As a long-time ASP.NET Web Forms developer who has maintained applications in this framework for over a decade, I understand the uncertainty many developers face regarding its future. Let's take a clear-eyed look at where Web Forms stands in 2025 and what it means for developers and businesses still using this aging, but still robust, technology.

The Official Status

Microsoft's stance on Web Forms remains unchanged since their last major announcement: While Web Forms continues to receive security updates as part of the .NET Framework, it's in maintenance mode. No new features are being developed, and it's not part of the modern .NET ecosystem (.NET Core/.NET 5+).

It's also not a project template that is available by default when you first install Visual Studio 2022 currently. For that, you will have to enable it during your installation, or modify your current installation.

But officially, there's no mention anywhere of an end-of-life date.

Current Support Situation

The good news is that Web Forms applications aren't going to suddenly stop working. Microsoft's commitment to backwards compatibility means that Web Forms applications will continue to run on:

• Windows Server (including the latest versions)
• Internet Information Services (IIS)
• .NET Framework 4.8 (the final version of the traditional .NET Framework)

Microsoft has pledged to support .NET Framework 4.8 as long as the underlying Windows versions are supported, which extends well into this decade.

The Challenges

However, ASP.NET Web Forms developers face several significant challenges in 2025:

1. Talent Pool: Finding developers with Web Forms expertise is becoming increasingly difficult. Most .NET developers now focus on modern frameworks like ASP.NET Core MVC or Blazor. And many others have moved on to the more popular JavaScript based frameworks. I spend the majority of my professional work day working on React applications. And with the dev pool shrinking by the year, it's more than likely that the number of available jobs will decrease as well.

2. Modern Development Practices: Web Forms' architecture makes it challenging to implement contemporary development practices like containerization, microservices, and cloud-native patterns. Back when I started learning it in 2002, it's biggest draw was that it excelled at rapid development. And over 20 years later, I can still attest that it is incredibly fast to deploy a new web page with minimal lines of code.

3. Performance Expectations: The ViewState mechanism and postback model can make Web Forms applications feel sluggish compared to modern single-page applications. However, you aren't forced to follow this model in any way. You can disable viewstate on any and all pages and use traditional JavaScript based fetch requests in order to pull and send data.

4. Third-party Support: Many component vendors have either discontinued or significantly reduced their investment in Web Forms controls and tools. When I worked professionally as a Web Forms developer I would often work with the many different controls built by companies such as Telerik. And you can still find and purchase these tools currently, however not many other vendors are joining that space.

Should You Migrate?

This is perhaps the most common question Web Forms developers ask in 2025. The answer depends on several factors:

Consider Staying With Web Forms If:

• Your application is stable and requires minimal changes
• You have limited development resources
• The business value of migration doesn't justify the cost
• Your team has strong Web Forms expertise
• Your application has complex legacy integrations

Consider Migration If:

• You need to add significant new features
• Performance is becoming a critical issue
• You're having trouble finding developers
• You want to take advantage of modern cloud features
• Your business requires more agile development practices

Migration Options

If you decide to migrate, there are several paths available to you:

1. ASP.NET Core MVC: The most straightforward transition for Web Forms developers, as it maintains similar server-side patterns while modernizing the architecture.

2. Blazor: Blazor is Microsoft's modern solution for developers who prefer the component-based model similar to Web Forms, but with modern architecture and capabilities.

3. Incremental Migration: You can also adopt a hybrid approach, gradually moving functionality to modern frameworks while maintaining existing Web Forms pages. This is my current approach with this blog. The pages themselves will remain as .aspx pages, but most of the data-bindings on the client side are attached to a newer ASP.NET Web API application running on core.

Practical Advice for 2025

If you're maintaining a Web Forms application in 2025, here are some practical steps you can take:

1. Document Everything: Create comprehensive documentation of your application's architecture and business logic to preserve institutional knowledge. This will become important if at any point in time you do decide to migrate.

2. Modernize Where Possible: Even within Web Forms, you can modernize by:

   • Implementing modern JavaScript libraries
   • Using CSS frameworks
   • Adopting better coding practices
   • Improving your build and deployment processes

3. Plan for the Future: Start developing a long-term strategy for your application, whether that's maintaining Web Forms or planning a gradual migration.

My personal stance

If you search on the internet for opinions on using ASP.NET Web Forms, you're going to find two different camps. One side thinks it's of course outdated and showing its age. People dislike the built-in server control system and the WYSIWYG editor reminds us all of the old Dreamweaver days.

And on the other side, you're going to find seasoned ASP.NET Web Form developers with 20+ years of experience who appreciate the rapid development, convention over configuration and the ability to do some crazy things with just a few lines of code.

I personally take a middle stance with the whole thing. When starting a new project from scratch, I'm going to choose one of the more modern stacks and frameworks available. Even when starting personal hobby projects, my default is ASP.NET Core MVC and more recently Blazor.

But I still plan to maintain, and to keep, this blog as an ASP.NET Web Forms application. There's far too much code/logic to financially justify the amount of hours needed to migrate. And truth be told, once you have a fully configured Web Forms application up and running, it is surprisingly fun to work on it.

I can get a fully secure, SEO ready, optimized page ready and published in probably under 10 minutes, and that's all thanks to the .NET framework and the built-in inheritance model that Web Forms provides.

And to those that complain about the server controls (both in terms of design and functionality), I can state that I personally don't use any of them. I use standard HTML elements bound using traditional JavaScript fetch requests. And I still have the option of incorporating a client-side JavaScript framework if I so choose to.

Overall, it has maintained a very flexible nature during the span of decades.

Conclusion

ASP.NET Web Forms in 2025 is like a reliable old car: It still works and gets you where you need to go, but parts are getting harder to find, and mechanics who know how to work on it are becoming rare. While it's not time to panic, it is time to think strategically about your application's future.

Remember that many successful businesses still run Web Forms applications, and there's no immediate need to migrate if your application is serving its purpose well. However, understanding the limitations and challenges will help you make informed decisions about your application's future.

The key is to be pragmatic: Don't rush into a migration without proper planning, but also don't ignore the signs that it might be time to start thinking about modernization. Whatever path you choose, make sure it aligns with your business goals and available resources.