I've encountered a common question among developers: Are there plugins available for ASP.NET MVC?



When I delved into learning RoR/Django, I quickly discovered a plethora of gems and applications tailored for simplifying development, such as administration systems or text editors.
However, the same cannot be said for ASP.NET. Is there a lack of similar resources for ASP.NET MVC, leaving developers to build everything from scratch?

The historical perception of ASP.NET has often been one of a framework that requires developers to build everything from scratch. This was partially true in the past, as the ecosystem around ASP.NET was predominantly driven by Microsoft and lacked the vibrant third-party community found in other frameworks.
However, in recent years, the landscape has shifted significantly. The release of .NET Core marked a pivotal moment for ASP.NET, opening up the framework to a broader audience and encouraging community involvement. Consequently, the number of NuGet packages and third-party libraries available for ASP.NET MVC has increased substantially. These packages cover a wide range of functionalities, including but not limited to authentication, authorization, database interaction, front-end libraries, and administration tools.

Moreover, Microsoft's own efforts have played a significant role in bolstering the ASP.NET ecosystem. The company has been actively developing and releasing official packages and extensions aimed at simplifying the development process. For instance, the Entity Framework provides a robust ORM solution, while Identity offers comprehensive user management features out of the box.

While it's true that ASP.NET MVC may not yet boast the same wealth of third-party plugins as some other frameworks, the community is vibrant and rapidly expanding. Many developers and organizations are actively contributing their own packages and tools, filling the gaps and enriching the overall ecosystem.

In practice, what this means for developers is that they no longer need to reinvent the wheel for every project. Instead, they can leverage the growing repository of resources available through NuGet and other channels. This dynamic evolution signifies a promising future for ASP.NET MVC, with an increasingly rich plugin ecosystem that continues to bridge the gap with other established frameworks.
While the historical perception of ASP.NET MVC lacking in readily available plugins and resources may have been valid in the past, the current state of the ecosystem paints a different picture. The framework is on a trajectory of growth and maturation, offering a compelling environment for developers to build modern web applications with the support of a thriving community and an expanding array of tools and extensions.

codeplex.com is a valuable resource for finding solutions and tools to help with web development. I recently found a useful piece of code related to MVC (Model-View-Controller) on codeplex.com for implementing Facebook authorization.
Although I didn't come across any specific hub for this, you can search for relevant resources on codeplex.com, especially under the MVC tag in the list of Visual Studio extensions. While there are more resources related to ASP.NET, I cannot confirm if there is anything similar to what I found for MVC.

The issue of determining the specific requirements is somewhat ambiguous. When it comes to administration, creating a separate controller and configuring access for a particular role [Authorize(Roles="Admin")] should suffice. Text editors are typically not directly linked to the backend, so programming it is essential. Various tools like grids and helpers, such as MvcContrib, can be utilized.

Additionally, DevExpress controls have long been accessible for MVC, and numerous graphs and other components written in JavaScript and/or jQuery can be seamlessly integrated into the website.