1. What is Classic ASP? (The original “ASP”)
ASP = Active Server Pages It is Microsoft’s very first technology (released around 1996–1998) to create dynamic websites.
Before ASP existed, websites were only static HTML files — same content for everyone.
With ASP you could:
- Read from database
- Show different content for different users
- Accept form submissions
- Remember user login (sessions)
- Etc.
File extension → .asp Main language inside → VBScript (sometimes JScript)
It runs on the server (IIS on Windows mostly).
Very simple first example — Hello World in Classic ASP
Create file called hello.asp
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<% Option Explicit %> <!DOCTYPE html> <html> <head> <title>My First ASP Page</title> </head> <body> <h1>Hello from ASP!</h1> <% |
‘ This is server-side code (VBScript)
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Dim name name = "Rahul" ' ← change this Response.Write "<p>Welcome, " & name & "!</p>" %> <p>Current server time is: <%= Now() %></p> </body> </html> |
What happens when browser asks for this page?
- IIS (web server) sees .asp file
- It gives the file to ASP engine
- ASP engine runs everything between <% and %>
- It replaces <%= Now() %> with actual time
- Sends back pure HTML to browser
Browser sees only normal HTML — no ASP code!
2. Classic ASP – Real Practical Example (Form + Greeting)
welcome.asp
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<%@ Language=VBScript %> <!DOCTYPE html> <html> <body> <h2>Enter your name</h2> |
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<form method="post" action="welcome.asp"> Name: <input type="text" name="username"> <input type="submit" value="Say Hello"> </form> <% If Request.Form("username") <> "" Then Dim user user = Request.Form("username") Response.Write "<h3>Hello, " & Server.HTMLEncode(user) & "!</h3>" Response.Write "<p>Length of your name = " & Len(user) & " characters</p>" End If %> </body> </html> |
This is a complete mini-app:
- Shows form
- When you submit → same page reads the name
- Greets you
- Shows name length
Very simple — but this was how millions of websites worked in 2000–2005!
3. Then Microsoft made ASP.NET (2002)
ASP.NET is not the same as classic ASP.
| Feature | Classic ASP (1998) | ASP.NET (2002+) | ASP.NET Core (2016+) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Language | VBScript / JScript | C# or VB.NET (full languages) | C# (mainly), F#, VB.NET |
| Execution | Interpreted | Compiled | Compiled |
| Performance | Slow | Much faster | Very fast (top class) |
| Platform | Only Windows | Only Windows (old) | Windows + Linux + macOS |
| Modern status | Almost dead | Still used in old companies | Current & future (recommended) |
| File extension | .asp | .aspx, .cshtml, .vbhtml | .cshtml, . razor, minimal APIs |
4. So what do people usually mean by “ASP Tutorials”?
Most of the time when someone says “ASP Tutorials” they mean:
W3Schools ASP section → https://www.w3schools.com/asp/
It teaches Classic ASP (with VBScript) because:
- Very easy to learn
- Good for understanding server-side basics
- Similar style to PHP
- Great “Try it Yourself” editor
But in real life today (2025–2026):
- New projects → use ASP.NET Core (not classic ASP)
- Old companies maintaining legacy code → still use classic ASP or old ASP.NET Web Forms / MVC
5. Quick Modern ASP.NET Core Hello World (2026 style)
If you want to see today’s version:
- Install .NET SDK (free)
- Open terminal / command prompt
- Run:
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dotnet new webapp -o MyFirstApp cd MyFirstApp dotnet run |
Then open browser → http://localhost:5000 (or 5001)
You get beautiful modern page — this is Razor Pages (modern ASP.NET).
Inside Pages/Index.cshtml:
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@page @model IndexModel @{ ViewData["Title"] = "Home page"; } <div class="text-center"> <h1 class="display-4">Welcome to ASP.NET Core!</h1> <p>Learn about building Web apps with ASP.NET Core.</p> </div> |
And code-behind Index.cshtml.cs:
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public class IndexModel : PageModel { private readonly ILogger<IndexModel> _logger; public IndexModel(ILogger<IndexModel> logger) { _logger = logger; } public void OnGet() { // Code runs when page loads } } |
Very clean, very powerful.
Summary – What should YOU learn?
- Want to understand old code or very quick server scripting? → Do W3Schools Classic ASP tutorials
- Want to make real websites/apps in 2026? → Learn ASP.NET Core (Microsoft Learn or free YouTube full courses)
- Want both basics + modern? → Start with W3Schools ASP → then move to ASP.NET Core
Any doubt? Ask me — like “show me login system in classic ASP” or “explain Razor syntax” — I will explain with full code like this only! 🚀
Happy learning!
