10 C# Libraries To Save You Time And Energy

In the fast-paced world of .NET development, efficiency is key. Instead of reinventing the wheel for every project, many developers rely on trusted C# libraries to handle repetitive or complex functionality. In this article, we’ll explore ten powerful libraries, as presented by Tim Corey in his video “10 C# Libraries To Save You Time And Energy.” This article from the video aims to help you understand how each .NET library can enhance your development workflow.

Whether you're working on a console app, web application, or mobile project, these tools can boost productivity and ensure high performance across your .NET applications.

SharpZipLib – Advanced Compression in .NET Projects

Tim introduces SharpZipLib as an essential C# library for managing compressed files. While .NET includes basic support for zip files, SharpZipLib goes much further by supporting formats like gzip, tar, bzip2, and others. This is invaluable when working with large datasets, backups, FTP transfers, or archiving within enterprise systems.

"You can do it all inside C# using this library—very easy to use." — Tim Corey

In Visual Studio, you can add it via a NuGet package, making it seamless to integrate into any class library project or console application. It’s fully compatible with .NET Standard and supports cross-platform use, enabling developers to build versatile and scalable applications.

FluentEmail – Streamlined Email Sending for .NET Developers

At [4:06], Tim presents FluentEmail, a .NET library that simplifies email integration in C# code. With support for SMTP, SendGrid, MailGun, MailTrap, and more, this package makes sending templated HTML emails as simple as calling a method.

“This basic usage right here—it can't get much simpler than that.” — Tim Corey

This tool is ideal for e-commerce platforms and enterprise applications that require user notifications or password resets. It supports extension methods for cleaner syntax and offers full support for templating and attachments. It's an excellent choice when starting a new project in ASP.NET or a desktop app.

MailKit – Secure and Full-Featured Email Client Library

For developers needing more advanced features or enterprise-level encryption, Tim recommends MailKit at [5:29]. It supports IMAP, POP3, SMTP, and authentication standards like OAuth2, making it suitable for complex .NET Core and .NET Framework implementations.

“If you need more in-depth email, that’s where MailKit comes into play.” — Tim Corey

Built on MimeKit, it supports cross-platform development and works well in both console applications and web services. This is especially useful for building email clients or integrating with third-party APIs like Microsoft Outlook.

Papercut SMTP – Local Email Testing Without Sending Emails

At [6:16], Tim shares one of his favorite tools—Papercut SMTP. This lightweight desktop app mimics an SMTP server on localhost, allowing you to capture emails sent during testing.

“It acts as the SMTP server and an email client... so you can test to your heart’s content.” — Tim Corey

Papercut helps unit testing email features without the risk of sending real messages. It's a must-have tool during continuous integration workflows and is compatible with FluentEmail, MailKit, or any other class library that sends emails.

EPPlus – Excel File Integration for Business Apps

Excel is still king in many industries, and at [8:58], Tim recommends EPPlus for reading and writing Excel files within .NET applications. It's a great solution for generating reports, dashboards, or importing data from users.

“This is a way to integrate your C# applications with Excel.” — Tim Corey

While EPPlus recently shifted to a Polyform non-commercial license, it remains free for non-commercial use. The library is ideal for enterprise software, financial tools, and reporting dashboards. Developers can manipulate Excel workbooks directly from their .NET code, saving time and eliminating dependency on Microsoft Office automation.

Hangfire – Background Jobs and Scheduling in .NET

Tim introduces Hangfire at [11:56] as a versatile job scheduling library for automating background tasks such as:

• Backing up databases

• Generating reports

• Cleaning logs

• Zipping files with SharpZipLib

“This tool can help you process [business repetition] and not have to write your own engine.” — Tim Corey

Hangfire integrates seamlessly into web apps and services, supports retries, and includes a powerful dashboard UI. It's perfect for developers working with ASP.NET Core who want to queue tasks, run delayed jobs, or execute recurring operations without relying on Windows Task Scheduler.

MassTransit – Abstracting Messaging Queues for Cross-Platform Apps

At [16:21], Tim talks about MassTransit, a library that abstracts away differences between messaging systems like RabbitMQ and Azure Service Bus. It simplifies communication between microservices by standardizing message formats.

“It allows you to switch between systems much more easily.” — Tim Corey

If you're working on distributed systems, cloud-native apps, or using service buses, MassTransit offers flexibility and full support for common .NET platforms. It's a great choice for modern, decoupled architectures and microservices using .NET Standard.

Polly – Fault Handling and Resilience for .NET Applications

At [18:39], Tim covers Polly, a fault-handling library that offers retry policies, circuit breakers, timeouts, and fallbacks—perfect for enhancing the robustness of your application.

“These are the things you’d have to write in your own code… Polly handles it.” — Tim Corey

For example, you can configure a retry mechanism for API calls or database queries that fail due to temporary network issues. Polly is a must-have for mission-critical systems that interact with unreliable external services. It works with any .NET application and improves system reliability with minimal code.

Serilog – Structured Logging for .NET Developers

At [22:12], Tim introduces Serilog, a popular logging library that brings structured logging to .NET. Unlike traditional logs stored as plain text, Serilog captures rich, queryable data.

“Structured logging allows you to store pieces as searchable, unique objects.” — Tim Corey

You can log to the console, text files, databases, and more using sinks. It's great for debugging .NET applications and supports JSON, making it ideal for analytics platforms. Serilog integrates easily with Visual Studio and supports all major .NET versions.

Seq – Visual Log Analysis for .NET Codebases

Finally, at [26:06], Tim discusses Seq, a powerful log analysis platform designed to work with Serilog. It transforms logs into actionable dashboards, making it easier to identify performance issues, trace bugs, or monitor usage patterns.

“Logs are not useful if you don’t read them… Seq helps you read more.” — Tim Corey

Seq offers filtering, visualization, and time-based analysis—perfect for large enterprise systems with lots of logging data. It’s an essential tool for improving debugging, monitoring, and continuous integration strategies.

Final Words from Tim Corey

At [31:30], Tim wraps up with practical advice:

“Don’t reinvent the wheel. Use the tools others have built and refined.” — Tim Corey

These libraries aren’t just about saving time—they help you write better, more secure, and more maintainable code. Whether you're building a class library, a console window tool, or a web API, these tools allow you to focus on business logic while relying on proven, community-supported solutions.

Summary of Libraries

By following Tim’s video and expert advice and incorporating these libraries into your next .NET project, you'll be well on your way to building reliable, scalable, and high-performance software.

If you’re a C# or .NET developer aiming to level up your development game, this list is your roadmap.