As the Xamarin framework approached its end of life in May 2024, the need to migrate applications to a more current and supported framework became a pressing concern for developers seeking continued security updates and access to new features. This blog post outlines my journey of migrating an application from Xamarin to .NET MAUI, the challenges faced, and the strategic decisions that led to a successful transition.

The Impetus for Migration

The announcement of Xamarin’s end of life set the stage for a necessary migration. The primary goal was to ensure that the application remained within a supported ecosystem, benefiting from security updates and the rich new features that come with active development.

Evaluating Migration Approaches

Initially, I explored several migration strategies, including the use of automated migration tools. However, these tools often resulted in a multitude of errors and a fragmented codebase that was difficult to manage. The scattered approach left much to be desired, prompting a reevaluation of the strategy.

Embracing a Full Rewrite in .NET MAUI

After careful consideration, I decided to undertake a full rewrite of the application code into the .NET MAUI framework. This approach allowed for a clearer migration path, enabling me to move the application in sections and conduct incremental testing. It also provided an opportunity to address and fix many of the issues that were problematic in Xamarin, resulting in a more robust and reliable application.

The Shift to Blazor Hybrid and MVVM

The migration journey was also an opportune time to modernize the application’s architecture. I chose to adopt the Blazor Hybrid approach, which allowed for the use of HTML and CSS—technologies that are widely familiar to many developers, more so than XAML. This shift not only enhanced the developer experience but also improved the application’s maintainability and scalability.

Furthermore, the transition to .NET MAUI was complemented by a move from the MVP (Model-View-Presenter) pattern to an MVVM (Model-View-ViewModel) architecture using the MVVM Toolkit. This change facilitated a cleaner separation of concerns, improved testability, and allowed for more intuitive data binding and UI updates.

The Outcome and Future Insights

The decision to rewrite the application and embrace a Blazor Hybrid model with MVVM was not without its challenges and required a significant investment of time. However, the outcome has been overwhelmingly positive. The application now stands on a modern, scalable, and flexible foundation, ready to evolve with the ever-changing landscape of technology.

I am very pleased with the results of this migration and look forward to sharing more insights in future blog posts. I’ll delve into the benefits and any obstacles encountered during this transition, providing a comprehensive look at the migration process for those considering a similar path.

Stay tuned for more updates on this journey of application transformation.