Toptal is a marketplace for top .NET Core developers, engineers, programmers, coders, architects, and consultants. Top companies and startups choose Toptal .NET Core freelancers for their mission-critical software projects.
Nick is a site reliability engineer who uses the best practices to enhance an app's DevOps lifecycle. He can automate everything from the code to testing, release management, deployment, operations, monitoring, and CI/CD pipelines. He's also good at bringing your entire app stack into a nice Docker stack managed by either Compose, Swarm, or Kubernetes. Nick also worked as a developer with C#, Node.js, PHP, and Python, among others.
Chris is a highly motivated and resourceful IT leader and engineer with 23 years of high-impact experience in software and architecture design and leading development teams. He is a strong communicator, recognizing signs of failure and taking appropriate action to remedy it. Chris can seamlessly transition between various roles, from writing software to managing large-scale initiatives without friction, while adopting a strategic perspective based on your needs.
Uroš is a passionate game developer with five years of experience in game programming and game design. He's singlehandedly programmed two full games in Unity and has also led the development process in teams ranging from a few to over 10 people. His experience also includes, but is not limited to, coding competitions, numerous hackathons, and an internship at Google.
Givi is a motivated full-stack developer with several years of experience in .NET. His thirst for knowledge drives him to explore new technologies, adopt the best programming and design practices, and constantly look for new challenges. Givi has also occupied other roles, such as a CTO in multiple companies, with excellent results.
Ivaylo is a solution architect and software engineer with 18 years of experience. He specializes in Azure Cloud, .NET stack, APIs, messaging, serverless computing, and front-end frameworks like Angular and React. He's built highly scalable, cloud-based B2B systems and SaaS platforms for various sectors, including aviation, online banking, NGOs, internet services, online gambling, direct selling, and medicine. Ivaylo implements best practices and efficiency in everything he does.
Denis is a certified C# specialist and MS certified professional with over a dozen years of experience in several programming languages and business domains. He thrives in challenging situations and easily becomes well-adjusted to new work environments. Denis possesses a comprehensive technical background that extends beyond software development, covering R&D and managerial activities. He also has a degree in modern languages.
Marco has been an entrepreneur, software architect, project manager, developer, and consultant over the last 15 years with over a decade of international experience. He has lived and worked in the UK, had clients in the US, and worked on teams spread across the globe. Marco works well with people and has earned a good reputation with those that he has worked with in the past, as seen in the positive references he has received.
Piotr is a full-stack web developer who started with .NET as his chosen back-end framework and, more recently, worked mainly with Node.js in the front end. He is proficient in React and Vue. Piotr is a quick learner, willing and able to learn new skills rapidly, and is experienced in working in a multinational environment. He has cooperated with teams and clients from various European countries, the US, and Asia.
.NET Core talent is in high demand due to the framework's cloud and cross-platform support, making hiring more challenging and costly. This .NET Core hiring guide details best practices to help you navigate the hiring process, as well as interview questions and tips, and offers expert advice on skill sets related to .NET Core.
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How to Hire .NET Core Developers through Toptal
1
Talk to One of Our Industry Experts
A Toptal director of engineering will work with you to understand your goals, technical needs, and team dynamics.
2
Work With Hand-Selected Talent
Within days, we'll introduce you to the right .NET Core developer for your project. Average time to match is under 24 hours.
3
The Right Fit, Guaranteed
Work with your new .NET Core developer for a trial period (pay only if satisfied), ensuring they're the right fit before starting the engagement.
Find Experts With Related Skills
Access a vast pool of skilled developers in our talent network and hire the top 3% within just 48 hours.
To hire the right .NET Core developer, it’s important to evaluate a candidate’s experience, technical skills, and communication skills. You’ll also want to consider the fit with your particular industry, company, and project. Toptal’s rigorous screening process ensures that every member of our network has excellent experience and skills, and our team will match you with the perfect .NET Core developers for your project.
