ABP Framework — 5 steps Go No Go Decision Tree
Software development frameworks are essential tools for software developers. They provide a structure for developing software and help ensure that code is written consistently and organized. ABP Framework is such framework for .Net developers. This article will help you to decide whether or not it is the right choice for you .Net project.
What Is a Software Development Framework?
A software development framework is basically an application, product, or system that provides a set of components that can be used for different applications to reduce the cost and time it takes to develop the entire application. A Framework may provide common functionalities like logging, authentication, etc. (a.k.a cross cutting concerns), that are shared across many other apps. Frameworks are often designed to solve specific types of problems and support the development process.
Benefits of Using a Framework
Overall, software development frameworks provide several benefits for software developers. These benefits include easier development and maintenance, standardization and compatibility, improved security, increased productivity, and easier collaboration. By using a development framework, developers can improve the quality and speed of their work while still reducing the time and effort required. Here are some benefits:
Easier Development and Maintenance
Software development frameworks make it easier for developers to create and maintain software applications. This is because the frameworks provide a stable, well-defined structure for the application, as well as libraries of reusable code that can be used to accelerate development.
Standardization and Compatibility
Software development frameworks help to standardize software development across different organizations. This is because the frameworks provide a common set of tools and procedures that can be used by developers regardless of their organization or project. In addition, development frameworks are often compatible with multiple programming languages, making it easier for developers to switch between projects.
Improved Security
Because software development frameworks provide a standard set of tools and procedures, they can be used to improve security for software applications. This is because the frameworks simplify the process of validating input data, communicating with other systems, and implementing access controls. They also help to prevent common vulnerabilities, such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting.
Increased Productivity
Software development frameworks can help increase developers’ productivity by providing them with a set of best practices and reusable code. This can allow developers to focus on the specific tasks that need to be completed rather than on creating basic functionality from scratch. In addition, development frameworks can often be used to generate code skeletons, which can further increase productivity.
Easier Collaboration
Software development frameworks make it easier for developers to collaborate on projects. This is because the frameworks provide a common set of tools and procedures that all development team members can use. In addition, many frameworks include support for version control, which can help developers track changes and collaborate more effectively.
Advantages of using Software Development Frameworks
There are many advantages to using software development frameworks. Some of the most important include:
Consistent Code
Every time you use the same connection string or configuration file, it will be used consistently. This reduces mistakes and saves time.
Code Reuse
One of the primary advantages of using frameworks is that you can reuse code. This can save you a lot of time because you don’t have to go back and rewrite the same code every time. For example, if there is a function or class that you are constantly using across many apps, then it makes sense to include it in your framework so that you only have to write it once.
Consistent Behavior
Using frameworks brings more consistency to your codebase because of additional classes that are created for you. For example, with ASP.NET MVC, you get an HTML helper class that is automatically wired up to all the right events.
Increased Productivity
Frameworks give you a head start on your development, and they often make it easier to write code that is both correct and maintainable. This means you can be more productive in the long run. But this doesn’t mean that frameworks are always the best option.
Disadvantages of using Software Development Frameworks
Also, there are a few disadvantages to consider before using a framework.
Increased Complexity
The more complex a framework is, the more difficult it can be to learn and use. This may lead to frustration and wasted time.
Lock-In
Although the goal of frameworks is to save time and provide a good foundation, they can also restrict you from using best practices or making any changes to the code. As such, choosing the wrong framework for your project could be more expensive than avoiding it altogether.
Increased Learning Curves
There’s always a learning curve when you use a new framework. And if you’re not careful, you can end up spending more time learning the framework than you would have written your own code from scratch.
Limited Flexibility
Frameworks are often less flexible than custom code, which can make it difficult to solve unique or edge cases. If your project doesn’t fit into the framework’s mold, this can be a major problem.
Increased Dependency on Third-Party Libraries
Frameworks rely on third-party libraries to do much of the heavy lifting. If these libraries are not available or not up to date with the latest features, your project may be in trouble.
What Does ABP Framework Include?
