This article will learn the differences between the ASP and ASP.NET in detail.
ASP stands for Active Server Pages. It is a framework to develop web pages. Microsoft introduced ASP as the first server-side scripting language in 1998 that was used for executing scripts with extension .asp on a web server. ASP is not a language. Rather it is a technology.
ASP.NET came as a successor to ASP in 2002. A typical ASP.NET application includes files (web.config) and global file (.asax), Code behind file (.aspx.vb), is written in .aspx file, which code-behind code for a web page is written in a separate class file, .aspx.vb. It is used to separate the user interface display from the UI processing. Web.config is a text file used to store application-level settings required for state management, security, etc. Global file is an optional file containing application-level events such as Application_Init, Application_Start, Application_BeginRequest, Application_EndRequest, Application_AuthenticationRequest, Application_Error, Session_Start, Session_End etc.
Factor |
ASP |
ASP.NET |
1. Object-Oriented Programming |
ASP does not support object-oriented programming. |
ASP.NET supports object-oriented programming. |
2. Purpose |
The server-side scripting engine is also known as a scripting language. Code is written using VB script and HTML for developing web applications. |
It supports many programming languages like VB, C#, Python and many more for developing web applications. |
3. File Extension |
ASP Pages have the file extension .asp. |
ASP.NET Pages have the file extension .aspx. |
4. Inheritance |
ASP does not support the concept of inheritance. |
ASP.NET inherit the class written in code behind. |
5. Compilation/ Interpretation |
ASP has interpreted language. |
ASP.NET is Compiled and Interpreted language. |
6. Debugging |
ASP debugging is difficult as ASP scripts are interpreted. |
In ASP.NET debugging is relatively easy. |
7. Validation |
ASP does not have the built-in facility of validation. |
ASP.NET provides built-in validation and controls. |
8. Exception Handling |
In ASP, exception handling is very poor. |
ASP.NET supports the concept of exception handling. |
9. Execution |
ASP works on IIS. |
ASP.NET works on non-Microsoft platforms also. Cassini, a Microsoft web server, can be integrated with Apache. |
10. XML ( Extensible Mark Up Language) |
ASP does not support XML. |
ASP.NET support XML. |
11. ADO ( Active X Database objects) |
ADO is a simple COM object and has fewer features. |
ADO.NET provides full support to get data from multiple data sources through numerous built-in classes. |
12. Code Behind |
ASP does not support code-behind. |
ASP.NET supports and separates HTML code and .NET language code. |
13. Configurable |
ASP does not support configurable files. |
ASP.NET support configurable file. I.e. it uses a web.config file. |
14. Custom Controller |
ASP does not have a provision for custom controls. |
ASP.NET support @register directive to create custom controls |