Oqtane is an open-source CMS and application framework for building modern digital experiences on .NET. It allows developers to build apps that are composed of reusable web UI components using C#, HTML, and CSS. Both the client and server code is written in C#, so you get a consistent, comfortable, and efficient development experience.
Oqtane is modular and allows you to develop solutions with interchangeable components, which makes it a versatile platform for building composable applications. Additionally, it is multi-tenant and allows users to easily extend the functionality by adding their own sites, modules and themes according to their needs. This extensibility ensures that Oqtane can adapt to a wide range of use cases and industries.
Oqtane & Blazor
Blazor is a .NET frontend web framework that supports both server-side rendering and client interactivity in a single programming model. Oqtane is a C# meta framework that is built on top of Blazor and provides a set of additional features, tools, and abstractions to make building complex applications easier and more productive.
Oqtane supports multiple Blazor deployment models, including Blazor Server and Blazor WebAssembly. In addition, it is cross platform and provides the ability to create rich client applications for Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows with a single codebase via Blazor Hybrid and .NET MAUI.
In other words, the combination of Oqtane and Blazor together provides developers with a powerful and flexible platform for accelerating the development of modern digital experiences.
When should you use Oqtane + Blazor?
- Oqtane with Blazor is excellent for building modular web applications using a full-stack .NET development experience.
- You can use this combination when building applications requiring a high level of flexibility or customization.
- Consider using Oqtane with Blazor whenever a smooth, interactive user experience is crucial. Blazor supports dynamic content updates without full page reloads.
- Choose Oqtane with Blazor for multi-tenant applications where you wish to manage the needs of multiple clients from a single code base.
- You can also use this combination if your team is familiar with .NET, as developers can leverage their existing skills and approaches for consistent development.
- The combination is also good for rapid development cycles. This way, you can benefit from Oqtane's modular structure and Blazor's component-based architecture for streamlined iterations.
As you can see, Oqtane and Blazor together provide a robust stack for building modern, modular web applications. This combination, improved by the strengths of .NET across the entire application stack, offers a consistent and productive environment for developing feature-rich and customizable web solutions.
Key Benefits and Pillars of Oqtane
Oqtane's mission is to provide a modular application framework that accelerates the development of modern digital experiences.
The root word 'oqtane' is a measure of the performance of engine fuel, and it demonstrates that this framework is focused on increasing development performance. This applies to everything, from the speed of installation and the framework's weight to fast familiarization with technology and application performance.
Oqtane's three pillars are speed, extensibility, and productivity. The framework empowers developers to create and deploy web applications faster while maintaining rich functionality. Its modular design facilitates the seamless integration of components, enabling a swift and efficient development process.
Collaboration in a diverse community ecosystem
The true strength of the Oqtane framework lies not only in its code but in the collaborative community surrounding it. This community, comprised of open-source developers and commercial vendors, offers a diverse range of products and services. This collaborative ecosystem is one of the most important pillars of continual innovation and support.
Fast onboarding and tool agnostic for developer productivity
Oqtane takes a tool-agnostic approach, so developers can use their preferred integrated development environment (IDE). While Visual Studio is a powerful ally, developers can use other tools such as VS Code and JetBrains Rider.
Oqtane also minimizes the ceremony for developers, allowing for quick onboarding and immediate productivity. Developers can create modules or themes using a wizard which scaffolds a functional collection of code assets which can be easily customized.
Core technology and flexibility
As for the core technology, Oqtane leverages .NET Core, renowned for its modern architectural approach and high performance. The Blazor component model ensures a responsive user interface as well as a pleasant design experience.
Convenient for non-techies
Because the framework has a rich and concise administrative user interface, non-technical users can easily configure and manage digital content. Basically, Oqtane offers CMS capabilities combined with the features and advantages of sophisticated modular application framework.
Some more points to consider
Oqtane provides the ability to accommodate multiple tenants on a single instance, allowing you to maximize your IT resources and minimize cost. From a data governance perspective, you can ensure that each client’s data is physically isolated from one another, or you can use a shared storage approach... the decision will depend on your specific business requirements.
Modular ArchitectureOqtane is built with a modular architecture in mind, allowing developers to construct applications in a modular fashion. This promotes better scalability, ease of development, and maintainability by breaking down complex applications into manageable and reusable modules.
PackagingOqtane extensions are packaged and distributed as standard Nuget Packages which can contain one or more assemblies as well as static assets.
Granular permissions are all about fine-tuned access control for various user roles. It ensures that users have precisely defined permissions based on their roles and responsibilities.
Administrative User InterfaceOqtane offers an administrative user interface with rich, out-of-the-box functionality that developers get for free.
Dynamic RoutingOqtane efficiently manages URLs and routing within the application. Dynamic routing is essential for creating clean, SEO-friendly URLs and providing an organized structure to the application's content.
UI FrameworkOqtane has a flexible and customizable UI framework. It is designed to adapt to various needs and preferences, offering users and administrators a personalized and engaging experience for users and administrators.
Oqtane offers customizable themes that are flexible and allow developers and administrators to tailor the look and feel of applications according to the brand's requirements. This ensures a visually appealing and branded user experience.
Headless API & RepositoryOqtane is a client-server application and has a full headless API. This approach allows for decoupling the front end and back end, offering flexibility in how content is consumed and displayed. Back-end data can be stored in multiple types of databases including SQL Server, SQLite, mySQL, and PostgreSQL.
So, why choose Oqtane?
Well, first of all, it allows developers to create modern web applications rapidly, using less code. It also provides additional capabilities not currently available in Blazor, strengthening the value proposition of this powerful new technology.
Oqtane is an open-source project available under an industry standard MIT license. It is also an official member of .NET Foundation, which ensures continuous support and evolution of framework.
Aligned with Microsoft's roadmap
Oqtane aligns closely with Microsoft's recommended approaches, leveraging native solutions the platform offers. This ensures validation, support, and consistency, reducing barriers to entry for developers and providing long-term support. Keeping pace with Microsoft's roadmap guarantees compatibility with the latest innovations and versions.
Continuous improvements
Oqtane follows a philosophy of continuous improvement which ensures that the framework continues to evolve and maintains its performance and integrity over time.
Practical Engineering
In contrast to overly complicated and overly abstract frameworks, Oqtane embraces a practical approach to engineering. Balancing flexibility and intuitiveness, it aims to provide an understandable, testable, and maintainable framework that developers can truly work with.
Minimizing Dependencies
Oqtane uses a cautious approach to dependencies, selecting libraries wisely to avoid future complications. Third-party libraries can often accelerate development, but it is essential to consider such factors as license compatibility, security, performance, reliability, and upgradeability as longer term concerns.
Consistency for long-term maintainability
Consistency is the cornerstone of Oqtane's development philosophy. Established guidelines, understandable coding standards, modern development patterns, and pleasant user experience – all this ensures that the product remains easy to use and maintain in the long term.
Backward compatibility for developer adoption
Understanding the crucial factors driving developer adoption, Oqtane strongly emphasizes stability, backward compatibility, and upgradeability. This is essential in fostering a healthy community and ecosystem.
Need some help with Oqtane?
This framework is comfortable and solid for platform users, developers, developers of third-party extensions, etc. Oqtane is an excellent choice within the .NET ecosystem for developing modular applications.
You can choose it if you aim to integrate new technologies into your application development. And it is especially beneficial for users familiar with DNN and looking to transition smoothly.
If you need help getting started with Oqtane or have questions about the framework, we’d be happy to help. Devessence provides professional advice based on own experience and expertise, so you can count on our guidance. Let’s talk!