Jayaleshwari N
TL;DR: This guide walks you through expert-backed strategies for building high-performance .NET MAUI apps. Learn how to optimize UI rendering, manage memory efficiently, trim app size, use AOT compilation, and implement platform-specific enhancements for smoother and faster cross-platform applications. A must-read for developers who want to scale and speed up their MAUI apps.
Want your .NET MAUI apps to run faster, feel smoother, and scale better across platforms?
With .NET MAUI, building cross-platform apps is easier than ever, but delivering high performance requires more than just a shared codebase. From rendering optimization to advanced dependency injection and memory management, this blog outlines proven techniques to help your .NET MAUI applications run at peak performance on Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS.
Let’s dive into the best practices that can make your apps not just functional but fast, lean, and user-friendly.
Understanding the performance landscape
What affects .NET MAUI App performance?
Before applying optimizations, it’s crucial to understand what factors influence app performance across platforms. These include:
- The underlying platform (iOS, Android, Windows, macOS)
- Device capabilities and constraints
- Network conditions
- Application architecture and code quality
With these considerations in mind, let’s explore key best practices for high-performance .NET MAUI applications.
Optimize UI rendering and layout
Minimize layout complexity
Deeply nested layouts can slow rendering and degrade UI responsiveness. Each layout requires calculation and rendering resources.
<!-- Avoid deeply nested layouts like this -->
<StackLayout>
<StackLayout>
<Grid>
<StackLayout>
<!-- Content -->
</StackLayout>
</Grid>
</StackLayout>
</StackLayout><!-- Instead, flatten your hierarchy -->
<Grid>
<!-- Content organized with row/column definitions -->
</Grid>
Use CollectionView instead of ListView
CollectionView is optimized for performance with virtualization built in, making it more efficient for displaying large data sets.
<CollectionView ItemsSource="{Binding Items}">
<CollectionView.ItemTemplate>
<DataTemplate>
<Grid Padding="10">
<Label Text="{Binding Name}" />
</Grid>
</DataTemplate>
</CollectionView.ItemTemplate>
</CollectionView>Implement UI virtualization
Only render elements that are visible on screen to reduce memory usage and improve scrolling performance.
Efficient resource management
Image optimization
Large images can consume significant memory and slow down your application.
<!-- Use appropriate image resolution -->
<Image Source="image.png"
Aspect="AspectFit" />Consider implementing:
- Image caching
- Lazy loading for off-screen images
- Proper image compression before bundling
Memory management
In .NET MAUI, as with other .NET applications, managing the lifecycle of resources is important to prevent memory leaks and ensure that the application performs well.
Dependency injection
Implement proper DI container
Utilizing a proper DI container helps manage object lifecycles and improve application performance with .NET MAUI.
// In MauiProgram.cs
public static MauiApp CreateMauiApp()
{
var builder = MauiApp.CreateBuilder();
builder
.UseMauiApp<App>()
.ConfigureFonts(fonts =>
{
fonts.AddFont("OpenSans-Regular.ttf", "OpenSansRegular");
fonts.AddFont("OpenSans-Semibold.ttf", "OpenSansSemibold");
});
// Register services with appropriate lifecycles
builder.Services.AddSingleton<IConnectivityService, ConnectivityService>();
builder.Services.AddSingleton<IDataService, DataService>();
// Transient services- created each time requested
builder.Services.AddTransient<IDialogService, DialogService>();
// Scoped services- created once per scope (typically per page)
builder.Services.AddScoped<IMediaService, MediaService>();
// Register ViewModels
builder.Services.AddTransient<MainViewModel>();
builder.Services.AddTransient<DetailViewModel>();
// Register Pages
builder.Services.AddTransient<MainPage>();
builder.Services.AddTransient<DetailPage>();
return builder.Build();
}Optimize service resolution
Optimizing service resolution in a .NET MAUI application can significantly improve performance, especially when dependency injection is heavily used. Here are key strategies to optimize service resolution.
- Only register necessary services in the DI container. Avoid registering services that are not required for the current execution context.
- Use Lazy to delay the creation of services until they are needed, saving resources.
