.NET Core Overview

.NET Core is a free, open-source, general-purpose development platform developed by Microsoft. It is the cross-platform successor to the traditional .NET Framework, designed to run on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

.NET Core can be used to build a wide variety of applications, including:

• Mobile apps

• Desktop applications

• Web applications

• Cloud services

• IoT solutions

• Machine learning applications

• Microservices

• Games and more

The framework is modular, lightweight, and optimized for performance, making it ideal for building fast and scalable applications. It includes only the core features needed to run basic .NET Core apps, while additional functionality is provided via NuGet packages. This modularity helps improve performance, reduce memory footprint, and simplify maintenance.

Evolution of .NET Core

After the release of .NET Core 3.1, Microsoft rebranded .NET Core as .NET 5, marking a unified platform that combines .NET Core, .NET Framework, and Xamarin.

Why .NET Core?

The traditional .NET Framework had some key limitations:

• It was Windows-only, meaning it couldn’t run on macOS or Linux.

• It required different APIs for different types of Windows devices (e.g., Windows Desktop, Windows Phone, Web apps).

• As a machine-wide framework, changes to .NET Framework affected all applications relying on it.

With the growth of multi-device and cloud-based applications, there was a need for a single framework that could run across platforms and devices. .NET Core was built to address these challenges, offering a cross-platform, open-source framework that can be used for a broad range of applications—from data centers to touch-based devices.

.NET Core Version History

After .NET Core 3.1, the name .NET Core was dropped, and the framework was renamed to .NET 5, marking the start of a unified platform. .NET 5 and later versions unify .NET Core, .NET Framework, and Xamarin, allowing developers to build applications across various platforms using a single, consistent API.

Key Characteristics of .NET Core

Open-Source

.NET Core is an open-source framework, maintained by Microsoft and available on GitHub under MIT and Apache 2.0 licenses. You can explore, download, and contribute to the framework.

• The .NET Home Repository provides a central location for .NET resources.

• The .NET Core Repository contains the core source code.

Cross-Platform

.NET Core runs seamlessly on Windows, macOS, and Linux, with a runtime for each platform that ensures consistent behavior across operating systems.

Consistent Across Architectures

It supports various instruction set architectures such as x64, x86, and ARM, ensuring consistent execution across different hardware platforms.

Wide Range of Applications

.NET Core can be used to develop applications in various domains:

• Mobile (using Xamarin)

• Web (ASP.NET Core)

• Cloud (Azure-based solutions)

• IoT (Internet of Things)

• Machine Learning (ML.NET)

• Microservices

• Games (using Unity)

Supports Multiple Languages

.NET Core supports multiple programming languages, including:

• C#

• F#

• Visual Basic

You can develop applications using your preferred IDE, such as Visual Studio 2017/2019, Visual Studio Code, or even text editors like Sublime Text, Vim, etc.

Modular Architecture

.NET Core uses a modular architecture, meaning it includes only the essential components in the base runtime. Additional features are provided as NuGet packages, which can be added based on your application's requirements.

This modularity reduces the memory footprint, increases performance, and makes maintenance easier.

CLI Tools

.NET Core comes with command-line interface (CLI) tools that support development, debugging, and continuous integration. These tools make it easier to manage project creation, build processes, and testing.

Flexible Deployment

.NET Core applications can be deployed in various ways:

• User-wide

• System-wide

• Docker Containers

This flexibility makes it easier to deploy applications in different environments, from local machines to cloud infrastructure.

Compatibility

.NET Core is compatible with .NET Framework and Mono APIs through the .NET Standard specification. This ensures that code written for .NET Framework can be reused in .NET Core applications.

High Performance

.NET Core has been optimized for performance, with features like Just-In-Time (JIT) compilation, which translates code into machine instructions at runtime. This improves execution speed and performance.

Unified Platform

Starting with .NET 5, Microsoft unified .NET Core, .NET Framework, and Xamarin into a single platform called .NET. This unified platform provides consistent APIs and runtime behavior, allowing developers to build applications for a variety of platforms using a single framework.

Conclusion

.NET Core is a modern, modular, cross-platform framework designed for building high-performance applications. Its flexibility, high performance, and support for various platforms make it ideal for a wide range of application types, from web apps to microservices, mobile solutions, and machine learning applications.

With the release of .NET 5 and beyond, Microsoft has unified the platform, offering developers a powerful and consistent environment to build, deploy, and scale applications across multiple platforms.