DEV Community

Cover image for 🚀 Getting Started with Syncfusion Blazor Controls: Supercharge Your UI with Minimal Effort
Spyros Ponaris
Spyros Ponaris

Posted on • Edited on

🚀 Getting Started with Syncfusion Blazor Controls: Supercharge Your UI with Minimal Effort

Blazor has transformed the way .NET developers build web apps — and with UI libraries like Syncfusion, you can take things even further.

Whether you're building dashboards, forms, or complex data-driven UIs, Syncfusion's Blazor component suite gives you over 80+ production-ready components out of the box.

🎯 Why Use Syncfusion for Blazor?

✅ Rich UI Components — Grids, charts, schedulers, inputs, calendars, diagrams, and more.

✅ Native Blazor Support — Built from the ground up for Blazor (no JavaScript interop hacks).

✅ Performance-Oriented — Virtualization, lazy loading, paging, and efficient rendering.

✅ Professional Themes — Material, Bootstrap, Fluent, Tailwind, and custom themes supported.

✅ Responsive & Accessible — Mobile-friendly and WCAG-compliant.

💎 Key Benefits of Syncfusion Blazor Components

Rapid Development

Spend less time building controls from scratch — Syncfusion provides ready-to-go components with full customization support.

Consistency Across Projects

Unified design systems and themes ensure a consistent UI across all modules and pages in your application.

Enterprise-Grade Features

Advanced components like pivot tables, Gantt charts, PDF viewers, and Kanban boards are included — no need to piece together multiple libraries.

Built-In Globalization & Localization

Easily support multiple languages and cultures with built-in localization options.

Active Maintenance & Support

Syncfusion maintains excellent documentation, frequent updates, and dedicated tech support even for trial users.

No JavaScript Hassle

All components are written in C# and Razor — you don’t need to write JavaScript to create interactivity.

🧱 Example: Syncfusion DataGrid in Blazor

<SfGrid DataSource="@Orders">
    <GridColumns>
        <GridColumn Field=@nameof(Order.OrderID) HeaderText="Order ID" TextAlign="TextAlign.Right" Width="120"></GridColumn>
        <GridColumn Field=@nameof(Order.CustomerID) HeaderText="Customer Name" Width="150"></GridColumn>
        <GridColumn Field=@nameof(Order.OrderDate) HeaderText=" Order Date" Format="d" Type="ColumnType.Date" TextAlign="TextAlign.Right" Width="130"></GridColumn>
        <GridColumn Field=@nameof(Order.Freight) HeaderText="Freight" Format="C2" TextAlign="TextAlign.Right" Width="120"></GridColumn>
    </GridColumns>
</SfGrid>
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Enable paging

<SfGrid DataSource="@Orders" AllowPaging="true">
 <GridPageSettings PageSize="5"></GridPageSettings>
   <GridColumns>
     <GridColumn Field=@nameof(Order.OrderID) HeaderText="Order ID" TextAlign="TextAlign.Right" Width="120"></GridColumn>
     <GridColumn Field=@nameof(Order.CustomerID) HeaderText="Customer Name" Width="150"></GridColumn>
     <GridColumn Field=@nameof(Order.OrderDate) HeaderText=" Order Date" Format="d" Type="ColumnType.Date" TextAlign="TextAlign.Right" Width="130"></GridColumn>
     <GridColumn Field=@nameof(Order.Freight) HeaderText="Freight" Format="C2" TextAlign="TextAlign.Right" Width="120"></GridColumn>
   </GridColumns>
</SfGrid>
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Enable sorting

<SfGrid DataSource="@Orders" AllowPaging="true" AllowSorting="true">
 <GridPageSettings PageSize="5"></GridPageSettings>
   <GridColumns>
     <GridColumn Field=@nameof(Order.OrderID) HeaderText="Order ID" TextAlign="TextAlign.Right" Width="120"></GridColumn>
     <GridColumn Field=@nameof(Order.CustomerID) HeaderText="Customer Name" Width="150"></GridColumn>
     <GridColumn Field=@nameof(Order.OrderDate) HeaderText=" Order Date" Format="d" Type="ColumnType.Date" TextAlign="TextAlign.Right" Width="130"></GridColumn>
     <GridColumn Field=@nameof(Order.Freight) HeaderText="Freight" Format="C2" TextAlign="TextAlign.Right" Width="120"></GridColumn>
   </GridColumns>
</SfGrid>
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

