Difference Between WPF and Silverlight

July 2023 ยท 5 minute read

The applications that are used on an everyday basis are made by the app developers. The app developers spend much time designing these frameworks. Every company has a different database and framework for its application. There is always a framework for the features.

The two such platforms are WPF and Silverlight. Both are produced by Microsoft designed in different platforms and languages. Here are some differences between them to make one understand the development made in both frameworks.

WPF vs Silverlight

The main difference between the WPF and Silverlight is that the WPF has many extended features for Windows. On the other hand, the Silverlight has an absence. This makes the Silverlight a few steps backward to that of the WPF. Silverlight also does not support many applications like Google Chrome, Firefox, etc.

The full form of WPF is Windows Presentation Foundation. This is a platform developed by the .NET foundation. The main author of this foundation is Microsoft. This program is written in C#, C++, and C.

Silverlight is used for making a web-based application. These are normally used for desktops and not mobile phones. The popular Android and iOS are not provided by the Silverlight operating system, which allows this to get operated in Windows, Mac OS, and Symbian OS. This was designed in programming languages like JavaScript, C#, C++, etc.

Comparison Table Between WPF and Silverlight

Parameters of ComparisonWPFSilverlight
Used forWPF is mainly used for creating desktop applications.Silverlight is used for making web-based application.
FeaturesWPF has extended support for the advanced features of Windows OS. Some of these features are: 3D, complete documentation, support, and hardware support.Silverlight has no features for Window OS like 3D, complete documentation, support, and hardware support.
Data binding propertiesWPF includes an extensive collection of data binding properties.Silverlight does not support all data binding properties like WPF.
CommandsRouted command feature is available in WPF where all the commands are linked with a common property called Command.Routed commands or command property is not available in Silverlight.
Input binding supportInput binding support is allowed in WPF.Input binding support is not allowed in Silverlight.

What is WPF?

The full form of WPF is Windows Presentation Foundation. This is a platform developed by the .NET foundation. The main author of this foundation is Microsoft. This program is written in C#, C++, and C. This was first released on 21 November 2016. The Windows Presentation Foundation is an open-source graphical subsystem.

The WPF provides routed commands to the developers. All the commands used are linked to the other using a property called Command. The developers can use this set to develop their own programs. The Windows Presentation Foundation platform also supports binding input support.

Another advantage of WPF is that it has an extensive collection of data binding properties. These data binding properties help the developers to manipulate the program as per needs. There are mainly four kinds of data binding properties available. These are one way, one time, two way, and one way to the source. 

The 3D feature allows the display screen to have more complex graphics and better custom themes. This feature also allows transferring some workload to the GPU, which relieves the CPU from the huge workload. 

What is Silverlight?

Silverlight is a framework of the application which are used for running rich web applications. Silverlight is also a product of Microsoft. The operating system which allows this to get operated is Windows, Mac OS, and Symbian OS. This was designed in programming languages like JavaScript, C#, C++, etc. this is discontinued from the year 2019 onwards.

Silverlight is used for making web-based applications. These are normally used for desktops and not mobile phones. The popular Android and iOS are not provided by Silverlight. The earlier versions of Silverlight focused on streaming media, whereas the latest versions were mainly focused on graphics and animations.

Microsoft has also terminated the license for the Internet explorer for the Silverlight. This also has no plug-in for the Microsoft edge and also does not get supported for Google Chrome since 2015 and Firefox from 2017. 

Due to the absence of many features in Silverlight, this slowly became underrated, so the company decided to stop this framework application. The modern-day framework applications are much more advanced in comparison to Silverlight. So this framework is now not available to use.

Main Differences Between WPF and Silverlight

  • The main use of WPF is for making desktop applications. On the other hand, Silverlight is used for making a web-based application.
  • WPF has some extra features when it comes to the point of Windows operating system in comparison to that Silverlight has no features for Windows OS like 3D, complete documentation, support, and hardware support.
  • WPF includes an amazing collection of data binding properties, but in contrast to that, Silverlight does not support all data binding properties like WPF. Some properties that are not supported are Element Name, Relative Source, Update Source Trigger
  • Routed command feature is available in WPF, where all the commands are linked with a common property called Command. On the other hand, Silverlight does not provide routed commands or command property. Silverlight provides only an interface called ICommand.
  • WPF provides binding input support, but in comparison to that, Silverlight does not provide binding input support.
  • Conclusion 

    There are different features present in the WPF and Silverlight. They were developed for different purposes. The WPF is still in use, but the Silverlight is dead now due to many reasons. There are many backlogs of Silverlight. Some properties that are not supported in Silverlight are Element Name, Relative Source, Update Source Trigger. On the other hand, the WPF is reaching the peaks of success. So the Windows Presentation Foundation is run in the present time, and the Silverlight is out of the market.

    References 

  • https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=558i6t1dKEAC&oi=fnd&pg=PR11&dq=wpf&ots=g1rkDGERLN&sig=3LxMnO25NW1tzRwgtkrjo4dqnvw
  • https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=MZKIjKV3kX4C&oi=fnd&pg=PR1&dq=wpf&ots=4iFoDG_gQV&sig=KjSu6yiiwxm9t6zFbWzGCWaBf2g
  • ncG1vNJzZmiZo6Cur8XDop2fnaKau6SxjZympmeUnrOnsdGepZydXZeytcPEnqVmr6CbeqK6w2aqoqSmmr%2Bttcahq2g%3D