.NET in Kubernetes – Is It Possible?
Fabian Peter • • 6 Minuten Lesezeit

.NET in Kubernetes – Is It Possible?

Spoiler Alert: Yes, it is – and it’s not only possible but already a standard in many enterprise environments.
container - dotnet - kubernetes - csharp - containers - microservices - cloud-native

Spoiler Alert: Yes, it is – and it’s not only possible but already a standard in many enterprise environments.

Does .NET Fit with Kubernetes?

At first glance, it may seem unusual to run a technology originally heavily influenced by Windows in the Linux-dominated Kubernetes environment. However, in practice, Microsoft has strategically worked over the past few years to make .NET cross-platform. Since the introduction of .NET Core, the runtime environment has been fully available on Linux and macOS and is continuously optimized for container operations. With .NET 7 and .NET 8, Microsoft places special emphasis on performance, resource efficiency, and cloud-native use cases.

For companies, this means: .NET is no longer tied to Windows servers but is a cross-platform platform that can be operated in Kubernetes environments just like other modern runtimes. At the same time, many organizations benefit from a large developer community and existing expertise in languages like C# or F#. This facilitates the transition from monolithic applications to Microservices without having to give up familiar tools and libraries.

1. The Technical Shift – .NET is Long Linux-Friendly

1.1 Evolution: From Windows to .NET Core to .NET 9+

With .NET Core, the radical opening began. Since .NET 5, .NET Core, .NET Framework, and Xamarin/Mono have been merged into a single, cross-platform platform. That was early 2020. Since then: continuous progress through versions 6, 7, and 8 – all with a focus on performance, cloud-native features, minimal APIs, hot reload, better container integration, AI support, and optimized developer experience.

1.2 Container-Ready & Cloud-Native by Design

Whether .NET 7 or 8 – both offer special optimizations for container environments. The focus is on fast startup times, memory efficiency, and seamless Kubernetes integration.

2. Container Images, Tools & CI/CD – Effectively Utilizing the Microsoft Ecosystem

2.1 Official .NET Containers

Microsoft provides official Docker images: from the slim SDK to the runtime image. A foundation for microservices, small APIs, or complex applications in the Kubernetes cluster. No special effort required.

2.2 Integration with Visual Studio & VS Code

  • Visual Studio (Windows/macOS) offers out-of-the-box Docker and Kubernetes support, including live debugging in the container.
  • VS Code is lightweight, cross-platform, with extensions for .NET development and Kubernetes management – seamlessly usable on Linux, macOS, or Windows.

2.3 Pipelines & Package Management

  • Azure DevOps Pipelines: Effortless build, test, deploy of .NET projects in Kubernetes or Azure Container Services.
  • NuGet remains the central package source – even in Linux environments.
  • Alternative toolchains: CI/CD with GitLab CI, ArgoCD as a GitOps tool, registry management via Harbor – completely independent of the Microsoft stack possible.

3. .NET Beyond the Microsoft Ecosystem – Full Sovereignty

Although the Microsoft stack is optimally integrated, .NET remains fully usable independently:

  • GitLab CI/CD handles sources, build logic, and deploy – including container builds and Helm charts for Kubernetes.
  • ArgoCD synchronizes repositories into the cluster – at the Kubernetes level, declarative, Git-driven.
  • Harbor serves as an internal registry for .NET container images.
  • All of this runs in any Kubernetes environments – open-source, cloud-agnostic, and sovereignly usable.
  • According to TIOBE Index, January 2025: C# ranks 5th with about 4.45% market share.
  • Stack Overflow Developer Survey: 27.1% of all respondents use C#, professional developers about 28.8%.
  • JetBrains Developer Ecosystem 2023: around 3.05 million developers actively use C#.
  • .NET frameworks and libraries dominate according to Comitas/Statista with over 25% usage in the development sector.
  • ASP.NET is used on 7.6% of all websites – after PHP (77%) and before Ruby (5.7%).

Conclusion: .NET/C# is not only present – but one of the leading platforms both in Germany and globally, especially where professionalism and established developer communities matter.

5. .NET as a Cloud-Native Standard

5.1 What is Cloud-Native?

Cloud-native means: applications that use containers, microservices, service mesh, declarative APIs, and are automatically deployable.

5.2 .NET & Cloud-Native – A True Match

  • Thanks to Docker/Kubernetes, .NET Core runs smoothly in containers and can be horizontally scaled.
  • Serverless paradigms (e.g., Azure Functions), microservices via ASP.NET Core, etc., are supported.
  • .NET integrates seamlessly into AKS (Azure Kubernetes Service), Azure DevOps, CI/CD, managed services.

6. Enterprise Introductions – Evolution from Legacy to Cloud-Native

Many companies started decades ago with Windows fat-client architectures, MSSQL databases, and .NET monolithic applications. The shift to microservices and container infrastructure is strategically sensible – but language and platform changes slow down innovation.

This is where .NET comes into play:

  • Companies retain the familiar language (C#), tools (Visual Studio, debugging, libraries).
  • Backend gradually shifts – from MSSQL to Postgres, from monolithic fat-clients to microservices in Kubernetes.
  • This facilitates integration and migration: legacy code can continue to run alongside new, modernized components.
  • The cultural shift is easier, teams remain productive without hours of retraining.

7. Benefits at a Glance – .NET in Kubernetes

  1. Cross-Platform and Performance-Optimized – Modern .NET versions shine in container environments.
  2. Tooling Variety – From the Microsoft stack to open-source CI/CD using GitLab/GitHub/ArgoCD/Harbor.
  3. Broad Community and Market Presence – .NET is widespread, especially in the enterprise segment.
  4. Cloud-Native Ready – Microservices, Kubernetes, serverless, and automatic scaling – all possible with .NET.
  5. Smooth Path to Modernization – Companies retain language and know-how, migrate step by step.

8. Concrete Use Cases & Workflows

8.1 Example: Microservice in .NET 8 on Kubernetes with GitLab

  1. Code in VS Code, Dockerfile with base .NET image.
  2. GitLab CI/CD:
    • Build: docker build
    • Test: Unit tests, security scans
    • Push: Harbor registry
    • Deploy: Helm chart with Helm release in Kubernetes
  3. ArgoCD: Monitors Git repo, automatically deploys new version.
  4. Monitoring via Prometheus + Grafana, logging with ELK or Loki – all containerized.

8.2 Example: Azure DevOps + AKS Workflow (if Microsoft Stack Desired)

  1. Project in Visual Studio, CI pipeline in Azure DevOps.
  2. Build, test, containerize, push to ACR (Azure Container Registry).
  3. Release pipeline deploys via Helm on AKS.
  4. Infrastructure automated in IaC (Terraform, Bicep).
  5. Developer experience remains familiar, platform modern.

9. Challenges – But Solvable

  • Container Footprint: .NET images larger than Go or Rust. But optimizable (slim/Alpine images, trim tools).
  • Startup Time: Cold starts in the container somewhat slower. But .NET 8 and AOT (Ahead-of-Time Compilation) mitigate this.
  • Complexity: Microservices architectures require observability, network configuration, security – but this applies to any platform, not specifically .NET.

Conclusion – .NET Runs, .NET Scales, .NET Delivers

.NET in Kubernetes is no longer a theoretical construct. It is tested, efficient, and for many enterprise environments already the most practical way to cloud-native modernization. You use the language, infrastructure, and culture you already know – and align them in Kubernetes, automated, resilient, and scalable.

In many companies, .NET is no longer just a “Microsoft ecosystem,” but a cloud-native standard.

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