Overview of .NET Framework and .NET Core

Both .NET Framework and .NET Core are software development frameworks created by Microsoft. They provide a set of tools, libraries, and components to help developers create a wide range of applications.

.NET Framework

It is introduced in 2002. The .NET Framework is a software development platform for building applications primarily for Windows. It includes a large class library, known as the Framework Class Library (FCL), and provides support for languages like C#, VB.NET, and F#.

Important Features

  1. Mainly used for Windows applications (like desktop software and websites).
  2. Includes built-in libraries to make coding easier.
  3. It works only on Windows.

.NET Core

It is introduced in 2016. .NET Core is a cross-platform version of the .NET framework. It was introduced to allow developers to create applications that can run on Windows, macOS, and Linux. It’s an open-source and more lightweight framework compared to the .NET Framework.

Important Features

  1. We can build apps for multiple operating systems.
  2. It’s faster and more modern than .NET Framework.

Differences Between .NET Framework and .NET Core

Feature
.NET Framework
.NET Core
Platform
Windows only
Cross-platform (Windows, macOS, Linux)
Applications
Windows desktop, web apps, services
Web apps, microservices, cloud apps
Performance
Good but slower than .NET Core
Faster and more optimized
Open Source
No (Mostly closed-source)
Yes (Completely open-source)
Deployment
Requires installation of the full framework
More lightweight, can be bundled with the application