TL;DR
Microsoft has launched .NET 10 LTS and C# 14 alongside Visual Studio 2026 and an updated Aspire toolkit, timed with .NET Conf. GitHub Copilot Free is bundled for individuals but has usage ceilings and lacks enterprise controls, after which IDE suggestions fall back to IntelliCode.
What happened
At the virtual .NET Conf, Microsoft announced a major update to its developer platform: .NET 10, a long-term support (LTS) release, and C# 14 are now available together with Visual Studio 2026 and a refreshed Aspire toolkit. C# 14 adds file-based single-file applications (.cs) with Unix-friendly shebang support and a command (dotnet project convert) to turn these files into full projects. Visual Studio 2026, a Windows-only IDE, adopts Fluent UI themes, deeper GitHub Copilot integration and performance improvements that Microsoft says can cut load times for large multi-project solutions by up to half. GitHub Copilot Free is included for individuals, offering a limited number of code completions and premium requests per month; use is governed by multipliers and lacks enterprise features such as audit logs and policy controls. Aspire, formerly .NET Aspire, is now positioned to support Python and JavaScript in addition to .NET, remains open source, and ships with a CLI and telemetry dashboard.
Why it matters
- .NET 10 being an LTS release signals a multi-year support commitment that influences enterprise upgrade planning.
- C# 14 file-based apps lower the barrier for newcomers and scripting use cases, potentially changing how small utilities are developed.
- Tighter Copilot integration in Visual Studio accelerates AI-assisted workflows but free-tier limits and missing enterprise controls may constrain production use.
- Aspire's expanded language support and broad integrations aim to simplify microservice and container app orchestration across common data and messaging services.
Key facts
- .NET 10 is a long-term support (LTS) release; LTS versions arrive roughly every two years.
- C# 14 introduces single-file .cs applications with #! (shebang) support for Unix-like systems and executable invocation via ./ when permitted.
- Single-file applications can be converted to full projects using the dotnet project convert command.
- Visual Studio 2026 is a Windows-only release with a Fluent UI-based interface, deeper Copilot ties, and claimed performance gains up to 50% for large multi-project solution loading (per a Microsoft product manager).
- GitHub Copilot Free provides up to 2,000 code completions and 50 premium requests per month for individuals; multipliers can make a single interaction consume multiple premium requests.
- When Copilot Free limits are reached in Visual Studio, suggestions revert to IntelliCode and Copilot chats stop responding.
- ASP.NET Core receives updates including built-in WebAuthN and Passkey support for modern authentication.
- Aspire (formerly .NET Aspire) is a code-first toolkit for microservices and containers, now supporting Python and JavaScript while keeping its CLI and dashboard implemented in .NET.
- Aspire is open source, has a dedicated website, and had 142 integrations at the time of reporting, including PostgreSQL, Redis, RabbitMQ, Kafka, MongoDB, Oracle, SQL Server and cloud providers such as Azure and AWS.
- Microsoft said C# remains consistently among the top five languages on GitHub, per its statements at the event.
What to watch next
- How quickly organizations adopt .NET 10 LTS in production and whether the LTS cadence affects migration timing.
- Enterprise uptake of Copilot within Visual Studio given Free-tier limits and the absence of audit, policy and access-control features.
- Momentum for Aspire integrations and whether its Azure-leaning orientation affects cross-cloud adoption.
Quick glossary
- Long-Term Support (LTS): A release designation indicating extended maintenance and security updates for an extended period, preferred for production environments.
- SDK: Software Development Kit — a collection of tools, libraries and documentation used to build applications for a platform or language.
- GitHub Copilot: An AI-based coding assistant that offers code completions, snippets and chat-style help integrated into development tools.
- ASP.NET Core: A cross-platform, open source framework for building web applications and services.
- CLI: Command-Line Interface — a text-based interface used to run commands and manage software without a graphical user interface.
Reader FAQ
Is .NET 10 an LTS release?
Yes — .NET 10 is presented as a long-term support release.
Does Visual Studio 2026 run on macOS or Linux?
No — Visual Studio 2026 is described as a Windows-only IDE.
What limits apply to GitHub Copilot Free in Visual Studio?
Copilot Free offers up to 2,000 code completions and 50 premium requests per month for individuals; multipliers may increase consumption and the tier lacks enterprise features.
Is Aspire open source and what languages does it support?
Yes — Aspire is open source and now supports Python and JavaScript in addition to .NET.
Will Visual Studio revert to other suggestions when Copilot limits are hit?
Yes — when Copilot Free limits are reached, Visual Studio falls back to IntelliCode suggestions and Copilot chats stop responding.
SOFTWARE 7 Microsoft ships .NET 10 LTS and Visual Studio 2026, Copilot everywhere Faster and easier to use but adopting the dev stack not without risks Tim Anderson Wed 12 Nov 2025 //…
Sources
- Microsoft ships .NET 10 LTS and Visual Studio 2026, Copilot everywhere
- What's new in .NET 10
- Announcing .NET 10
- Download .NET 10.0 (Linux, macOS, and Windows) | .NET
Related posts
- GitHub walks back plan to charge for self-hosted runners after backlash
- Windows trials a wider Run dialog in Insider builds — how to enable it
- Microsoft issues out-of-band patch to fix December Message Queuing bug