Raytha vs ASP.NET Boilerplate and ABP: a lightweight .NET starting point
ASP.NET Boilerplate stopped receiving updates after May 12, 2026, and its maintainers point users to the ABP Framework. ABP is the right successor if you want a full application framework with modules, microservice templates and commercial tooling. If you want a smaller, MIT-licensed .NET 10 app that already has authentication, SSO, roles, audit logs, an admin UI, custom content types and a REST API, Raytha is a lightweight starting point.
Last reviewed October 2026 against Raytha 2.0.1, ABP 10.x and the ASP.NET Boilerplate end-of-support notice.
Who's who: Boilerplate, Zero, ABP
- ASP.NET Boilerplate (aspnetboilerplate.com) is the original open source framework. It moved to maintenance-only support and received no further updates after May 12, 2026. Existing apps keep running, but new projects should not start on it.
- ASP.NET Zero is a commercial starter with full source code, built on Boilerplate, that adds a ready-made admin UI, account management and multi-tenancy. It is sold as a one-time license.
- ABP Framework (abp.io) is the next generation. The core framework, basic startup templates and modules are open source under LGPL-3.0.
- ABP commercial tiers (Team, Business, Enterprise) add pro modules, ABP Suite, ABP Studio editions and support. At the time of writing they are listed at $2,999, $5,999 and $9,999, as perpetual licenses with three developer seats and a year of updates.
Raytha vs ABP at a glance
| Raytha | ABP Framework | |
|---|---|---|
| License | MIT | LGPL-3.0 core; paid tiers for pro modules and tools |
| Runtime | .NET 10 | .NET (current ABP 10.x) |
| Shape | One finished application you extend | Framework, startup templates and modules you assemble |
| Architecture | Clean Architecture, Mediator commands and queries | Domain-driven design, modular monolith or microservices |
| Admin UI | React admin included | MVC, Angular or Blazor UI from templates |
| Auth | Users, roles, magic-code sign-in, SAML and JWT SSO | Identity and account modules, OpenIddict |
| Multi-tenancy | No | Yes |
| Audit logs | Yes | Yes |
| Content management | Custom content types, Liquid templates, page builder | CMS Kit module |
| API | REST API v1 with API keys | Auto API controllers for your services |
| Database | PostgreSQL | EF Core providers (SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL and more) or MongoDB |
What ABP does well
ABP is a complete, opinionated framework for enterprise applications: domain-driven design building blocks, modularity, multi-tenancy, microservice templates, background jobs, and a choice of MVC, Angular or Blazor front ends. The paid tiers add code generation with ABP Suite and pre-built pro modules. For a large team building a multi-tenant SaaS product, that structure can save a lot of decisions.
Where Raytha fits
Raytha is not a framework; it is a working application you can use as is or fork. Out of the box you get:
- Administrators with roles and per-content-type permissions, and an audit log of every change.
- Public users and user groups, email and password, emailed one-time codes, and SAML or JWT single sign-on.
- Custom content types with 13 field types, list views, CSV import and export, revisions and a trash.
- A REST API with API keys, outbound webhooks with HMAC signatures, and email templates with an email log.
- Liquid templates, themes and a widget page builder for any public pages.
- Raytha Functions: server-side JavaScript for custom endpoints, template helpers and content events.
The code follows Clean Architecture with commands and queries, the same pattern popularized by the Clean Architecture solution template, so it is easy to add features in C#.
When to choose ABP
- You are building a large, multi-tenant SaaS product or a microservice system.
- You want DDD building blocks, modularity and code generation as the foundation.
- You want Angular or Blazor front ends from a template, or vendor support.
When to choose Raytha
- You need users, roles, SSO, audit logs and a content admin on day one, and little else.
- Your app is content-heavy: portals, member sites, directories, internal tools.
- You want an MIT license and a codebase small enough to read.
- You are on PostgreSQL and want one container to deploy.
Before you switch
Raytha has no multi-tenancy, no microservice templates and no module system, and 2.0 supports PostgreSQL only. It is a product you extend, not a framework that generates code for your domain.
FAQ
Is ASP.NET Boilerplate still supported?
No. ASP.NET Boilerplate was in maintenance mode until May 12, 2026 and receives no updates after that date. Its maintainers recommend migrating to the ABP Framework.
What license does ABP use?
The ABP Framework core is open source under LGPL-3.0. Pro modules, ABP Suite and higher ABP Studio editions require a paid license.
Is Raytha a replacement for ASP.NET Zero?
For many content-centric apps, yes: Raytha includes an admin UI, user management, roles, SSO and audit logs under the MIT license. It does not include multi-tenancy or ASP.NET Zero's front-end templates.
What .NET version does Raytha use?
Raytha 2.0 and 2.0.1 target .NET 10.
Related comparisons
- Raytha vs Orchard Core: a simpler open source .NET CMS
- Raytha vs Piranha CMS: two lightweight open source .NET CMSs
- Raytha vs Strapi: a Strapi-style headless CMS for .NET
- Raytha vs Umbraco: a lightweight open source .NET alternative
- All Raytha comparisons
Try Raytha
Raytha is free and MIT-licensed. Deploy it in a few minutes with the Railway template or Docker, following the quickstart. The platform overview lists what is in the box, and the source and release notes are on GitHub.
