AspNetCore.Docs/aspnetcore/choose-aspnet-framework.md

---
title: Choose between ASP.NET and ASP.NET Core
author: rick-anderson
description: Learn how to choose between ASP.NET and ASP.NET Core.
manager: wpickett
ms.author: riande
ms.date: 09/30/2017
ms.prod: asp.net-core
ms.technology: aspnet
ms.topic: article
uid: fundamentals/choose-between-aspnet-and-aspnetcore
---
# Choose between ASP.NET and ASP.NET Core 

No matter the web application you are creating, ASP.NET has a solution for you: from enterprise web applications targeting Windows Server, to small microservices targeting Linux containers, and everything in between.

## ASP.NET Core

ASP.NET Core is an open-source, cross-platform framework for building modern, cloud-based web applications on Windows, macOS, or Linux.

## ASP.NET

ASP.NET is a mature framework that provides all the services needed to build enterprise-class, server-based web applications on Windows.

## Which one is right for me?

| ASP.NET Core | ASP.NET |
|---|---|
|Build for Windows, macOS, or Linux|Build for Windows|
|[Razor Pages](xref:mvc/razor-pages/index) is the recommended approach to create a Web UI with ASP.NET Core 2.0. See also [MVC](xref:mvc/overview) and [Web API](xref:tutorials/first-web-api)|Use [Web Forms](https://docs.microsoft.com/aspnet/web-forms), [SignalR](https://docs.microsoft.com/aspnet/signalr), [MVC](https://docs.microsoft.com/aspnet/mvc), [Web API](https://docs.microsoft.com/aspnet/web-api/), or [Web Pages](https://docs.microsoft.com/aspnet/web-pages)|
|Multiple versions per machine|One version per machine|
|Develop with Visual Studio, [Visual Studio for Mac](https://www.visualstudio.com/vs/visual-studio-mac/), or [Visual Studio Code](https://code.visualstudio.com/) using C# or F#|Develop with Visual Studio using C#, VB, or F#|
|Higher performance than ASP.NET|Good performance|
|[Choose .NET Framework or .NET Core runtime](https://docs.microsoft.com/dotnet/articles/standard/choosing-core-framework-server)|Use .NET Framework runtime|

## ASP.NET Core scenarios

<!-- update link to Razor Pages mvc movie series when done -->
* [Razor Pages](xref:mvc/razor-pages/index) is the recommended approach to create a Web UI with ASP.NET Core 2.0.
* [Websites](xref:tutorials/first-mvc-app/index)
* [APIs](xref:tutorials/first-web-api)

## ASP.NET scenarios

* [Websites](https://docs.microsoft.com/aspnet/mvc)
* [APIs](https://docs.microsoft.com/aspnet/web-api)
* [Real-time](https://docs.microsoft.com/aspnet/signalr)

## Resources

* [Introduction to ASP.NET](https://docs.microsoft.com/aspnet/overview)
* [Introduction to ASP.NET Core](xref:index)