A development framework is a reusable set of libraries, templates, and tools that are meant to simplify your work. Like other development frameworks, software development frameworks aim to help you get started more quickly by providing generic functionality, so you don’t have to write it yourself. A software development framework often includes an architecture, design approach, and collection of components like utility classes and helpers. Frameworks also typically include a set of guidelines for how you should structure your code and how to use the framework’s components. ABP Framework supplies all that. It offers more than 30 infrastructure features which 80% of them are must have in each typical enterprise and SMB Web project:
- Multiple UI Options (Blazor, Angular, MVC)
- Multiple Database Providers ( Entity Framework, Mongo DB, Dapper)
- ABP CLI
- Modularity
- Multi-Tenancy
- Bootstrap Tag Helpers
- Dynamic Forms
- Authentication & Authorization
- Cross Cutting Concerns
- Bundling & Minification
- Virtual File System
- Theming
- Background Jobs
- DDD Infrastructure
- Auto REST APIs
- Dynamic Client Proxies
- Distributed Event Bus
- BLOB Storing
- Text Templating
- Test Infrastructure
- Audit Logging
- Object to Object Mapping
- Email & SMS Abstractions
- Localization
- Setting Management
- Extension Methods
- Aspect Oriented Programming
- Dependency Injection
- Data filtering
These features are offered as part of free Community (open source) edition and even more productivity tools and modules are available as part of paid Commercial edition:
- ABP Suite — It can create a new ABP solution, generate CRUD pages from the database to the front-end.
- Account Module — Login, register, forgot password, email activation, social logins and other account related functionalities.
- Audit Logging Module — Reporting the user audit logs and entity histories in details.
- Chat Module — Real time messaging between users.
- Content Management Module — Building blocks to create your own Content Management System.
- File Management Module — Upload, download and organize files in a hierarchical folder structure.
- GDPR Compliance Module — This module allows users to download and delete their personal data collected by the application.
- Identity Module — User, role, claims and permission management.
- Identity Server UI Module — Managing the identity server objects like clients, API resources, identity resources, secrets, application URLs, claims and more.
- Language Management Module — Add or remove languages and localize the application UI on the fly.
- Lepton Theme Module — Official theme of ABP Commercial.
- OpenIddict UI Module —User, role, claims and permission management.
- SaaS Module — Manage tenants, editions and features to create your multi-tenant / SaaS application.
- Text Template Management Module — Edit text/email templates on the user interface.
My journey with ABP Framework started in 2017 when I was looking for .Net based boilerplate for one of my clients. After many years of development systems from scratch I realised that most of line of business systems have similar infrastructural needs a.k.a cross cutting concerns ( Authentication, Authorization, User Management and such) which require involvement of matured software engineer or solution architect to build them right in accordance with best practices. In absence of such resource junior developers may make not optimal decisions in selection of building blocks and will lead to later costly refactoring.
How to Choose a Suitable Development Framework?
When it comes to software development, different frameworks are available to choose from. This can make it challenging to decide which one is right for your project. The following 5 steps decision tree may help in selecting a suitable software development framework:
One of the first things you need to consider is the framework’s language. If you have no preference yet, then you can choose from languages such as C#, Java, Python, or Ruby. Furthermore, you need to consider whether the framework is open source or not. If it is, then there will be a possibility of more people using it and updating the code more frequently. In contrast, an open-source framework might have some of its features hidden because of patents — which can influence your decision. ABP Framework is based on Microsoft stack: C#, and Typescript (if you choose Angular as your user interface framework over C# based Blazor).
In addition, you need to consider if the framework has a good community base. This means that there are a lot of tutorials and people who have knowledge in this area. It might be challenging for you to find help when necessary during the application development process if it does not. On top of this, you need to consider if the framework is mature as well as the size of the community base. This means that it has been around for a while and people have had enough time to find out how good it is. Community Edition of APB Framework is open source on github has gained wide popularity with a few hundreds of contributors active Discord community.
To fully understand what type of application development process would work best with ABP framework, you can look at our case studies or look at example applications. This will give you an idea of what to expect and how the framework works.
Many entrepreneurs choose ABP Framework for fast and affordable way to prototype new ideas as part of market validation phase. Out of the box ABP modules and rapid development tools such as ABP Suite make is possible to develop Minimum Viable Product (MVP) in an matter of weeks and learn if the idea is worth pursuing.
After successful MVP phase, many startup development teams in early stages still benefit from well architectured ABP framework while developing new features following ABP development guide ensuring high quality of software development practices.
In long-term many of ABP modules which were not in use in earlier stages become handy and having their source code available for modifications makes it easy to evolve as business requirements change.
Ultimately, the best way to choose a software development framework is to try it out yourself, enabling you to better understand how it works and whether it is the right framework for your project. If not, you can switch to another one.
Conclusion
Software development frameworks are used to create apps and other software. As adoption of Web Application Development Frameworks will continue to grow due to their obvious added value, ABP Framework will continue to gain popularity due to its strong roadmap and community support. If your company needs a new framework or upgrading an existing one, we expect this guide has helped guide your decision-making process.
Disclaimer
Decision Tree Technology LLC. is official ABP Partner specializing in ABP development, consulting and training.