🔧 How to Get Started

Install the NuGet package:

Install-Package Syncfusion.Blazor
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Register Syncfusion in Program.cs:

builder.Services.AddSyncfusionBlazor();
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Include styles in wwwroot/index.html (WASM) or _Host.cshtml (Server):

<link href="_content/Syncfusion.Blazor/themes/bootstrap5.css" rel="stylesheet" />
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Add license (optional for trial):

Syncfusion.Licensing.SyncfusionLicenseProvider.RegisterLicense("YOUR LICENSE KEY");
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

🚀 Bonus Example: Visual Task Management with SfKanban

If you're building a project management or task-tracking interface, the SfKanban component makes it easy to create a drag-and-drop task board with minimal effort.

Here's a real-world usage example that integrates nicely with MudBlazor chips to visually represent status:

<SfKanban TValue="SubTaskDto" KeyField="Status"
          DataSource="@model.SubTasks"
          AllowDragAndDrop="true"
          CssClass="custom-kanban">
    <KanbanColumns>
        <KanbanColumn HeaderText="To Do" KeyField="@(new List<string> { "Todo" })" />
        <KanbanColumn HeaderText="In Progress" KeyField="@(new List<string> { "InProgress" })" />
        <KanbanColumn HeaderText="Done" KeyField="@(new List<string> { "Done" })" />
    </KanbanColumns>

    <KanbanCardSettings HeaderField="Title" ContentField="AssignedTo">
        <Template>
            @if (context is SubTaskDto card)
            {
                <div class="card-template">
                    <div class="e-card-header-title" style="font-weight:600; font-size:1rem;">@card.Title</div>
                    <div class="e-card-content" style="font-size:0.875rem; color:#555;">
                        👤 @card.AssignedTo
                    </div>
                    <div class="e-card-content mt-1" style="font-size:0.75rem; color:#999;">
                        🆔 <code>@card.Id</code>
                    </div>
                    <div class="e-card-footer mt-1">
                        @if (card.Status == "Done")
                        {
                            <MudChip T="string" Color="Color.Success" Variant="Variant.Filled" Size="Size.Small">Done</MudChip>
                        }
                        else if (card.Status == "InProgress")
                        {
                            <MudChip T="string" Color="Color.Warning" Variant="Variant.Filled" Size="Size.Small">In Progress</MudChip>
                        }
                        else
                        {
                            <MudChip T="string" Color="Color.Default" Variant="Variant.Outlined" Size="Size.Small">To Do</MudChip>
                        }
                    </div>
                </div>
            }
        </Template>
    </KanbanCardSettings>

    <KanbanEvents TValue="SubTaskDto"
                  DragStart="OnDragStart"
                  DragStop="OnDragStop" />
</SfKanban>
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

This component setup lets users move tasks across stages like To Do, In Progress, and Done — providing a clean and interactive UX.

🧠 Pro Tip: Combine Syncfusion's rich UI controls with MudBlazor’s styling components (like MudChip) for a hybrid, modern look.

🧾 MultiSelect with Complex Data (Shipping Providers)

If you're dealing with master-detail forms or user preferences, Syncfusion’s can be a powerful way to let users choose multiple items from a structured list. In the example below, I’m using a shipping provider selector with custom templates to show both the ID and description. It binds to a list of ShippingProviderDto objects and works seamlessly with List values for form submission.

<SfMultiSelect TItem="ShippingProviderDto"
               TValue="List<int>"
               Placeholder="Επιλέξτε τρόπο αποστολής"
               CssClass="e-multi-column"
               DataSource="@ShippingProviders"
               @bind-Value="@SelectedProviderIds"
               PopupHeight="300px"
               Width="350px">

    <MultiSelectTemplates TItem="ShippingProviderDto">
        <ItemTemplate>
            <table>
                <tbody>
                    <tr>
                        <td class="e-text-center column-width">@context.Id</td>
                        <td>@context.Name</td>
                        <td>@context.Description</td>
                    </tr>
                </tbody>
            </table>
        </ItemTemplate>

        <ValueTemplate>
            <span>@context.Name - @context.Description</span>
        </ValueTemplate>
    </MultiSelectTemplates>

