Converting an ASP.NET website to a native Android/iOS app [duplicate]

Question

I have an ASP.NET website I want to convert to a downloadable native app for iOS/Android devices. I was wondering if this was at all possible - I am aware of all the tweaks required to make the website mobile-friendly (server/client wise), but I'm currently unaware of how to compile the website as a native app.

Also, since my site has server-side logic, the native app should work like my normal website, sending and receiving data between the client and server.

Thanks, Ron

Answer 1

While you are right that a native app and a website are similar that they send and receive data from the server, that's probably the only similarity.

As a concept native apps and websites are very different and I don't think you can expect to convert between the two. Depending on how the website is implemented, it might be more work or less work.

ASP.NET encourages a development model where you don't think about the client and server as separate entities and tries to abstract the technology underneath (HTTP, HTML, web server). This is why most ASP.NET websites are usually implemented in a way which you wouldn't follow when developing an app.

I think your best bet is to either make the existing site mobile-friendly or just implement a native app from scratch. For info about the first suggestion, you can read Scott Hanselman's blog post. As for native apps, I'm sure you can find many resources through Google.