Introduction
Open-source software development frameworks like .NET Core and .NET Framework are used by developers, as they make software selection and authentication simpler. Microsoft .NET Core is a widely used free computer software framework released in June 2016 as an upgrade to the .NET Framework. It can run on Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems. Its predecessor, the .NET Framework, is only compatible with Windows.
What are the key differences between .NET Core and .NET Framework? When should you choose .NET Core and .NET Framework? Has .Net Core replaced .NET Framework? Read on to learn more.
The .NET Ecosystem
Microsoft released the .NET Framework in 2002. Since then, there have been periodic update releases. The latest, .NET 8, was released in November 2023, and .NET 9 is expected to be released in November 2024.
The Microsoft .NET Platform comprises a vast collection of tools, frameworks, libraries, and services. The platform offers everything that a developer needs to build a variety of applications for web, mobile, desktop, and cloud-based services. After the initial launch of Microsoft .NET in February 2002, many versions have been announced to improve the platform and its support for developers.
The .NET ecosystem consists of some of the most popular technologies that help developers build a variety of applications for mobile, web, and desktop. Let’s take a look at a few components of the.NET ecosystem:
- CLR (Common Language Runtime): CLR helps you execute .NET programs in many supported languages. With the help of CLR, developers can move a program compiled for the CLR to any system with Windows 2000 or Windows XP. After you have collated programs written in C#, Visual Basic, or Visual C++ into the Common Intermediate Language (CIL), CLR will manage and execute these programs. Features such as memory management, exception handling, and garbage collection make the CLR a vital part of .NET.
- .NET Framework: It is mainly used for Windows desktop applications and older web applications. .NET Framework consists of tools and programming languages that help developers run various software applications on Windows. Its Framework Class Library (FCL) is a comprehensive library.
- .NET Core (Now .NET 5+): It is a cross-platform framework that gives a modern touch to .NET. With .NET Core, developers code once and execute anywhere, as it is compatible with all the platforms. We will discuss .NET Framework and .NET Core in detail in the later sections. .NET 5 has the same features as .NET Core but is an upgrade to all earlier versions of .NET Core.
- ASP.NET: It allows the creation of web applications and web APIs. Developers use ASP.NET to build dynamic and interactive web applications.
- Xamarin: If you build cross-platform mobile applications for iOS, Android, and macOS, you are familiar with Xamarin’s set of tools and libraries that help you share code between platforms.
Apart from the above, the other components and elements that make the .NET ecosystem a reliable environment are:
- Blazor
- Visual Studio
- Microsoft Azure
- NuGet
- Community and Third-Party Libraries
- Open-Source Initiatives
What is .NET Core?
.NET Core is a lightweight, open-source, and cross-platform framework for modern application development. While its predecessor, .NET Framework, can be used only to build web applications, desktop applications, and microservices for Windows, .NET Core applications work on Windows, Linux, and macOS.
Microsoft launched .NET Core in November 2014. It took 12 years to announce something new after .NET Framework because Microsoft wanted to build a better product. It is not a new version of .NET Framework but an independent runtime in the .NET ecosystem.
Features of .NET Core
- Free and open source: .NET Core is a free and open-source code project available on GitHub. Developers around the world can use it to build applications and fix bugs and issues to improve its features. .NET Core codes are accessible in central repositories, which makes it seamless to work with.
- Cross-platform and fast: .NET Core was written from scratch, and this makes it possible for developers to deliver apps quickly using .NET Core. Also, its architecture is consistently compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems. It can be imported and used on multiple platforms as libraries and assemblies can be imported.
- Modern and shareable: Today, businesses and organizations need modern, state-of-the-art applications that help them function on multiple platforms. For example, an e-commerce business requires a shopping app that can be used by shoppers across devices. .NET Core helps developers build high-performance, scalable apps that can run everywhere.
- Lightweight and user-friendly: .NET Core allows users a lot of flexibility while working, which makes it user-friendly. For instance, it is compatible with .NET Framework, Xamarin, and Mono through .NET Standard. In addition, you can use only the components required to build your application, which makes it modular and lightweight.
.NET Core Versions
| .Net Core Versions | Support | Latest release | Latest release date | End of Life date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Active (LTS) | 8.0.0 | 11/14/2023 | 11/10/2026 |
| 7 | Maintenance | 7.0.14 | 11/14/2023 | 5/14/2024 |
| 6 | Active (LTS) | 6.0.25 | 11/14/2023 | 11/12/2024 |
| 5 | End of Life | 5.0.17 | 5/10/2022 | 5/10/2022 |
| 3.1 | End of Life (LTS) | 3.1.32 | 12/13/2022 | 12/13/2022 |
| 3 | End of Life | 3.0.3 | 2/18/2020 | 3/3/2020 |
| 2.2 | End of Life | 2.2.8 | 11/19/2019 | 12/23/2019 |
| 2.1 | End of Life (LTS) | 2.1.30 | 8/19/2021 | 8/21/2021 |
| 2 | End of Life | 2.0.9 | 7/10/2018 | 10/1/2018 |
| 1.1 | End of Life(LTS) | 1.1.13 | 5/14/2019 | 6/27/2019 |
| 1 | End of Life(LTS) | 1.0.16 | 5/14/2019 | 6/27/2019 |
Source- VerisonOf.Net
What is .NET Framework?
.NET Framework was released by Microsoft in 2002 as the first .NET framework that offered interoperability with other apps. .NET Framework is also an open-source platform that consists of tools, programming languages, and libraries for building many different types of applications. It supports around 60 programming languages, including C#, F#, and Visual Basic.
.NET Framework is known as the original implementation of .NET. It supports running websites, services, desktop apps, and more, specifically for Windows. Let’s look at the two major components of the .NET Framework.
.NET Core vs .NET Framework
Key differences between .NET Core and .NET Framework. Has .Net Core replaced .NET Framework? Scope of .NET Core in future. Read more in detail
PublishedDecember 11, 2023
Category.NET Core and .NET Framework difference
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