    <MultiSelectFieldSettings Text="Name" Value="Id" />

</SfMultiSelect>

@if (SelectedProviderIds?.Any() == true)
{
    <h6 class="mt-3">📦 Επιλεγμένοι τρόποι αποστολής:</h6>
    <ul>
        @foreach (var selectedId in SelectedProviderIds)
        {
            var provider = ShippingProviders.FirstOrDefault(p => p.Id == selectedId);
            if (provider is not null)
            {
                <li><b>@provider.Name:</b> @provider.Description</li>
            }
        }
    </ul>
}

@code {
    private List<ShippingProviderDto> ShippingProviders = new();
    private List<int> SelectedProviderIds = new();

    public class ShippingProviderDto
    {
        public int Id { get; set; }
        public string Name { get; set; }
        public string Description { get; set; }
    }
}
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

This binds a list of **ShippingProviderDto **objects and uses List as the selected value. It supports custom rendering and works great with back-end operations.

✅ Contact Selection Dropdown with Filtering

This SfDropDownList allows users to select a contact by name and description, supports filtering, and binds by the contact's Id for stability and performance.

@* Syncfusion DropDownList to select a Contact *@
<SfDropDownList TItem="ContactDto"                   @* The item type of the dropdown list *@
                TValue="int"                          @* The type of the selected value (Contact Id) *@
                DataSource="@Contacts"                @* The list of contact objects to populate the dropdown *@
                Placeholder="Select Contact"          @* Placeholder text when no item is selected *@
                @bind-Value="_selectedContactId"      @* The bound value - stores the selected contact's Id *@
                AllowFiltering="true"                 @* Enables user input for searching/filtering *@
                FilterType="FilterType.Contains"      @* Filtering logic: matches any part of the text *@
                CssClass="e-outline e-primary"        @* Styling classes (outline appearance, primary color) *@
                PopupHeight="300px">                  @* Maximum height of the dropdown popup *@

    @* Maps which fields to use for text display and value binding *@
    <DropDownListFieldSettings Text="FullLabel" Value="Id" />

    @* Custom template for each dropdown item (displays name and description) *@
    <DropDownListTemplates TItem="ContactDto">
        <ItemTemplate>
            @($"{context.Name} {context.Description}")
        </ItemTemplate>
    </DropDownListTemplates>
</SfDropDownList>
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

✅ Code-behind (or @code block):

// Contact data model
public class ContactDto
{
    public int Id { get; set; }              // Unique identifier for each contact
    public string Name { get; set; }         // Name to display
    public string Description { get; set; }  // Additional context (e.g., title, type)

    // Combines name and description into one label
    public string FullLabel => $"{Name} {Description}";
}

// Dropdown data source
private List<ContactDto> Contacts = new();

// Selected contact's ID (used for binding)
private int _selectedContactId;

// Optional: get the selected Contact object based on the ID
private ContactDto? SelectedContact =>
    Contacts.FirstOrDefault(c => c.Id == _selectedContactId);
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

🔍 Features Enabled:

🔄 Two-way binding on contact selection via _selectedContactId

🔍 Searchable dropdown with Contains filter

🧱 Custom item template showing name + description

🎨 Syncfusion theme styling with e-outline e-primary

https://blazor.syncfusion.com/documentation/dropdown-list/getting-started-with-web-app

💡 Final Thoughts

If you're developing enterprise-grade applications with Blazor, Syncfusion can seriously cut down dev time while maintaining quality and performance. With full documentation, examples, and a responsive support team, it’s one of the most mature UI solutions available for Blazor today.

📚 References

🔗 Syncfusion Blazor Components Overview

🔗 Getting Started with Blazor Components

🔗 Blazor DataGrid Documentation

🔗 NuGet Package - Syncfusion.Blazor

🔗 Syncfusion Theme Studio

🔗 Blazor Live Demos

🔗 Free Trial & Licensing Info

Top comments (2)

Collapse
 
tim_tsamis profile image
Timoleon Tsamis •

Thanks for the clear explanations! The DataGrid example was super helpful. Would love to see a follow-up on customization tips or integrating with real-time data sources.

Collapse
 
stevsharp profile image
Spyros Ponaris •

Thank you, I’m really glad the example was helpful!
Great idea on the follow-up and customization and real-time integration are definitely key topics. I’ll work on a part two focusing on Syncfusion DataGrid customization tips and connecting it to live data sources like SignalR or APIs. Stay tuned!