.NET is a free, open-source, cross-platform framework developed by Microsoft for building various types of applications. It provides a comprehensive development platform that supports multiple programming languages, libraries, and tools.
timeline
title .NET Evolution
2002 : .NET Framework 1.0
: Windows Only
2010 : .NET Framework 4.0
: Enhanced Features
2014 : .NET Core 1.0
: Cross-Platform
2020 : .NET 5
: Unified Platform
2021 : .NET 6
: LTS Version
2022 : .NET 7
: Performance Focus
2023 : .NET 8
: Latest LTS
graph TD
A[.NET Ecosystem] --> B[.NET Runtime]
A --> C[Languages]
A --> D[Application Types]
A --> E[Development Tools]
B --> B1[CoreCLR]
B --> B2[Mono Runtime]
B --> B3[.NET Framework]
C --> C1[C#]
C --> C2[F#]
C --> C3[VB.NET]
C --> C4[C++/CLI]
D --> D1[Web Apps]
D --> D2[Desktop Apps]
D --> D3[Mobile Apps]
D --> D4[APIs]
D --> D5[Microservices]
D --> D6[Cloud Apps]
E --> E1[Visual Studio]
E --> E2[VS Code]
E --> E3[JetBrains Rider]
E --> E4[.NET CLI]
The .NET runtime executes applications and provides services like:
Comprehensive set of classes providing:
Multiple programming languages:
┌─────────────┬─────────────┬─────────────┐
│ Windows │ macOS │ Linux │
├─────────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┤
│ ✓ │ ✓ │ ✓ │
│ Full │ Full │ Full │
│ Support │ Support │ Support │
└─────────────┴─────────────┴─────────────┘
| Feature | Benefit |
|---|---|
| JIT Compilation | Optimized native code execution |
| Garbage Collection | Automatic memory management |
| Async Programming | Non-blocking operations |
| Multi-threading | Parallel processing support |
graph LR
A[High Productivity] --> B[IntelliSense]
A --> C[Debugging Tools]
A --> D[Package Management]
A --> E[Project Templates]
A --> F[Testing Framework]
B --> B1[Code Completion]
B --> B2[Error Detection]
C --> C1[Breakpoints]
C --> C2[Variable Inspection]
D --> D1[NuGet Integration]
D --> D2[Dependency Management]
E --> E1[Web API]
E --> E2[Console App]
E --> E3[Class Library]
F --> F1[Unit Testing]
F --> F2[Integration Testing]
// Simple Web API Controller
[ApiController]
[Route("api/[controller]")]
public class ProductsController : ControllerBase
{
[HttpGet]
public IActionResult GetProducts()
{
return Ok(new { message = "Hello from .NET API!" });
}
}
| Version | Release | LTS | EOL | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .NET 8 | Nov 2023 | ✓ | Nov 2026 | Performance, Native AOT |
| .NET 7 | Nov 2022 | ✗ | May 2024 | Performance improvements |
| .NET 6 | Nov 2021 | ✓ | Nov 2024 | MAUI, Hot Reload |
| .NET 5 | Nov 2020 | ✗ | May 2022 | Unified platform |
| .NET Core 3.1 | Dec 2019 | ✓ | Dec 2022 | Windows desktop apps |
# Download from: https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download
dotnet --version
graph LR
A[Write Code] --> B[Build]
B --> C[Test]
C --> D[Debug]
D --> E{Issues?}
E -->|Yes| A
E -->|No| F[Deploy]
F --> G[Monitor]
G --> H[Maintain]
# Create new console application
dotnet new console -n MyFirstApp
# Navigate to project
cd MyFirstApp
# Run the application
dotnet run
// Program.cs
using System;
namespace MyFirstApp
{
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
Console.WriteLine("Hello, .NET World!");
// Get user input
Console.Write("Enter your name: ");
string name = Console.ReadLine();
// Display personalized message
Console.WriteLine($"Hello, {name}! Welcome to .NET!");
}
}
}
// Person.cs
public class Person
{
public string Name { get; set; }
public int Age { get; set; }
public void Introduce()
{
Console.WriteLine($"Hi, I'm {Name} and I'm {Age} years old.");
}
}
// Program.cs
using System;
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
var person = new Person
{
Name = "John Doe",
Age = 30
};
person.Introduce();
}
}
graph TB
subgraph "Application Layer"
A1[Your Application]
A2[Third-party Libraries]
end
subgraph ".NET Runtime"
B1[Base Class Library]
B2[Runtime Services]
B3[Garbage Collector]
B4[JIT Compiler]
end
subgraph "Operating System"
C1[Windows]
C2[macOS]
C3[Linux]
end
A1 --> B1
A2 --> B1
B1 --> B2
B2 --> B3
B2 --> B4
B2 --> C1
B2 --> C2
B2 --> C3
graph LR
A[C# Source Code] --> B[IL Code]
B --> C[JIT Compiler]
C --> D[Native Machine Code]
D --> E[Execution]
style A fill:#e3f2fd
style B fill:#fff3e0
style C fill:#f3e5f5
style D fill:#e8f5e8
style E fill:#fff8e1
# Built-in help
dotnet --help
dotnet new --help
dotnet build --help
# Community resources
# - Stack Overflow: [asp.net-core], [c#], [.net]
# - Reddit: r/dotnet, r/csharp
# - Discord: .NET Community Discord
After understanding what .NET is and its benefits:
.NET is a powerful, versatile, and modern development platform that offers:
| Advantage | Description |
|---|---|
| Cross-Platform | Run on Windows, macOS, and Linux |
| High Performance | JIT compilation and optimizations |
| Rich Ecosystem | Extensive libraries and tools |
| Developer Friendly | Excellent tooling and documentation |
| Enterprise Ready | Scalable and secure applications |
| Open Source | Community-driven development |
Whether you’re building web applications, desktop software, mobile apps, or cloud services, .NET provides the tools and framework to create robust, scalable, and maintainable applications.
The combination of performance, productivity, and platform flexibility makes .NET an excellent choice for modern software development projects of any scale.