What is .NET?

What .NET is

.NET is an open source development platform from Microsoft for building web, desktop, mobile, and cloud apps, mainly in C#. It is fast, well supported, and common in business systems, especially on Windows.

Microsoft released the first version, .NET Framework, in 2002 together with the C# language. It ran only on Windows and was closed source. For many years it was the standard way to build Windows desktop programs and business web apps with ASP.NET.

In 2016 Microsoft released .NET Core, a rewritten version that is open source and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. In 2020 the Core name was dropped and the platform became simply .NET, starting with .NET 5. A new major version now comes out each year, with long term support on alternating releases.

How .NET works

.NET is a platform, not a single language. You write code in C#, F# or Visual Basic, and the compiler turns it into a shared format called Intermediate Language, or IL. When the program runs, the runtime, known as the CLR, converts that IL into machine code for the computer it is on. This is called just-in-time compilation.

The runtime also manages memory for you through garbage collection, which removes objects that are no longer used. A large base class library supplies ready-made code for files, networking, text, collections and more. Extra libraries are installed as NuGet packages.

On top of this base sit frameworks for different kinds of apps. ASP.NET Core builds websites and web APIs, Blazor builds interactive web interfaces in C#, .NET MAUI builds mobile and desktop apps, and WPF and Windows Forms build Windows desktop software. Entity Framework Core connects C# code to databases. The dotnet command line tool creates, builds and runs projects.

Key features of .NET

• C# language

  A modern, statically typed language that catches many mistakes before the program runs. It is also the scripting language of the Unity game engine.

• ASP.NET Core

  A fast web framework for building websites, REST APIs and realtime services. It runs on Windows and Linux servers.

• Cross-platform runtime

  Modern .NET apps run on Windows, macOS and Linux, and work well in Docker containers.

• Strong tooling

  Visual Studio, Visual Studio Code and JetBrains Rider offer debugging, refactoring and code completion. The dotnet CLI covers everything from a terminal.

• NuGet packages

  The NuGet package manager provides a large collection of libraries for databases, logging, testing, cloud services and more.

• Long term support

  Selected releases receive fixes for several years. This suits businesses that want a stable base and predictable upgrades.

When to use .NET

.NET compared with alternatives

How to start learning .NET

1. 01Install the .NET SDK from dotnet.microsoft.com and run dotnet --version to confirm it.
2. 02Create and run a first program with dotnet new console and dotnet run.
3. 03Learn C# basics such as types, classes, methods and collections using the free tutorials on Microsoft Learn.
4. 04Build a small web API with dotnet new webapi and test its endpoints in a browser.
5. 05Connect the API to a database with Entity Framework Core and make a simple to-do or inventory service.

What .NET costs

.NET is free and open source under the MIT license, including for commercial use. Visual Studio Code is free, and Visual Studio has a free Community edition with paid editions for larger organizations. Check the official pricing page for Visual Studio licensing.

How DATAL Projects uses .NET

.NET is part of our software development work in the Philippines. Common uses:

• Windows desktop software
• Business backends and APIs
• Integrations with existing company systems

Common questions about .NET