What do I need to look for when I choose a .NET Core developer online?
Developers who work remotely need to have strong communication skills and know how to interact with the team in a distributed and possibly asynchronous fashion. It is important to understand the level of expertise you need from a developer. Skilled professionals should have extensive experience with .NET and .NET Core, strong C# skills, and familiarity with most full-stack development requirements, including databases, DevOps, and front-end frameworks.
Are .NET Core developers in demand?
Yes, .NET Core is one of the fastest back-end technologies for web applications, according to this benchmark from TechEmpower. The largest corporations in the world use .NET Core to power their technology layers, often as their primary technology. .NET Core, with its vast ecosystem, provides a near-complete solution for back-end, front-end, and mobile applications. Its powerful and mature tooling only adds to the allure.
How quick is the hiring process with Toptal?
Typically, you can hire a .NET Core developer with Toptal in about 48 hours. Our talent matchers are experts in the same fields they’re matching in—they’re not recruiters or HR reps. They’ll work with you to understand your goals, technical needs, and team dynamics, and match you with ideal candidates from our vetted global talent network.
Once you select your .NET Core specialist, you’ll have a no-risk trial period to ensure they’re the perfect fit. Our matching process has a 98% trial-to-hire rate, so you can rest assured that you’re getting the best fit every time.
Does Toptal offer .NET Core developers?
.NET Core is now referred to as .NET, as of .NET versions 5.0 and up. Toptal offers experienced .NET developers familiar with every version and capable of maintaining legacy applications and adapting them for the latest .NET releases.
Vanclei is a software developer, consultant, and systems analyst with more than 17 years of experience. He specializes in .NET technologies and has co-authored a book about the C# language with two Microsoft Brazil employees. Vanclei has worked on .NET projects at Fortune 500 companies like ExxonMobil and Sony.
While .NET Framework dominates the Windows ecosystem, .NET Core has made recent inroads into Linux, macOS, and other Unix-based systems. Its demand is further bolstered by its popular base language, C#, which is widely considered to be one of the best object-oriented languages on the market. Additionally, all major cloud providers—AWS, Azure, and GCP—have provided first-class support for .NET Core, which means its developers can easily leverage these services to deploy small and cost-competitive containerized applications.
The resulting spike in demand for .NET Core skills means that companies looking to hire .NET Core developers face an unfavorable situation. In this guide, we detail what to look for when hiring .NET Core developers and what interview questions to ask to ensure you hire the best developer for your team.
Note: There are various .NET implementations (e.g., .NET Framework, .NET Standard), and .NET Core versions after .NET Core 3.1 are named .NET. The .NET (Core) implementation targets server and cloud workloads at scale and supports multiple platforms.
What attributes distinguish quality .NET Core Developers from others?
First and foremost, good .NET Core developers are familiar with the underlying technology of the .NET framework, including the Common Language Runtime (CLR), the Intermediate Language (IL), managed code, garbage collector, and other features of the .NET ecosystem. They are able to leverage these features to speed up their workflow and their applications.
In addition to the standard suite of .NET Core, quality talent also needs to be comfortable working with Linux and macOS. As .NET Core is increasingly focused on cross-platform solutions, a good .NET Core developer should also be familiar with Unix-based operating systems and know how to fully utilize the cross-platform capabilities of .NET Core.
Good .NET Core developers should also be familiar with containerized applications. In the cloud, containerized .NET Core applications tend to offer significant cost savings relative to .NET Framework solutions running on Windows-based machines. Hence, .NET Core engineers with ample cloud experience can help businesses greatly reduce their infrastructure costs. A report from Mordor Intelligence projects that the global container application market will grow by 28.89% from 2024 to 2029, so the demand for these skills will only increase.
Complementary Technology Skills for .NET Core
.NET Core Programming Languages – The three main languages supported by .NET Core are C#, F#, and VB.NET. Any good .NET Core developer should have mastered at least one of these languages. Most developers choose to master either C# or F#, but familiarity with VB.NET can be useful in some scenarios.
