Hiring ASP.NET developers: a practical guide
ASP.NET is Microsoft’s framework for building web apps and APIs on .NET, and it is behind a lot of business software: portals, booking systems, dashboards and the back end of mobile apps. If your system runs on it, you need people who know both the framework and the habits that keep a long-lived app healthy. DigiWorks helps you hire ASP.NET developers who work only for you. We find and vet them, handle the contract and the monthly pay, and leave the choice of who starts to you. This page explains what they do, what to look for and how hiring works.
What an ASP.NET developer builds
The core of the job is server-side code in C#. An ASP.NET developer designs how requests are handled, writes the logic behind a page or an API, connects to the database and makes sure only the right users get in. Around that core sit the screens, which can be MVC views, Razor Pages or Blazor components, and the tests and release steps that keep changes safe. On a small team one person does all of it. On a larger team they might focus on APIs or on the interface.
ASP.NET Core, MVC, Web API, Razor and Blazor
These names often get mixed up. ASP.NET Core is the framework itself. MVC and Razor Pages are two ways to build pages in it: MVC separates data, screens and control logic, while Razor Pages puts each page’s code next to its view. Web API is how you build services that return data for other programs, such as a mobile app or a partner system. Blazor lets you write interactive web interfaces in C# instead of JavaScript. Your developer helps you pick the style that suits the app and the team you have.
Entity Framework and your database
Most ASP.NET apps keep their data in a database, and many reach it through Entity Framework Core, Microsoft’s data access library. It saves a lot of repeated code, but it can hide slow queries if nobody watches them. A careful developer checks what the generated queries do, adds indexes with the database team and writes migrations so a change to the data model can be tested before release. If your database work is heavy, bring in a SQL developer alongside.
Old Web Forms and VB.NET apps
A lot of company software was written years ago in ASP.NET Web Forms or in VB.NET, and much of it still does its job. The risk is not the age. It is that few people want to touch it. A good developer begins with a review: what the app does, which parts break easily and what depends on old servers or libraries. Then they propose steps. VB.NET code can be kept and maintained, or moved to C# gradually. Web Forms is not part of ASP.NET Core, so a move means rebuilding it page by page while the old app keeps running. Small steps with tests are safer than a big rewrite.
Azure and hosting
Many ASP.NET apps run on Microsoft Azure, though they also run on other hosts and on your own servers. A developer who has deployed before can set up the app settings, keep secrets out of the code, connect a build pipeline and watch costs. If you need a large cloud design, a DevOps engineer is a better fit. For a wider Microsoft skill set, such as Azure, SQL Server and links to Microsoft 365, see our Microsoft developers.
Related .NET roles
Some work sits next to ASP.NET. A SharePoint developer builds on Microsoft 365 sites and web parts. A SignalR developer adds live updates to an ASP.NET app, and a WinForms developer looks after Windows desktop apps. If you need a general engineer too, see our software developers.
Where our ASP.NET developers are based
DigiWorks developers are based in Latin America, Eastern Europe, South Africa, the Philippines and India. If you are looking to hire an ASP.NET developer in India, tell us and we shortlist from there. If you need more shared hours with your own team, tell us your time zone and we match it. Our page for software engineers in India explains how hiring there works.
Full-time, part-time and growing a team
You can start small. Part-time begins from 20 hours a week, which is enough to fix a backlog of bugs, build one feature or review an old app. If the first weeks go well, add hours or another developer. Some teams begin with one ASP.NET developer for a rescue or a new module and add a tester or a front-end specialist later.
What it costs
Hourly rates start from $7/hr. The final rate depends on the seniority, the type of work and the weekly hours, and developers with long experience on large .NET systems cost more. Your invoice shows the developer’s pay and our fee as separate lines, and you do not need to set up payroll in another country. Share your needs on the first call and we will quote for them.
How hiring an ASP.NET developer works
- Book a call and tell us the .NET version, what the app does, the tasks and the hours.
- We screen candidates and send you a shortlist, usually within 7 days.
- You interview the shortlist for free and pick your developer.
- We prepare the contract and handle pay every month.
- You grant access to the repository and a test environment, then hand over the first tasks.
From there you run the daily work. If the fit is not right or the needs change, talk to us and we adjust the hours or the person.
Signs you need an ASP.NET developer
- Your web app or API is built on .NET and the person who knew it has left.
- Features take too long because the code is hard to change.
- Pages are slow and nobody knows which queries cause it.
- You run Web Forms or VB.NET code and want a plan for the future.
- You want a new portal or API on current .NET.
If your problem is only a small website or a store on a hosted platform, a general web developer may be enough.
Questions to settle before you hire
- Which .NET version and hosting do you use today?
- Is the job a new build, steady improvement or an upgrade?
- Which hours must overlap with your team?
- Where is the code kept, and who reviews changes?
- What would make you add hours or change the setup?
Rough answers are enough to start. Bring what you have to the call and we will fill in the gaps together.
Common mistakes
- Starting a rewrite of an app nobody has reviewed first.
- Letting a new developer change live data without a test copy.
- Keeping passwords and keys inside the source code.
- Skipping automated tests because the app is old.
- Giving full access to every server in the first week.
A short review at the start of the work avoids most of these. Ask your developer for one before any big change.