Reduce app size
Trim unused dependencies
To enable trim mode in a .NET MAUI application, you’ll need to configure the project settings to use the .NET IL Linker, which can help reduce the application size by trimming unused code. Here’s how you can do that:
<!-- In .csproj file -->
<PropertyGroup>
<PublishTrimmed>true</PublishTrimmed>
<TrimMode>link</TrimMode>
<TrimmerRootAssembly Include="MyApp" />
</PropertyGroup>Optimize asset management
You should focus on reducing the size of assets and leveraging platform-specific resources
<!-- In .csproj file -->
<ItemGroup>
<!-- Use platform-specific images when they differ significantly -->
<MauiImage Include="Resources\Images\logo.png" BaseSize="128,128" />
<!-- Specify which images to include for specific platforms -->
<MauiImage Update="Resources\Images\background.png" Condition="$([MSBuild]::GetTargetPlatformIdentifier('$(TargetFramework)')) == 'ios'" />
</ItemGroup>Use AOT compilation
Using Ahead-of-Time (AOT) compilation in a .NET MAUI application can improve the performance by compiling the application’s code to native binaries before execution. This reduces startup time and mitigates the performance hit that can be associated with Just-In-Time (JIT) compilation
<!-- In .csproj file -->
<PropertyGroup>
<RunAOTCompilation>true</RunAOTCompilation>
</PropertyGroup>Implement On-Demand resources
Implementing on-demand resources effectively can significantly enhance user experience by reducing initial app size and improving load times, which is particularly beneficial for large .NET MAUI applications. This makes your app more efficient resource and storage management, while potentially reducing network and server costs.
public async Task LoadModuleAsync(string moduleName)
{
if (!_loadedModules.Contains(moduleName))
{
await _resourceLoader.LoadResourcePackAsync(moduleName);
_loadedModules.Add(moduleName);
}
// Use the module resources
}Asynchronous programming
How to use Async/Await in .NET MAUI without blocking the UI
Using async/await in a .NET MAUI application effectively handles I/O operations without freezing the UI. This approach allows the main thread to remain responsive while long-running operations are performed on background threads. Here’s how you can implement it:
public async Task LoadDataAsync()
{
try
{
IsBusy = true;
// Run data fetching in background
var data = await _dataService.GetDataAsync();
// Update UI on main thread
Items = new ObservableCollection<ItemModel>(data);
}
finally
{
IsBusy = false;
}
}Implement proper cancellation
Implementing proper cancellation in your .NET MAUI application allows long-running operations to be cancelled when they are no longer needed, which can free up resources and improve responsiveness.
private CancellationTokenSource _cts;
public async Task SearchAsync(string query)
{
// Cancel previous search
_cts?.Cancel();
_cts = new CancellationTokenSource();
try
{
var results = await _searchService.SearchAsync(query, _cts.Token);
SearchResults = results;
}
catch (OperationCanceledException)
{
// Search was cancelled, ignore
}
}Data binding and MVVM optimization
Minimize property change notifications
Minimizing property change notifications is crucial for enhancing the performance of a .NET MAUI application, especially when dealing with complex UIs or data models. Excessive notifications can lead to UI lag and decreased responsiveness. Here’s how you can effectively manage and reduce them:
// Instead of individual properties triggering changes
public void UpdateAllValues(DataModel model)
{
// Batch update
IsRefreshing = true;
Title = model.Title;
Description = model.Description;
Items = model.Items;
IsRefreshing = false;
OnPropertyChanged(nameof(CanSubmit)); // Only notify what's needed
}Use compiled bindings
Using compiled bindings in a .NET MAUI application can significantly improve binding performance by reducing the overhead caused by reflection, which is often used in traditional runtime bindings. Here’s how to use compiled bindings:
<ContentPage xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/dotnet/2021/maui"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2009/xaml"
x:Class="MyApp.Views.MainPage"
xmlns:local="clr-namespace:MyApp.ViewModels"
x:DataType="local:MainViewModel">
<Label Text="{Binding Title}" />
</ContentPage>Platform-specific optimizations
Use handlers for custom rendering
In .NET MAUI, handlers are used to implement custom rendering and platform-specific optimizations for controls, providing a more flexible and performance-oriented approach to customize UI elements.
namespace YourMauiApp.Platforms.Android.Handlers
{
public class CustomButtonHandler : ButtonHandler
{
protected override void ConnectHandler(Button platformView)
{
base.ConnectHandler(platformView);
// Custom platform-specific logic
platformView.SetBackgroundColor(Android.Graphics.Color.Red);
}
}
}Conditional compilation
When implementing custom handlers, use preprocessor directives to include platform-specific logic only for the relevant platform.
public void OptimizeForPlatform(')
{
#if ANDROID
// Android-specific code
#elif IOS
// iOS-specific code
#elif WINDOWS
// Windows-specific code
#elif MACCATALYST
// macOS-specific code
#endif
}Conclusion
Building high-performance .NET MAUI applications requires a holistic approach considering UI rendering, resource management, dependency injection, app size optimization, asynchronous programming, and platform-specific optimizations. By implementing these best practices, you can ensure your applications deliver exceptional user experiences across all platforms.
Remember that performance optimization is an ongoing process. Regularly measure, test, and refine your application to maintain optimal performance as your codebase evolves and user expectations grow.
By mastering these techniques, you’ll be well-equipped to create .NET MAUI applications that work across platforms but excel in performance on each one.
Ready to build high-performance apps with ease? Explore Syncfusion’s .NET MAUI components, built to help developers like you deliver smooth, fast, and modern cross-platform experiences.
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