ASP.net: Website or web application project

Question

Is there any difference between website and web application project? What if you are working on a project that is sort of hybrid of site and application? which project shoul

Answer 1

As for which project to choose, I would go with the Web Application Project, regardless of size. Having all of your code behind compile down into a single DLL is a major benefit for maintenance and security on the hosting end. I know there are precompile options for web site projects, but they seemed like more trouble that it was worth for me.

I know that the IIS filters are in place to prevent users from accessing your .vb or .cs files, but it still makes me a little leery.

But more important to this is the nice fact that if you make a bunch of coding changes, or maybe add some classes and change the processing logic, the only thing you have to merge up is the compiled DLL and nothing else. Similarly, if you do a few UI changes (say change the stylesheet or position of a few controls), you don't have to worry about recompiling the application, you simply bring over the update .aspx page and you're done.