Is Your Legacy .NET Framework Holding You Back?
Legacy .NET applications don't just slow down your developers. They slow down your entire business. Here's what we see in organizations still running .NET Framework 4.x
Security exposure
.NET Framework 4.8 only receives critical security patches. Microsoft has explicitly stated no new features will be added. Every month without migration increases your attack surface.
Rising maintenance costs
Finding developers who want to work on legacy .NET is getting harder (and more expensive). Your best engineers are leaving for teams that use modern stacks.
Deployment friction
Windows-only hosting. No containerization. Manual deployments. Your competitors are shipping features while you're fighting infrastructure.
Integration bottlenecks
Modern APIs, cloud services, and AI capabilities assume you're on .NET 6+. Legacy frameworks create friction at every integration point.
Performance ceiling
Modern .NET delivers 20-40% better throughput than .NET Framework on identical hardware, according to Microsoft's TechEmpower benchmark results. That's real money on cloud hosting bills.
.NET Migration Paths We Support
Every legacy .NET application is different. We assess your codebase, dependencies, and business constraints to recommend the right approach, not the most expensive one.
| From | To | Complexity | Timeline | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .NET Framework 4.8 | .NET 8 | Medium | 3-6 months | Well-structured MVC apps |
| ASP.NET Web Forms | Blazor or React | High | 6-12 months | UI-heavy applications |
| WCF Services | gRPC or REST APIs | Medium-High | 4-8 months | Service-oriented architectures |
| Entity Framework 6 | EF Core 8 | Low-Medium | 2-4 months | Data access layer upgrades |
| .NET Core 3.1 | .NET 8 | Low | 2-6 weeks | Already modernized apps |
| Windows Services | Worker Services + Containers | Medium | 3-5 months | Background processing |
| .NET 8 | .NET 10 (LTS) | Low | 2-4 weeks | Teams already on modern .NET needing LTS upgrade |
.NET Framework 4.8
.NET 8
3-6 months
Well-structured MVC apps
ASP.NET Web Forms
6-12 months
UI-heavy applications
WCF Services
4-8 months
Service-oriented architectures
Entity Framework 6
EF Core 8
2-4 months
Data access layer upgrades
.NET Core 3.1
.NET 8
2-6 weeks
Already modernized apps
Windows Services
Worker Services + Containers
3-5 months
Background processing
.NET 8
.NET 10 (LTS)
2-4 weeks
Teams already on modern .NET needing LTS upgrade
Timeline estimates assume a mid-sized application (50K-200K lines of code) with typical dependencies. Your assessment will include specific estimates for your codebase. Most enterprise migrations target .NET 8 as the first modern .NET milestone. From there, upgrading to .NET 10 is a smaller, lower-risk step. We recommend this two-stage approach for teams still on .NET Framework.
How .NET Modernization Works at Procedure
A proven process that minimizes risk and maximizes velocity
Discovery & Assessment (2 weeks)
Procedure's discovery phase runs 2 weeks and costs between $5,000 and $15,000, depending on codebase size. We analyze your codebase, map dependencies, and identify migration blockers using tools like Microsoft's .NET Upgrade Assistant alongside manual review. You get a detailed report covering risk assessment, recommended strategy, and realistic timeline - before you commit any further budget.
Proof of Concept (2-4 weeks)
Before committing to full migration, we migrate a representative module to validate our approach. This catches surprises early and gives your team confidence to proceed.
Incremental Migration (varies)
Procedure's engineering team follows the Strangler Fig pattern, migrating module by module while keeping your application running. No big-bang deployments. No extended downtime. Zero disruption.
Validation & Testing (ongoing)
Automated regression testing ensures every migrated component behaves exactly like its legacy counterpart. We don't call it done until your full test suite passes clean.
Knowledge Transfer & Handoff
Your team gets documentation, architecture decision records, and hands-on training from Procedure's engineers in Mumbai and San Francisco. We build for self-sufficiency, not dependency. You own the modernized stack completely.
What We Modernize in .NET
Legacy Framework Migrations
- .NET Framework 4.x → .NET 8
- ASP.NET MVC → ASP.NET Core MVC
- ASP.NET Web API → ASP.NET Core Web API
- ASP.NET Web Forms → Blazor Server/WASM or modern SPA
Service Layer Modernization
- WCF → gRPC (for internal services)
- WCF → REST APIs (for external integrations)
- ASMX Web Services → Modern REST/GraphQL
- Windows Services → Worker Services with hosting in containers
Data Layer Upgrades
- Entity Framework 6 → Entity Framework Core 8
- ADO.NET → Dapper or EF Core (depending on use case)
- Stored procedure-heavy → Code-first with migrations
- SQL Server optimization for .NET 8 compatibility
Infrastructure Modernization
- IIS-only → Kestrel with container support
- Windows Server → Linux containers (where appropriate)
- On-premises → Azure App Services, AKS, or AWS ECS
- Manual deployments → CI/CD with GitHub Actions or Azure DevOps
How We Prevent .NET Modernization Failures
.NET modernization projects fail for predictable reasons. We've seen them all, and we've built processes to prevent each one.
““The migration broke production””
Procedure never does big-bang migrations. We use the Strangler Fig pattern to migrate module by module with zero planned downtime - your application stays live throughout the entire process. If something goes wrong, we roll back one module, not your entire system.
““It took 3x longer than estimated””
Procedure's discovery phase identifies blockers before you commit budget. We've walked away from projects where the migration cost exceeded the business value. Honesty upfront saves everyone time.
““Our team can't maintain the new code””
Procedure involves your developers from day one. Pair programming, code reviews, and documentation ensure knowledge transfer happens throughout the project, not as an afterthought.
““Dependencies weren't compatible””
We run automated compatibility analysis using Microsoft's .NET Upgrade Assistant and API Portability Analyzer against your full dependency tree. Third-party libraries without modern .NET support get flagged early, with alternatives recommended.
““Performance got worse after migration””
We benchmark before and after. .NET 8 should be faster. If it's not, we investigate and fix root causes before handoff.
Start with a Free Assessment
Not sure where to begin? Our team will assess your architecture and provide honest feedback on migration strategy, realistic timeline, potential blockers, and budget range before you commit.
No sales pressure. If migration isn't right for you, we'll tell you.
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.NET Modernization FAQ
.NET modernization costs at Procedure range from $15,000 for simple version upgrades to $500,000+ for complex legacy rewrites, with most enterprise projects falling in the $50,000 to $150,000 range. Here's the breakdown: Simple migrations (.NET Core 3.1 → .NET 8/10): $15,000 - $40,000. Medium complexity (.NET Framework 4.8 → modern .NET): $50,000 - $150,000. Complex modernization (Web Forms/WCF → modern stack): $150,000 - $500,000+. Our discovery phase (2 weeks, $5,000 - $15,000) gives you accurate, codebase-specific estimates before committing to full migration.