Oqtane Framework
Oqtane is a Modular Application Framework. It leverages Blazor, an open source and cross-platform web UI framework for building single-page apps using .NET and C# instead of JavaScript. Blazor apps are composed of reusable web UI components implemented using C#, HTML, and CSS. Both client and server code is written in C#, allowing you to share code and libraries.
Oqtane is being developed based on some fundamental principles which are outlined in the Oqtane Philosophy.
Please note that this project is owned by the .NET Foundation and is governed by the .NET Foundation Contributor Covenant Code of Conduct
Getting Started
Using Version 3:
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Install .NET 6 SDK.
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Install the latest edition (v17.0 or higher) of Visual Studio 2022 with the ASP.NET and web development workload enabled. Oqtane works with ALL editions of Visual Studio from Community to Enterprise. If you wish to use LocalDB for development ( not a requirement as Oqtane supports SQLite, mySQL, and PostgreSQL ) you must also install the Data storage and processing.
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clone the Oqtane dev branch source code to your local system. Open the Oqtane.sln solution file and Build the solution. Make sure you specify Oqtane.Server as the Startup Project and then Run the application.
Using Version 2:
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Install .NET 5 SDK.
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Install the latest edition (v16.8 or higher) of Visual Studio 2019 with the ASP.NET and web development workload enabled. Oqtane works with ALL editions of Visual Studio from Community to Enterprise. If you wish to use LocalDB for development ( not a requirement as Oqtane supports SQLite, mySQL, and PostgreSQL ) you must also install the .NET desktop development workload.
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Download a release or Clone the Oqtane source code from a v2.x Tag to your local system. Open the Oqtane.sln solution file and Build the solution. Make sure you specify Oqtane.Server as the Startup Project and then Run the application.
Using Version 1:
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Install .NET Core 3.1 SDK.
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Install Visual Studio 2019 with the ASP.NET and web development workload enabled. Oqtane works with ALL editions of Visual Studio from Community to Enterprise. If you do not have a SQL Server installation available already and you wish to use LocalDB for development, you must also install the .NET desktop development workload.
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Download a release or Clone the Oqtane source code from a v1.x Tag to your local system. Open the Oqtane.sln solution file and Build the solution. Make sure you specify Oqtane.Server as the Startup Project and then Run the application.
Installing an official release:
- A detailed set of instructions for installing Oqtane on IIS is located here: Installing Oqtane on IIS
- Instructions for upgrading Oqtane are located here: Upgrading Oqtane
Additional Instructions
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If you have already installed a previous version of Oqtane and you wish to do a clean database install, simply reset the DefaultConnection value in the Oqtane.Server\appsettings.json file to "". This will trigger a re-install when you run the application which will execute the database installation scripts.
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If you want to submit pull requests make sure you install the Github Extension For Visual Studio. It is recommended you ignore any local changes you have made to the appsettings.json file before you submit a pull request. To automate this activity, open a command prompt and navigate to the /Oqtane.Server/ folder and enter the command "git update-index --skip-worktree appsettings.json"
Video Series
- If you are getting started with Oqtane, a series of videos are available which explain how to install the product, interact with the user interface, and develop custom modules.
Documentation
There is a separate Documentation repository which contains a variety of types of documentation for Oqtane, including API documentation that is auto generated using Docfx. The contents of the repository is published to Githib Pages and is available at https://docs.oqtane.org
Roadmap
This project is a work in progress and the schedule for implementing enhancements is dependent upon the availability of community members who are willing/able to assist.
Backlog (Not Yet Assigned)
- Enhance alias concept with a tabular UI and additional configuration properties
- Allow language specification in Url (#1731)
V.3.1.0 ( Q4 2021 )
- Token based authenticaton / authorization via OAuth2 / OpenID Connect
- Provide Single Sign On (SSO) for other applications
- Authentication extensibility via Social logins / Azure B2C
- Allow configuration of password complexity for local authentication
V.3.0.0 ( Nov 11, 2021 )
- Migration to .NET 6
- Blazor hosting model flexibility per site
- Blazor WebAssembly prerendering support
V.2.3.1 ( Sep 27, 2021 )
- Complete UI migration to Bootstrap 5 and HTML5 form validation
- Improve module/theme installation and add support for commercial extensions
- Replace System.Drawing with ImageSharp
- Image resizing service
V.2.2.0 ( Jul 6, 2021 )
- Bootstrap 5 Upgrade
- Package Service integration
- Default and Shared Resource File inclusion
- Startup Error logging
- API Controller Validation and Logging
V.2.1.0 ( Jun 4, 2021 )
- Cross Platform Database Support ( ie. LocalDB, SQL Server, SQLite, MySQL, PostgreSQL ) - see #964
- Utilize EF Core Migrations - see #964
- Public Content Folder support
- Multi-tenant Infrastructure improvements
- User Authorization optimization
- Consolidation of Package Management
- Blazor Server Pre-rendering
- Translation Package installation support
V.2.0.2 ( Apr 19, 2021 )
- Assorted fixes and user experience improvements
V.2.0.1 ( Feb 27, 2021 )
- Complete Static Localization of Admin UI
V.2.0.0 ( Nov 11, 2020 - released in conjunction with .NET 5 )
- Migration to .NET 5
- Static Localization ( ie. labels, help text, etc.. )
- Improved JavaScript Reference Support
- Performance Optimizations
- Developer Productivity Enhancements
V.1.0.0 ( May 19, 2020 - released in conjunction with .NET Core 3.2 )
- Multi-Tenant ( Shared Database & Isolated Database )
- Modular Architecture
- Headless API with Swagger Support
- Dynamic Page Compositing Model / Site & Page Management
- Authentication / User Management / Profile Management
- Authorization / Roles Management / Granular Permissions
- Dynamic Routing
- Extensibility via Custom Modules
- Extensibility via Custom Themes
- Event Logging / Audit Trail
- Folder / File Management
- Recycle Bin
- Scheduled Jobs ( Background Processing )
- Notifications / Email Delivery
- Seamless Upgrade Experience
- Progressive Web Application Support
- JavaScript Lazy Loading
- Dynamic CSS/Lazy Loading
Background
Oqtane was created by Shaun Walker and is inspired by the DotNetNuke web application framework. Initially created as a proof of concept, Oqtane is a native Blazor application written from the ground up using modern .NET Core technology and a Single Page Application (SPA) architecture. It is a modular application framework offering a fully dynamic page compositing model, multi-site support, designer friendly themes, and extensibility via third party modules.
Release Announcements
Architecture
The following diagram visualizes the client and server components in the Oqtane architecture.
Databases
As of version 2.1, Oqtane supports multiple relational database providers.
Example Screenshots
Install Wizard:
Default view after installation:
A seamless login flow utilizing .NET Core Identity services:
Main view for authorized users, allowing full management of modules and content:
Content editing user experience using modal dialog:
Context menu for managing specific module on page:
Control panel for adding, editing, and deleting pages as well as adding new modules to a page:
Admin dashboard for accessing the various administrative features of the framework:
Responsive design mobile view: