What is .Net Framework?

C-Sharp/What is .Net Framework?

.Net Framework is s a technology that supports building and running Windows apps and web services. It is a free, cross-platform, open source developer platform for building many different types of applications.

With .NET, you can use multiple languages, editors, and libraries to build web, mobile, desktop, games, IoT, and more.

.Net Framework Architecture  is a programming model for the .Net platform that provides an execution environment and integration with various programming languages for simple development and deployment of various Windows applications. It be composed of class libraries and reusable components.

The basic architecture of the .Net framework

1. Language : The types of applications that can be built in the .Net framework is classified broadly into the following categories.

   WinForms – This is used for developing Forms-based applications, which would run on an end user machine. Notepad is an example of WinForms application.

   ASP.Net – This is used for developing web-based applications, which are made to run on any browser such as Internet Explorer, Chrome or Firefox.

   • The Web application would be processed on a server, which would have IIS Installed.
   • IIS(Internet Information Services ) is a Microsoft component which is used to execute an Asp.net application.
   • The result of the execution is then request to the client machines, and the output is respone in the browser.

      ADO.net : This technology is used to develop applications  interact with Databases such as Oracle or Microsoft SQL Server.

Microsoft always ensures that .Net frameworks are in compliance with all the supported Windows operating systems.

2 Class Library

The .NET Framework includes a set of standard class libraries. A class library is a collection of methods and functions that can be used for the core purpose.

Example, there is a class library with methods to handle all file-level operations. So there is a method which can be used to read the text from a file. Similarly, there is a method to write text to a file.

.Net Framework Design Principle

• Interoperability- .Net framework provides a lot of backward support.
• Portability – Applications built on the .Net framework can be made to work on any Windows platform and other Operating systems such as iOS and Linux.
• Security – .NET Framework has use a good security mechanism. The inbuilt security mechanism helps in both validation and verification of applications. Every application can explicitly define their security mechanism. Each security mechanism is used to grant the user access to the code or to the running program.
• Memory management – The .Net framework has all the capability to see resources, which are not used by a running program. It would then release those resources accordingly. This  program called Garbage Collector which runs on the  part of .Net framework. The garbage collector runs at regular intervals and keeps on checking which system resources are not utilized, and frees them in a way of appropriate to the particular circumstances.
• Simplified deployment – The .Net framework also have tools, which can be used to package applications built on the .Net framework. These packages can then be distributed to client machines. The packages would then automatically install the application.