C# is by far the most popular language used by .NET developers, and it’s not an exaggeration to say that it is “the” language for .NET development. It is not uncommon to hear people speaking about .NET and C# interchangeably.
F# is a functional language that has found its niche in scientific or data analysis applications. However, unless there is a compelling reason to use F#, most companies will choose to use C# due to its superior documentation and ecosystem.
VB.NET is a more human-readable language based on Visual Basic. Its use is declining, and Microsoft doesn’t plan to improve the language in future versions. You should only recruit for this skill if you have an existing project that was developed using VB.NET and would prefer not to migrate to a more modern option like C#.
Developers should be familiar with the features and idiosyncrasies of their chosen language, its design patterns, data structures, and package management systems. They should also know about asynchronous programming, multitasking, and data manipulation and access features, allowing them to leverage all of .NET’s potential.
Databases – In addition to three languages, .NET Core supports a wide range of databases. Seasoned professionals will be familiar with relational databases like SQL Server, Oracle, and Postgres, as well as NoSQL databases like MongoDB, Firestore, and Cosmos DB. They understand how transactions work and know about database connections. They may also know an object-relational mapping framework like Entity Framework Core.
Web development – If your project is a web application or a web API, look for a candidate who knows ASP.NET Core, the preferred web framework for .NET Core, and is familiar with Kestrel, WebApplication, serialization, REST APIs, Razor, and ASP.NET MVC.
How can you identify the ideal type of .NET Core Developer for you?
To identify the ideal .NET Core developer for your needs, you should consider a candidate’s expertise level, project-specific skills, and migration experience.
Expertise Levels
Candidates of all levels should be familiar with programming best practices, code standards, testing, and design patterns. More experienced candidates should also be familiar with advanced programming concepts and infrastructural considerations.
If you have a dedicated team that works with .NET Core, ask them to identify what they are looking for in the new team member. Are they looking for an extra pair of hands, or do they need a specialist with a specific skill? Their needs will help determine if you want a junior, mid-level, or senior developer.
Junior developers may know one of the languages (usually C#) but not the implementation details of the underlying .NET Core infrastructure. They may come from a nontechnical background or are migrating from a different language/technology. They should be able to start delivering useful code after a few sprints, but they will require supervision and mentoring when it comes to following best practices or leveraging specific features of the .NET Core platform.
Mid-level developers have worked with .NET Core and have experience shipping code to production. They are familiar with code management tools such as Git and have a clear understanding of translating business requirements into technical specifications. They know how to use package managers, write comprehensive tests, and package their source code for other developers. Ideally, they will have experience working with operating systems other than Windows and know how to use .NET Core in a cross-platform manner.
Senior .NET Core developers have a broad understanding of the entire .NET ecosystem and are able to develop a solution from top to bottom. They know how to translate business requirements into technical specifications but, more crucially, they are able to advise on the best way to solve a particular business problem. They are familiar with the inner workings of .NET, the compiler, and .NET tools. They have experience with a range of complementary technologies, including but not limited to serverless functions, APIs, ASP.NET Core, and various databases and cloud providers.
Project-specific Skills
Since .NET Core developers tend to specialize as they gain experience, you will also want to identify the specific technologies you seek. If your team is developing a desktop application, look for candidates with WinForms or WPF experience. If you plan to have the app running outside Windows, look for someone who knows about .NET MAUI or Xamarin. For APIs and web applications, look for someone with ASP.NET Core and React on their résumé.
Legacy Systems Knowledge
A note about legacy systems: If you need to maintain legacy systems, look for a developer with knowledge of the specific technology. If you are trying to migrate the legacy system to either a newer platform or a different operating system, look for someone who has that specific experience in order to avoid unexpected problems.
How to Write a .NET Core Job Description for Your Project
Your job description should start with information about the company, role, and project. Describing the company culture and benefits will help attract a large applicant pool.
