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Copilot Tackles .NET App Modernization and Migration to Azure in Visual Studio Tool
GitHub Copilot is targeting enterprise .NET developers looking to migrate applications to Azure. Now available in public preview, the new GitHub Copilot App Modernization for .NET extension integrates directly with Visual Studio 2022 to deliver AI-assisted assessment, remediation, and validation of legacy .NET apps.
"GitHub Copilot app modernization for .NET aims to help enterprises migrate their .NET applications to Azure with confidence and efficiency, covering assessment, code remediation, and validation, powered by the intelligence of GitHub Copilot," says the changelog, updated July 23.
[Click on image for larger view.] GitHub Copilot App Modernization (source: Microsoft).
AI-Powered Assessment and Migration
The extension evaluates an application's cloud readiness using an embedded version of AppCAT for .NET, recommending migration targets such as Azure SQL Database, Azure Blob Storage, Azure Key Vault, and Azure Service Bus. It performs an interactive scan of the codebase, surfacing modernization issues categorized by domain and maps them to appropriate Azure servicese.
Remediation Tasks Backed by Microsoft Best Practices
To accelerate code changes, the tool offers eight predefined migration tasks aligned with Microsoft's modernization guidance. These include automatic transformations to replace local file I/O with Azure Blob or File Storage, convert SMTP email implementations to Azure Communication Services, and migrate authentication to Entra ID from Windows AD.
Developers can launch code remediation directly from the Visual Studio assessment report by clicking a "Migrate" button, or by manually selecting tasks from the extension's menu. Post-migration, the tool automatically resolves any compilation errors introduced by the applied changes.
Built-In Validation and Oversight
The extension is designed with humans in the loop. Developers remain in control throughout the process, reviewing AI-suggested changes and validating them within their existing development workflow. GitHub notes that AI-generated fixes should be carefully reviewed before deployment to production environments.
Getting Started
The App Modernization extension requires Visual Studio 2022 (version 17.14.7 or newer) and a GitHub Copilot subscription on the Pro, Pro+, Business, or Enterprise tier. Once installed from the Visual Studio Marketplace, users can launch the experience from the top-level solution node or the Extensions menu.
Telemetry is collected for usage insights, but no code snippets are retained beyond the active session. For full details, Microsoft refers developers to the GitHub Copilot Product Specific Terms and its Privacy Statement.
With the preview now live, enterprise .NET teams have a new AI-powered toolset to help accelerate cloud transformation efforts without starting from scratch.
About the Author
David Ramel is an editor and writer at Converge 360.