Xamarin and MAUI (Multi-platform App UI)

Xamarin and MAUI (Multi-platform App UI) are frameworks for building cross-platform applications using C# and .NET. Here's a comparison between Xamarin and MAUI:

Xamarin

• Purpose: Xamarin allows developers to create native iOS, Android, and Windows apps using a single codebase in C#.
• Architecture: Uses Xamarin.Forms for shared UI logic and native renderers for platform-specific UI elements.
• Features:
  • Provides access to platform-specific APIs and capabilities.
  • Enables code sharing across platforms, reducing development time and maintenance effort.
  • Supports MVVM (Model-View-ViewModel) architecture for clean separation of concerns.
  • Xamarin.Forms allows rapid UI development with XAML and data binding.

MAUI (Multi-platform App UI)

• Purpose: MAUI is the evolution of Xamarin.Forms, designed for building cross-platform apps for iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS.
• Architecture: Builds on Xamarin's capabilities but extends to include support for macOS and provides a unified framework for all platforms.
• Features:
  • Uses .NET 6 and later versions to provide a unified API surface across platforms.
  • Includes a single project structure, simplifying code sharing and project management.
  • Provides enhanced performance and capabilities over Xamarin.Forms.
  • Supports hot reload for fast iteration and debugging.

Key Differences

• Scope: Xamarin originally focused on mobile platforms (iOS, Android, Windows Mobile), while MAUI expands to desktop platforms (macOS, Windows).
• Unified API: MAUI aims to provide a consistent and unified API surface across all supported platforms, whereas Xamarin required platform-specific implementations in some cases.
• Tooling: MAUI integrates more closely with .NET 6 tooling and benefits from improvements in the .NET ecosystem for cross-platform development.

Transition from Xamarin.Forms to MAUI

• MAUI is designed as the successor to Xamarin.Forms, offering a more streamlined and unified approach to cross-platform development with enhanced capabilities and broader platform support.
• Developers familiar with Xamarin.Forms will find MAUI to be a natural progression, offering improved tooling, performance, and a unified development experience across all supported platforms.