Microsoft will end support for .NET6 in November

Microsoft revealed that .NET 6 will be deprecated on November 12th, 2024. This date signifies the end of a free, open-source developer platform that was first introduced during February’s preview version and officially launched in November of the same year.

This particular date is important not only because it signifies “the end” when we talk about .NET 6 but also because it is when Microsoft has its monthly Patch Tuesday updates—hinting at one last update if critical issues are found before then.

The support for .NET 6, released under Microsoft’s Long-Term Support (LTS) time frame, lasted for three years. In a blog post, Microsoft says that after November 12th, even though applications made using .NET 6 will keep working fine, they will be entering a future without new updates—this could potentially make them more susceptible to security risks.

Additionally, the usual technical assistance might no longer be accessible. If developers are utilizing Visual Studio, they can anticipate having “gold bar” cautionary messages appear when targeting .NET 6 after support ends.

After .NET 6, Microsoft quickly presented the next version, .NET 7. However, it had a shorter support time and reached the end of support in May 2024. Now, Microsoft is slowly pushing developers towards .NET 8, which was released in November 2023 as the main version for their applications. People who use apps built on .NET 6 are advised to contact developers or vendors to request upgrades to .NET 8 for ongoing assistance and protection.

Regarding the future, Microsoft is not simply stopping at this point. The preview edition of .NET 9 premiered in February 2024, and an official release is planned for November 2024.

This notice is a very important message for developers and organizations still using .NET 6: They need to move on to newer versions to prevent possible security problems and utilize new characteristics and enhancements.