.NET MAUI guide: Complete overview + demo

.NET Multi-platform App UI (MAUI) is an open-source, cross-platform framework by Microsoft designed for building mobile and desktop applications using C# and XAML, and it serves as an evolution of its predecessor, Xamarin.Forms. It enables developers to create applications that run on iOS, macOS, Android, and Windows from a single shared codebase, with improved performance and scalability through features like XAML and .NET hot reloads, native API access, and optimized UI controls. .NET MAUI's architecture is based on the Model-View-Update (MVU) pattern, which streamlines UI development, and it supports asynchronous programming, hardware acceleration, and both JIT and AOT compilation to enhance app performance. While it offers a more comprehensive development experience compared to Xamarin.Forms, it is still considered less mature than popular alternatives like Flutter and React Native, particularly in terms of community support and third-party library compatibility. The framework allows developers to leverage existing .NET tools and libraries, and it provides a smooth migration path for existing Xamarin.Forms projects. The guide discusses the setup, architecture, performance optimizations, and practical application of .NET MAUI, offering a step-by-step tutorial on building a demo app that includes features like HTTP service integration and UI navigation.