A broad range of solutions can be developed using .NET Core, so in addition to the base technology, identify the specialized skill set you need for your project. What is the project’s tech stack? Is the project running on on-premise infrastructure or on a cloud provider? Is it a legacy system or a new project? Is the project user-facing or data-intensive?
Be clear about the target platform to help candidates self-select when applying, as each platform has its own unique ecosystem. You may also specify the desired developer level: Projects with an existing team supporting development will target different candidates than ones seeking a developer to build the underlying infrastructure from scratch.
What are the most important .NET Core interview questions?
When assessing a .NET Core developer, it is important to use smart interview questions to determine if the candidate is a good fit for the project, both in terms of technology and team culture. Consider the following topics starting points to inform your questions; Toptal’s .NET interview guide provides more detailed interview topics, including code-based questions.
Describe a challenge you encountered while developing cross-platform solutions with .NET Core.
.NET Core is ideal for developing cross-platform solutions, and a strong answer to this question is indicative of a candidate’s ability to write effective code for your business. The candidate’s answer should highlight their experience on cross-platform projects, demonstrate an awareness of cross-platform nuances (e.g., different file system conventions), and mention the importance of thorough testing strategies across multiple platforms.
What is the garbage collector?
Garbage collection is a process managed by .NET that removes unused objects, freeing up memory and avoiding memory leaks. The candidate may expand on this and mention that the runtime manages the timing of the garbage collector, distinguishing it from other methodologies of memory management. Not all programming languages or frameworks expose such a tool to developers, so this is a great question to ask to weed out candidates who may not have a strong background in .NET.
What is the startup class in ASP.NET Core?
The startup class is the entry point of an ASP.NET Core app, where dependencies are injected and configured, and the application is built. Beginning with .NET 6, the startup class was replaced by Program.cs. The candidate may expand on this and mention some use cases where the developer may want to modify the Program.cs file. This question can help you identify candidates who stay up to date with changes in the .NET ecosystem—and filter out those who don’t.
Explain the difference between services and middleware and provide examples of their real-world applications.
If you seek a developer to work on a web application, a thorough understanding of services and middleware ensures a candidate’s ability to build robust and modular ASP.NET Core apps. While services provide applicationwide functionality (e.g., database access), middleware components handle HTTP requests and generate responses (e.g., exception handling). Frequently, services and middleware work together. For example, in an app’s authentication flow, middleware handles and validates authentication-related data in the request/response pipeline, while services help manage user registration, login, and logout.
What is Docker, and how does it relate to .NET Core?
Docker is an application (platform) that manages containers, which are small virtual machines that package applications and their dependencies to be hosted elsewhere. .NET Core allows developers to create assemblies that run inside containers using Docker, and it is now one of the more popular methods of deploying .NET Core applications. This question is helpful for gauging a developer’s experience deploying and maintaining software at scale—those who’ve worked for larger organizations with complex tech stacks should be comfortable operating in this domain.
Why do companies hire .NET Core Developers?
While companies used to hire .NET developers for purely Windows-based applications, companies today hire .NET Core developers for a large number of use cases. Whether migrating old applications into containerized cloud applications or developing new solutions, a .NET Core developer is able to leverage the language features, the development tools, and the support provided by Microsoft to build applications with amazing speed. For its power and productivity, .NET technologies are easy to understand, and applications powered by .NET Core will only increase in number and scale.
Is .NET Core a future-proof solution for cross-platform development?
.NET Core is as cross-platform as any other competing technology. Since its release, .NET Core has continued to improve and adapt as its cross-platform support was expanded. .NET Core is now supported by all major cloud providers, and since Microsoft made it open-source, it has remained one of the top 30 most active projects in GitHub. While no technology can be guaranteed to be future-proof, it is fair to say that .NET Core will remain popular for years to come.
The technical content presented in this article was reviewed by Shanglun Wang.
