Can I Run ASP.NET Core or .NET 8 on Windows Hosting?

Short answer: not on shared Windows Hosting at the moment. Our Windows Hosting plans run ASP.NET on the classic .NET Framework (versions 2.0 to 4.8). They don't currently include the ASP.NET Core Module (AspNetCoreModuleV2) or the .NET hosting bundle that ASP.NET Core, .NET 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 need.

This article helps you check which kind of project you have, recognise the errors a Core app produces on the platform, and choose the best way forward.

Is my project .NET Framework or .NET Core?

Blazor, Razor Pages on .NET 6+, minimal APIs and anything targeting net6.0, net8.0 or newer are ASP.NET Core.

What happens if I upload a Core app anyway?

A published ASP.NET Core app includes a web.config like this:

<configuration>
  <location path="." inheritInChildApplications="false">
    <system.webServer>
      <handlers>
        <add name="aspNetCore" path="*" verb="*" modules="AspNetCoreModuleV2" resourceType="Unspecified" />
      </handlers>
      <aspNetCore processPath="dotnet" arguments=".\MyApp.dll" hostingModel="inprocess" />
    </system.webServer>
  </location>
</configuration>

                        
                    

Because the server doesn't have that module, you will typically see one of these:

• HTTP 500.19 – Internal Server Error with “The requested page cannot be accessed because the related configuration data for the page is invalid”. IIS doesn't recognise the <aspNetCore> element.
• HTTP 500.21 “Handler aspNetCore has a bad module AspNetCoreModuleV2 in its module list”.
• Errors named 500.30, 500.31, 500.32 or 502.5 (“ANCM In-Process Start Failure”, “Failed to locate .NET runtime”, “Process Failure”). These come from the Core module itself and appear where the module exists but the right runtime isn't available.

None of these can be fixed by editing web.config or switching the app pool on shared Windows Hosting. Changing hostingModel to outofprocess or publishing as self-contained doesn't help either, because IIS still needs the Core module to start your app.

Your options

Option 1: Target .NET Framework 4.8 instead

If your app is small, or it was originally a .NET Framework project that you upgraded, building it as an ASP.NET MVC 5 / Web API 2 project on .NET Framework 4.8 lets it run on Windows Hosting. This is real porting work for a modern Core app, because the startup, dependency injection and configuration models differ. It is mainly worth it for simple sites.

Option 2: Run it on a VPS

A VPS gives you full control of the server, so you can install any .NET version. ASP.NET Core is cross-platform and runs very well on Linux: the usual setup is Ubuntu 24.04 LTS with the .NET runtime, your app running under the built-in Kestrel web server as a systemd service, and Nginx in front as a reverse proxy with a free Let's Encrypt certificate. FimuroHost offers managed and unmanaged VPS plans; see our pricing page, or ask Sales which option suits your app and whether a Windows Server VPS is available if you need one.

If your app uses MS SQL, it can still use a SQL Server database; if it uses Entity Framework Core you could also switch the provider to PostgreSQL or MySQL on the VPS.

Option 3: Split the app

Keep a .NET Framework or static front end on Windows Hosting and run only the ASP.NET Core API on a VPS. Your front end calls the API over HTTPS (remember to configure CORS on the API).

FAQ

Will .NET Core support be added to Windows Hosting?
We can't promise dates. If it becomes available we will update this article; you can also ask support for the current status.

Can I run .NET Framework 4.8 and Classic ASP side by side?
Yes. Classic ASP pages don't depend on the .NET runtime, so they work next to a 4.x site in the same package.

My host said “.NET 4.8 supported”. Is that the same as .NET 8?
No. .NET Framework 4.8 and .NET 8 are different products. The Framework line ended at 4.8.x, while “.NET” (without “Framework”) is the modern cross-platform line.

Need help?

If something doesn't work as described, open a support ticket from your client area or message us on WhatsApp at 01818160926. Tell us what framework your project targets and we will help you pick the right hosting for it.