What is .NET full stack?

What does full stack mean?

In this context, "full stack" refers to the complete set of technologies and skills required to build and manage both the front end and back end of an application. Therefore, a full stack developer is capable of developing both components of an application.

A full stack .NET developer is someone who is capable of building the front and back end of an application using Microsoft's NET framework.

Whilst all of our developers here at Cool Code Company are full stack .NET developers, they are also experienced in a number of alternative developer ecosystems including Google and Android so you can be comfortable there will be no bias towards one technology or another when you work with us - we will use the technology best suited to meet your requirements and if that's not .NET - we'll tell you.

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Common skills of full stack .NET developers

Full-stack .NET developers wear many hats, combining their expertise in both the front end (less common) and back end to build complete, functional applications. Their skill set spans programming languages, frameworks, databases and deployment tools which in turn, allows them to complete the whole software lifecycle starting with architecture designs and finishing with deployment, plus everything in between. Here are some of the essential skills every full stack .NET developer should have -

C# and .NET Framework

C# is a Microsoft programming language that is widely used in building software applications. The .NET framework provides the core foundation for developing these applications. A full stack .NET developer should have a deep understanding of both C# and .NET framework in order to be effective.

SQL Server   

SQL Server is a long standing powerful database management tool that is often used in parallel with .NET applications. A full-stack .NET developer should have a good working knowledge of SQL server in order to be able to create intuitive and powerful databases. 

ASP.NET   

ASP.NET is a web application framework that allows developers to create dynamic, interactive websites and applications. A full stack .NET developer should have a strong understanding of how to use ASP.NET to allow them to develop comprehensive web applications.

HTML/CSS   

HTML and CSS are the underpinnings to the style and format of the content of web pages. A full stack .NET developer should have solid understanding and practical experience of how to these technologies should be used in order to create user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing web pages.

XML Web Services   

Full-stack .NET developers should also be able to develop XML web services that can be consumed by other applications.

JavaScript   

JavaScript is a highly popular and successful programming language that is used for both front end development and back end development, as well as application development. A .NET full stack developer should have solid working experience and practical knowledge with JavaScript for developing web applications.

Software Development Tools   

Full stack .NET Developers will generally have a good working knowledge of software development tools such as Visual Studio.

Internet Information Services (IIS)   

For application hosting, a full stack .NET developer should have a thorough understanding of IIS in order to deploy and host applications successfully.

Additional skills

In some cases, .NET developers often need a broader set of skills to fit their client's requirements. These additional competencies further help to ensure their solutions are flexible, maintainable and aligned with modern best practices - 

Security Best Practices - Understanding how to secure .NET applications.

Microsoft Azure - Cloud services for deploying, managing, and scaling applications.

Azure App Service - For hosting web applications.

Azure SQL Database - A fully managed relational database service.

API Development - Creating RESTful APIs using ASP.NET Core Web API.

Testing - Writing unit tests using frameworks like xUnit, NUnit, or MSTest.

UI/UX Design - Basic understanding of user interface and user experience principles.

Further reading

What is .NET Development?

What does a .NET Developer do?

.NET Pros and Cons