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NuGet Packages (PDF, OCR, Barcode, Excel): Updated List

The .NET package manager library is called NuGet. One of the languages that developers use the most frequently is C#, which suggests that it is a very productive language. There are other free NuGet packages available that boost C# productivity even more. NuGet packages feature in various IDEs, for example, Visual Studio.

We can use the same package of NuGet on different environments like Web, Windows, and Mobile, etc. We can install the NuGet package with newer versions under Package Manager Console. Visual Studio has a built-in high-performance NuGet extension installed. With NuGet Package Manager, you can produce and consume packages in a convenient way within a repository. It also helps us in publishing packages.

Execute the following command in Visual Studio source control project to add a NuGet package:

dotnet add package --source {source_name} --version {package_version} {package_name}

Parameter Description

  • source_name: The desired .NET package source name.
  • package_name: The NuGet package name of .NET/.NET Core library.
  • package_version: The package version number.

The top 10 NuGet packages for increasing developers' productivity when using C# in multiple projects are covered in this article:

  • RestSharp
  • Json.NET
  • Iron Software
  • Serilog
  • NUnit
  • Insight.Database
  • FluentValidation
  • FluentEmail
  • Hangfire
  • LazyCache

RestSharp

Representational State Transfer is known as REST. With an average of over 43,000 downloads each day, RestSharp has passed over 190 million downloads on NuGet. It is the most widely used HTTP client library for .NET projects, making it simple for C# developers to call remote resources over HTTP, taking care of the request body's serialization to JSON or XML and deserialization in the response. The new version of the RestSharp NuGet package supports:

  • Synchronous and asynchronous queries.
  • Serialization and deserialization.
  • Various HTTP request types, including GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE.
  • Different authentication formats.

Json.NET

Json.NET is a minimalistic JSON handler library. With over 1 billion NuGet downloads/installations, Json.NET is one of the free and open-source packages for the .NET platform. Its salient characteristics are as follows:

  • Serialization and deserialization of any .NET object to and from JSON.
  • Conversion between XML and JSON to C# data models.
  • Support for LINQ queries with objects, JArray, and JValue.
  • Performance is 25% quicker than JavaScriptSerializer and 50% faster than DataContractJsonSerializer.

Iron Software

For .NET and Entity Framework (EF) Core programmers working with PDF, OCR, Excel, and barcodes, Iron Software created a collection of public repository software libraries with useful code. With over 5.5 million downloads, it can be available in the NuGet Package Manager with different package names as described below. The key features of the Iron Software products are detailed.

IronXL

  • Edit, read, and load data from XLS, XLSX, CSV, and TSV formats.
  • Export data to CSV, TSV, JSON, XLS, and XLSX for archival purposes.
  • Sorting of columns, rows, and ranges.
  • Styling capabilities including cell visual styles, font, size, border, alignment, lock, freeze cells, hide/unhide rows, and number formats.
  • Simple C# and VB.NET Excel Document API.

IronBarcode

  • Supports a wide range of barcode types and QR standards including UPC, EAN, Code 39, QR, Data Matrix, and more.
  • Pre-processes barcode images to enhance reading accuracy and speed. This includes correcting rotation, noise, distortion, and skewing. Suitable for server programs that perform batch processing using multi-core systems.
  • Create barcodes and QR codes for various document types, allowing modifications like text, rotation, size, color, and quality in several formats like PDF, JPG, TIFF, etc.

IronOCR

  • Extracts text, barcodes, and QR codes from images or PDFs utilizing the Tesseract 5 engine.
  • Supports over 127 languages, enabling customized language configurations.
  • Compatible with multipage GIF and TIFF image formats.
  • Improves poorly scanned image quality.
  • Supports multi-threading, facilitating multiple simultaneous operations.
  • Outputs structured data to pages, paragraphs, lines, words, and characters.

IronPDF

  • Generate PDF files from HTML, HTML5, ASPX, and Razor/MVC View.
  • Capabilities to print, merge, split PDF files, extract and search text, rasterize pages to images, and convert PDFs to and from HTML.
  • Allows the creation of documents from URLs with options to use network login credentials, proxies, cookies, HTTP headers, and more.

For more details refer to Iron Software Products.

