Insights from Our Software Development Team

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Our Take

April 7, 2025

AI with .NET Build AI apps in .NET .NET OpenAI integration Microsoft.Extensions.AI Semantic Kernel .NET .NET LLM integration .NET AI development .NET and GPT-4 .NET ChatGPT API AI programming in C#

Is .NET A Good Platform For Building AI-Integrated Apps?

At Aviron Software, we’ve seen a surge in demand for AI-powered features—especially from .NET teams unsure whether they need to learn Python to keep up. Spoiler alert: you don’t. In this in-depth guide, we walk through building modern AI applications entirely in .NET, covering everything from basic HTTPS requests to advanced topics like Semantic Kernel, RAG, tool calling, and even model fine-tuning. Whether you're integrating OpenAI into your C# apps or exploring Microsoft.Extensions.AI, we break down the tools, trade-offs, and real-world lessons from our recent client work (plus a few GitHub samples to get you started). Yes, .NET is AI-ready—and here’s how to prove it.

Our Take

April 2, 2025

Ditching Cypress for Playwright: The Speed and Stability I Needed

When building websites or apps, it's important to make sure everything works correctly—every button clicks, every form submits, and every page loads as expected. Instead of manually checking these things over and over, we use automated testing tools to do it for us. I used to swear by Cypress for automated testing—until it started failing me. Random test flakiness, slow execution, and unreliable waits made testing a headache. Then I switched to Playwright, and the difference was night and day. Faster, more reliable, and packed with features like VS Code’s test recorder that made writing tests a breeze. Here’s why I made the switch.

Our Take

March 17, 2025

6 Essential Tips for Integration Testing

Automated testing is crucial for maintaining software stability, especially in continuous development environments. In this article, we explore integration testing and share six key best practices to improve your testing strategy. Learn how to write reusable code, create independent tests, organize tests logically, integrate testing into development, involve developers, and make automated tests a core part of your CI/CD pipeline. These strategies will help you catch issues early and build more reliable software.

Our Take

March 10, 2025

The Best Tech Stack for Speedy, Secure, and Scalable SaaS Products in 2025

If you're building a SaaS product in 2025, you need a stack that balances speed, security, and scalability while being fun to work with. This guide outlines the ideal setup: Frontend: Next.js 14 (React-based) with Tailwind CSS and ShadCN/UI for fast, stylish UIs. Includes built-in SSR, API routes, and authentication via NextAuth.js or Clerk. Backend: .NET 8 Minimal APIs, deployed on Azure App Service for performance, scalability, and seamless integrations with Azure SQL, Redis, Blob Storage, and Key Vault. Database: PostgreSQL (Azure SQL) for reliability, JSONB support, and fast queries, without the overhead of a heavy ORM. CI/CD & Deployment: GitHub Actions for automation, Azure DevOps for backend deployment, and Vercel for frontend hosting. Monitoring & Security: Azure Application Insights for real-time tracking, JWT authentication, rate limiting, and CSRF/CORS protection. This stack ensures you can move fast, stay secure, and scale effortlessly—without unnecessary complexity. Ready to build? Let’s get started! 🚀

Our Take

March 3, 2025

React Dropped Create React App—Now What?

React has officially deprecated Create React App (CRA), leaving developers wondering: what's next? The good news is that better, faster alternatives exist. This post explores the best ways to start a React project in 2024, including Vite, Next.js, and Remix.

Our Take

February 24, 2025

Level Up Your React App with AI

This hands-on tutorial walks you through integrating AI into a React app using TypeScript and OpenAI’s API. You'll learn how to set up a project with Vite, install Axios for API calls, and build an AI-powered chatbot component that responds dynamically to user input. The guide covers setting up an API utility, handling messages, and embedding the chatbot into a React application. With step-by-step instructions, you’ll have a fully functional AI chatbot running in your app. Whether you’re looking to add AI-driven interactions or enhance user engagement, this tutorial is a great starting point!

Our Take

February 17, 2025

Building More Accessible React Native Applications: Conscious Styling for Larger Text

Building accessible React Native applications requires conscious styling decisions, especially for users who enable larger text settings. In this episode, Karly Lamm, Senior Mobile and Full Stack Web Engineer at Aviron Software, demonstrates how React Native Size Matters helps developers create scalable and responsive UI components. Common issues such as non-scaling buttons, non-scrollable modals, and broken UI layouts can hinder accessibility. By leveraging scaling techniques and ensuring modals support scrolling, developers can improve user experience for all. Prioritizing accessibility from the start ensures inclusive and user-friendly mobile applications.

Our Take

February 10, 2025

An SEO Perspective + 3 Evergreen Search Tactics

“If I were to look for this, but didn’t know specifics, what would I search?” ‍Utilizing keyword research tools can help inform this process. If you think “that’s too basic, everyone knows that…” you’d be surprised at the search volume for some of the most basic information.

Our Take

February 3, 2025

Azure-ify Your Web App: A Simple Guide to API Gateways, Authentication & Security

Imagine this: You’re building a shiny new web app (maybe in React!) and you need a way to handle all the user data, requests, and sensitive information. This is where API Gateway, Authentication, and Authorization come in to keep things secure, smooth, and running like a well-oiled machine.

Our Take

January 27, 2025

Beyond the Code: Why QA Testing is a Game-Changer

We've all had moments when we're scrolling through a website or mobile app, only to find it isn't working as expected. My personal favorite is when you click on a dropdown menu, and it opens only to close immediately before you can make a selection. I've raced against the screen countless times, trying to click anything before it disappears...

January 6, 2025

AI Calling YOUR Code? Integrating OpenAI and .NET with Semantic Kernel

Learn how to have OpenAI call code in your .NET & C# applications using Semantic Kernel. Full video and code snippets included.

Our Take

December 16, 2024

Enhancing Accessibility in React Native: A Practical Guide with Code Examples

In this guide, Karly Lamm, a Senior Mobile and Fullstack Web Engineer, walks through how to enhance a simple React Native To-Do app by integrating accessibility features. By the end, you'll have a practical understanding of how to implement accessibility labels, roles, and hints, making your app more user-friendly for those using assistive technologies like screen readers.

Our Take

November 24, 2024

OpenAI Chat Completions With .NET & C#

Learn how to setup OpenAI and integrate chat completions into your C# and .NET applications. Integrating directly with the OpenAI API is a fairly straightforward process as outlined and documented here by Microsoft MVP Spencer Schneidenbach.

Our Take

November 13, 2024

Azure OpenAI Chat Completions With .NET & C#

How to setup Azure OpenAI and integrate chat completions into your C# and .NET application. Taught by Spencer Schneidenbach (Frontend Masters Presenter, Microsoft MVP)

Resources

October 11, 2024

The Top API Security Best Practices to Protect Your Software Copy

Insights into essential strategies for safeguarding APIs, focusing on authentication, encryption, and monitoring to prevent security breaches and ensure data integrity.

Trends & News

September 20, 2024