# Avalonia — Cross-Platform .NET UI Framework

> Build native desktop, mobile, and web applications using .NET and XAML with a single codebase across Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and WebAssembly.

## Install

Save as a script file and run:

# Avalonia — Cross-Platform .NET UI Framework

## Quick Use
```bash
dotnet new install Avalonia.Templates
dotnet new avalonia.app -n MyApp
cd MyApp && dotnet run
```

## Introduction
Avalonia is an open-source cross-platform UI framework for .NET that lets developers build desktop, mobile, and web applications from a single XAML-based codebase. It draws inspiration from WPF and UWP while targeting every major platform including Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and WebAssembly.

## What Avalonia Does
- Renders pixel-perfect UI on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and WASM using a custom Skia/Composition rendering engine
- Provides a rich XAML dialect with data binding, styles, control templates, and an MVVM-friendly architecture
- Ships a comprehensive control library covering buttons, data grids, tree views, docking panels, and more
- Supports hot reload during development for rapid UI iteration
- Offers accessibility support with screen reader compatibility across platforms

## Architecture Overview
Avalonia uses a platform-agnostic rendering pipeline built on top of Skia and a custom composition engine. The framework abstracts window management, input handling, and GPU compositing per platform while keeping the XAML layout engine, styling system, and data-binding runtime entirely shared. This means UI logic, templates, and converters run identically regardless of the target OS.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Install via `dotnet new install Avalonia.Templates` and scaffold with `dotnet new avalonia.app`
- Configure platform targets in the `.csproj` file; desktop is default, add mobile/browser workloads as needed
- Customize theming through `Styles` in `App.axaml` using Fluent or Simple built-in themes
- Integrate with dependency injection frameworks like Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection
- Publish self-contained or framework-dependent binaries using standard `dotnet publish` commands

## Key Features
- True single-codebase UI: one XAML dialect runs on six platforms without per-platform branching
- Composition renderer delivers smooth 60fps animations and GPU-accelerated drawing
- Mature DevTools inspector (F12 at runtime) for live visual tree debugging
- Reactive extensions integration via Avalonia.ReactiveUI for advanced state management
- Active ecosystem with community controls, IDE plugins for Visual Studio and Rider, and XAML previewer support

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **WPF** — Windows-only; Avalonia brings a similar XAML experience to every OS
- **MAUI** — Microsoft's official cross-platform framework but limited Linux and WASM support; Avalonia covers both
- **Electron** — Uses web tech in a Chromium shell with higher memory overhead; Avalonia is native .NET
- **Flutter** — Dart-based with its own widget set; Avalonia targets .NET developers who prefer C# and XAML
- **Uno Platform** — Also .NET-based and multi-platform; Avalonia has a more WPF-like API and custom renderer

## FAQ
**Q: Does Avalonia require a commercial license?**
A: No. Avalonia is MIT-licensed and free for both personal and commercial use. Avalonia XPF (a compatibility layer for WPF apps) is a separate commercial product.

**Q: Can I use existing WPF controls and libraries?**
A: Avalonia XAML is inspired by WPF but is not binary-compatible. Controls need porting, though the API surface is deliberately similar to ease migration.

**Q: What IDEs support Avalonia development?**
A: JetBrains Rider and Visual Studio both have Avalonia extensions with XAML previewer, code completion, and hot reload support.

**Q: How mature is mobile support?**
A: iOS and Android support is available and improving rapidly. Desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux) is the most mature target.

## Sources
- https://github.com/AvaloniaUI/Avalonia
- https://avaloniaui.net/docs

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Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/asset-be759ed3
Author: Script Depot