Title

AWS re:Invent 2022 - Cloud-native .NET applications on AWS (XNT402)

Summary

• The session focused on modernizing applications, specifically SaaS and corporate applications, with a focus on .NET applications on AWS.
• The presenters, including Brian and Sanjay, discussed the importance of building modern applications for business reasons and the desire to use cutting-edge technology.
• They used Netflix as an example of a modern application, highlighting its scalability, deployment frequency, and self-healing capabilities.
• AWS's definition of a modern app includes modern architecture, technologies, delivery practices, and deployment processes.
• The session introduced eight characteristics of a modern app, emphasizing loosely coupled, event-driven, and serverless technologies.
• A reference architecture was presented, showcasing a modern UI built using Blazor, backend architecture with loosely coupled components, and a CI/CD pipeline.
• The presenters demonstrated a serverless application, available on AWS Samples, that uses AWS services like Lambda, Step Functions, S3, API Gateway, and DynamoDB.
• They discussed AWS Toolkit for Visual Studio, AWS extensions for .NET CLI, and Mooc Lambda test tools as accelerators for development and deployment.
• The architecture of the app was explained, including serverless design, dynamic components like Blazor, and cost efficiency.
• The backend architecture was discussed, focusing on event-driven design, scalability, resiliency, and fault tolerance.
• The session delved into.NET 7, native AOT (Ahead-of-Time) compilation, and the performance benefits and challenges associated with it.
• Observability was addressed using AWS X-Ray, which provides insights into application performance and helps identify bottlenecks.
• The session concluded with a call to action for attendees to install and learn from the provided serverless application code.

Insights

• Modern applications are characterized by their ability to scale, deploy frequently, and self-heal, as exemplified by Netflix.
• AWS defines a modern application as a combination of modern architecture, technologies, delivery practices, and deployment processes, which often leverage serverless and event-driven designs.
• The reference architecture presented in the session demonstrates the use of Blazor for building modern UIs that can run on multiple platforms and the backend's use of AWS services for scalability and resiliency.
• The session highlighted the importance of using tools like AWS Toolkit for Visual Studio and AWS extensions for .NET CLI to streamline the development and deployment process for cloud-native applications.
• The move from.NET 6 to.NET 7 and the adoption of native AOT compilation can lead to significant performance improvements, but it also introduces challenges such as the need for recompilation with runtime patches and increased build times.
• AWS X-Ray is a powerful tool for observability, allowing developers to trace the execution of their applications, identify performance bottlenecks, and understand the impact of code changes in a distributed environment.
• The session emphasized the educational value of the provided serverless application code, encouraging attendees to engage with it to better understand AWS services and best practices in cloud-native application development.