if something is a tool, the only lifecycle requirement is that "the product receives a minimum of 12 months notification before the support ends." This appears to be why the date set is one year from Roth's post yesterday.
[9]Stack Overflow abandons redesign after loyalists criticize it
[10]Cloudflare previews 'EmDash' – an AI-driven rebuild of WordPress in TypeScript
[11]Ruby Central report reopens wounds over RubyGems repo takeover
[12]Anthropic admits Claude Code users hitting usage limits 'way faster than expected'
[13]Statistics from the .NET package repository NuGet show that both version 2.2 and 2.3 remain frequently installed.
Roth said the reason for ending support was the ongoing cost of maintenance and compliance, which "pulls resources from investment in our modern .NET platform." According to Roth, the main reason for supporting ASP.NET Core on .NET Framework was to ease migration from ASP.NET to ASP.NET Core, but that version 2.3 was now so out of date that "we no longer recommend it as a long-term migration strategy." He said users migrating from ASP.NET should now use AI tools to assist them.
Some users nevertheless feel that Microsoft is using its tooling loophole to end support prematurely. "They showed a long-term commitment with 2.3 and now they're suddenly dropping it," [14]said one.
[15]
Migrating to .NET 10 and modern ASP.NET has many advantages, not least the ability to run on Linux as well as Windows, but business users would like their legacy custom applications to simply continue working. It turns out that the developers who refused even to migrate to ASP.NET Core on .NET Framework are the ones who now remain supported. ®
Get our [16]Tech Resources
[1] https://devblogs.microsoft.com/dotnet/aspnet-core-2-3-end-of-support/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2adZ7qmYRL851UvOXvxOdSwAAAMk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44adZ7qmYRL851UvOXvxOdSwAAAMk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33adZ7qmYRL851UvOXvxOdSwAAAMk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://devblogs.microsoft.com/dotnet/servicing-release-advisory-aspnetcore-23/
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44adZ7qmYRL851UvOXvxOdSwAAAMk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://github.com/dotnet/aspnetcore/issues/58598#issuecomment-2596133585
[8] https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/developer/webapps/aspnet/development/support-lifecycle-web-stack
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2026/04/07/stack_overflow_retires_redesign_beta/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2026/04/02/cloudflare_previews_emdash_an_aidriven/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2026/04/01/ruby_central_report/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2026/03/31/anthropic_claude_code_limits/
[13] https://www.nuget.org/stats/packages/Microsoft.AspNetCore?groupby=Version
[14] https://old.reddit.com/r/dotnet/comments/1sf2avh/microsoft_announces_end_of_support_for_aspnet/oevomot/
[15] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33adZ7qmYRL851UvOXvxOdSwAAAMk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[16] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
.net core alfa and beta
IamAProton
pretty much up to version 5, regardless of the official naming.
I'm glad I did not touch any of that stuff until v6 (besided 'upgrading' applications made by others that were broken after a new 'point' release was out...)
I am reminded of all the remixes in the 90s ....
"Do you want the Smooth mix, the rave mix, the club mix or the extended dance mix ?"
"Just give me the one where they got it right."