Serilog

Logging is crucial for application development as it assists developers in finding and fixing issues. Serilog is a new logging and change tracking system in .NET that logs actions, exceptions, information, and warnings in JSON format. Serilog offers structured logs which enhance traditional logging by providing better context and data insights. It supports diagnostic logging to files, console, and various storage systems.

NUnit

Testing is vital for ensuring code correctness. NUnit is an open-source unit testing framework for .NET, easing the process of testing by breaking down large applications into smaller testable units. It helps in identifying bugs during development and is distributed under the MIT license.

Insight.Database

Insight.Database is a micro-ORM for .NET that simplifies database operations by converting C# objects to database records and vice versa. It provides extension methods for easier database handling and schema migrations. Key features include:

  • Automatic opening and closing of database connections.
  • Simplified stored procedure execution.
  • Support for multiple result sets.

FluentValidation

FluentValidation is a .NET package used to create strongly typed validation rules using lambda expressions and Fluent interfaces. It helps maintain clean domain code by providing a location for verification logic. FluentValidation 11 supports various platforms like .NET Standard, .NET Core, and .NET 5, 6, and 7.

FluentEmail

FluentEmail is an open-source .NET library designed to make email-sending capabilities easy to integrate into .NET applications. It supports creating email templates with Razor and sending emails via SendGrid, MailGun, SMTP, and others.

Hangfire

Hangfire is an open-source framework enabling .NET and .NET Core applications to perform background tasks. It manages jobs such as mass email notifications, graph processing, and batch importing from different formats like XML and JSON.

LazyCache

LazyCache provides a straightforward in-memory caching service that improves application performance by caching web service calls, complex object constructions, and database operations. Its default settings cache content for up to 20 minutes.

Conclusion

The top 10 NuGet packages to enhance C# programming productivity have been discussed. These packages alleviate the workload and expedite the development process. NuGet client tools facilitate the creation and consumption of packages, while Iron Software provides advanced solutions for enterprises and startups with libraries compatible across various .NET frameworks and languages such as C#, VB, and F#.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is NuGet?

NuGet is a package manager library for .NET, widely used by developers to manage and distribute software packages. It is integrated into various IDEs like Visual Studio.

How can I install a NuGet package using Visual Studio?

You can install a NuGet package in Visual Studio by executing the command `dotnet add package --source {source_name} --version {package_version} {package_name}` in the Package Manager Console.

What are the benefits of using NuGet packages?

NuGet packages enhance productivity by providing reusable code libraries, making it easier to manage dependencies, and offering tools to simplify the development process across different environments such as Web, Windows, and Mobile.

Which NuGet package is most popular for handling JSON in .NET?

Json.NET is one of the most popular NuGet packages for handling JSON in .NET, known for its performance and features like serialization and deserialization of .NET objects to and from JSON.

What functionalities does IronPDF provide?

IronPDF provides functionalities such as generating PDFs from HTML, printing, merging, splitting PDFs, extracting and searching text, and converting PDFs to and from HTML.

What is the use of Serilog in .NET applications?

Serilog is used in .NET applications for logging. It provides structured logs that offer better context and data insights, supporting logging to files, consoles, and various storage systems.

Can you list some key features of IronOCR?

IronOCR can extract text, barcodes, and QR codes from images or PDFs, supports over 127 languages, is compatible with multipage GIF and TIFF formats, and improves poorly scanned image quality.

What is the purpose of FluentValidation?

FluentValidation is used to create strongly typed validation rules in .NET applications. It helps maintain clean domain code by providing a location for verification logic.

How does Hangfire benefit .NET applications?

Hangfire benefits .NET applications by enabling them to perform background tasks such as mass email notifications, graph processing, and batch importing from different formats like XML and JSON.

What is LazyCache and how does it enhance application performance?

LazyCache is an in-memory caching service that enhances application performance by caching web service calls, complex object constructions, and database operations, with default caching for up to 20 minutes.

Chipego
Software Engineer
Chipego has a natural skill for listening that helps him to comprehend customer issues, and offer intelligent solutions. He joined the Iron Software team in 2023, after studying a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology. IronPDF and IronOCR are the two products Chipego has been focusing on, but his knowledge of all products is growing daily, as he finds new ways to support customers. He enjoys how collaborative life is at Iron Software, with team members from across the company bringing their varied experience to contribute to effective, innovative solutions. When Chipego is away from his desk, he can often be found enjoying a good book or playing football.
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