What Will Change in v24.2
Once we release v24.2 (December 2024), our libraries will no longer support .NET 6/7 and .NET Framework 4.5.2, 4.6 and 4.6.1. The following DevExpress NET Core and .NET Framework-based products will also – at a minimum – require .NET 8 and .NET Framework 4.6.2 respectively:
- WinForms
- WPF
- Blazor
- ASP.NET Core
- Reporting
- Office File API
- BI Dashboards
- XAF Blazor/WinForms/WebForms UI
- Web API Service
- XPO ORM
- ASP.NET WebForms/MVC 5/Bootstrap
Additionally, our .NET Framework-based product line (v24.2+) will only support Visual Studio 2019 (at a minimum). For .NET Core/.NET-based products, Visual Studio 2022 will be required. Worth noting - our .NET MAUI-based product line already requires .NET 8 and Visual Studio 2022.
Reasons for Change
- Microsoft "retired" .NET Framework 4.5.2, 4.6, and 4.6.1 on April 26, 2022. End of life for .NET Framework 4.6.2 is Jan 12, 2027. Microsoft and DevExpress have been recommending (learn more) that you target .NET Framework 4.6.2 and newer in your apps for many years now. We believe it's now time to upgrade to address security-related issues with the framework.
- .NET 7 (STS) reached its end of support on May 14, 2024. .NET 6 (LTS) reached its end of support on November 12, 2024 (just before we ship DevExpress v24.2). While the majority of our customers were ready for .NET 8 even a year ago (based on surveys and support tickets), we delayed this decision until v24.2 (to meet the needs of our enterprise/corporate customers). Again, we believe it's now time to upgrade to address security-related issues with the framework.
- We can migrate to System.Text.Json and leverage modern framework features in important products like DevExpress Reports and BI Dashboard (we cannot do this with .NET Framework 4.5.2). By moving to newer IDEs, our engineers can also use newer C# language features.
Impact on Existing Apps / How to Update Existing Apps
- Existing customers who already target .NET Framework 4.6.2+ and .NET 8+ will not be affected.
- Customers who target .NET Framework 4.5.2, 4.6, 4.6.1 will need to re-target to .NET Framework 4.6.2 or newer. This is a relatively simple change for the majority of customers, unless you have specific issues related to third-party dependencies.
- If you target.NET 6 or 7, you will need to re-target to .NET 8 or newer. For more information, see Frequently Asked Questions | Microsoft's Breaking changes in .NET 8 | .NET Upgrade Assistant Tool.
Automatic Upgrade of .NET and External Dependency Versions
To simplify the migration/upgrade process, the DevExpress Project Converter will attempt to automate two very time-consuming project-related modifications. These automations should save hours of manual effort especially for teams with large .NET Framework or .NET solutions. Non-DevExpress projects (without DevExpress packages) will NOT be touched. Developers who prefer manual updates will NOT be affected.
For more information, see .NET — Automatic Upgrade of .NET and External Dependency Versions, Converting Assembly to Package References and More (v24.2).
