What should I consider when choosing a dependency injection framework for .NET
It's hard to answer which framework is 'best', but I can tell you which framework is the easiest: The Simple Injector:
The Simple Injector is an easy-to-use Inversion of Control library for .NET and Silverlight. It solely supports code-based configuration and is an ideal starting point for developers unfamiliar with larger IoC / DI libraries
http://simpleinjector.codeplex.com/
Shameless plug btw ;-)
FYI, just this morning I came across an interesting comparison between all the .NET IoC containers here:
http://elegantcode.com/2009/01/07/ioc-libraries-compared/
A handful of questions:
- How much mainstream support do you need? Spring is probably the biggest one out there. Everyone has used it or has heard of it by now, so lots of info. It also probably has the largest number of features, but that means there's just more to learn. A smaller container like Autofac might be nice, but you might come across an issue you won't find help on.
- Are you handy with XML configuration? Every IoC container relies on configuration and setup of some sort. Spring and Unity are XML heavy.
- Is this a permanent choice? If you are at one of those places where you only get one shot at a choice, it won't matter. But, if you ever want to choose another solution down the road, you probably don't want an IoC that requires you to attribute your classes (sorta the inverse of the above question) because you'll hate yourself when you have to rip all that stuff out. In comparison, wrapping out some XML config might not be as painful.
- What's your shop like? I had trouble pitching a couple of open source options just because of the "gasp! it's not Microsoft!" reactions. If you're a straight MS shop, using Unity will be a much easier cultural win.
On a personal note:
I've used StructureMap for the same reasons mentioned in the blog I linked. I think XML config is a giant pain to maintain and, especially, debug (see WCF). I haven't tried Ninject yet, but based on their marketing, it must be super rad!