dotnet-ui-chooser
dotnet-ui-chooser
UI framework selection decision tree for .NET applications. Covers Web (Blazor Server, Blazor WebAssembly, Blazor Hybrid), cross-platform (MAUI, Uno Platform, Avalonia), and Windows-only (WinUI 3, WPF, WinForms) frameworks. Presents structured trade-off analysis across five decision factors to help teams evaluate options based on their specific constraints.
Scope boundary: This skill owns the framework selection decision tree and cross-framework comparison. Individual framework depth, patterns, and APIs are owned by the respective framework skills. Migration guidance between frameworks is owned by [skill:dotnet-wpf-migration].
Out of scope: Framework-specific implementation patterns -- see individual skills listed below. Migration paths between frameworks -- see [skill:dotnet-wpf-migration]. Desktop UI testing -- see [skill:dotnet-ui-testing-core].
Cross-references: [skill:dotnet-blazor-patterns] for Blazor hosting and render modes, [skill:dotnet-maui-development] for MAUI patterns, [skill:dotnet-uno-platform] for Uno Platform patterns, [skill:dotnet-winui] for WinUI 3 patterns, [skill:dotnet-wpf-modern] for modern WPF on .NET 8+, [skill:dotnet-winforms-basics] for WinForms modernization.
Decision Tree
Use this structured flow to narrow framework choices based on project constraints. Each branch presents trade-offs rather than definitive answers -- the right choice depends on the weight your team assigns to each factor.
Step 1: Target Platforms
The most significant constraint. Identify which platforms the application must support.
More from wshaddix/dotnet-skills
csharp-wolverinefx
Build .NET applications with WolverineFX for messaging, HTTP services, and event sourcing. Use when implementing command handlers, message handlers, HTTP endpoints with WolverineFx.HTTP, transactional outbox patterns, event sourcing with Marten, CQRS architectures, cascading messages, batch message processing, or configuring transports like RabbitMQ, Azure Service Bus, or Amazon SQS.
375modern-csharp-coding-standards
Write modern, high-performance C# code using records, pattern matching, value objects, async/await, Span<T>/Memory<T>, and best-practice API design patterns. Emphasizes functional-style programming with C# 12+ features. Use when writing new C# code or refactoring existing code, designing public APIs for libraries or services, optimizing performance-critical code paths, or building async/await-heavy applications.
365testcontainers
Patterns for using Testcontainers in .NET integration tests to spin up real dependencies like databases and message queues. Use when writing integration tests that require real databases, testing with message brokers like RabbitMQ or Kafka, or isolating test dependencies with Docker containers.
358logging-observability
Production-grade logging and observability patterns for ASP.NET Core Razor Pages. Covers structured logging with Serilog, correlation IDs, health checks, request logging, OpenTelemetry integration, and diagnostic best practices. Use when setting up structured logging in ASP.NET Core applications, implementing distributed tracing with OpenTelemetry, or configuring health checks and observability.
358microsoft-extensions-dependency-injection
Dependency injection patterns and best practices using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection for .NET applications. Use when configuring DI containers in .NET, choosing between service lifetimes (Singleton, Scoped, Transient), or implementing decorator patterns and service interception.
355validation-patterns
Comprehensive validation patterns for ASP.NET Core applications. Covers FluentValidation integration, DataAnnotations, IValidatableObject, IValidateOptions<T>, MediatR pipeline behavior, and client-side validation. Use when implementing validation in ASP.NET Core applications, setting up FluentValidation, creating custom validators, configuring options validation, or implementing cross-field validation.
354