ASP.NET Class Library

Question

When an ASP.NET application is published using the publish option in Visual Studio a series of DLLs are produced in the BIN folder on the web server. What is the difference between the DLLs generated by Visual Studio specifically for ASP.NET and a standard Class Library?

I am wanting to reuse code in classes that are contained in an ASP.NET application.

One option for me is to convert the ASP.NET classes into a class library and hence the reason for this question. The other option is to use a web service to expose the functionality required by other applications.

Brian Mains · Accepted Answer · 2012-04-27 11:49:55Z

1

There is no difference between DLL's generated by ASP.NET and a standard class library. Although the web application project produces a DLL, which can't really be reused (well it could, but it contains the code-behind of your pages and user controls, but not the markup), every other DLL can be reused.

Using services and implementing Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) is another option too, so it really depends on what your requirements are, and what you are trying to reuse.

answered Apr 27, 2012 at 11:49

Brian Mains

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Paul Grimshaw · Accepted Answer · 2012-04-27 11:50:37Z

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The main reason for choosing a class library over built in classes is so they can be shared with other projects, or the DLL could be distributed for further use.

The benefits of a class library that I can think of are:

Tidier project structures
Quicker Project build time
Different versions of your library can be referenced, hence resilient to upgrades

I generally use web services for projects that require communication between applications/servers, rather than wrapping common code.

answered Apr 27, 2012 at 11:50

Paul Grimshaw

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Stilgar · Accepted Answer · 2012-04-27 11:52:44Z

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You should extract the code you want to reuse in a separate assembly and reference it in the web project and in the other project. Don't use the assemblies with the web pages and other application specific code in another application.

answered Apr 27, 2012 at 11:52

Stilgar

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