What is .NET Core?

.NET Core is a free, open-source, and cross-platform development framework created by Microsoft. It is designed to build modern, high-performance, and scalable applications that can run on different platforms, including Windows, macOS, and Linux. Here are some key aspects of .NET Core:

Cross-Platform Compatibility: Unlike the traditional .NET Framework, which primarily targets Windows, .NET Core is built from the ground up to be cross-platform. It provides a consistent development experience and runtime across various operating systems. This allows developers to write applications once and run them on different platforms without extensive modifications.

Open Source: .NET Core is an open-source framework, developed in collaboration with the community. Its source code is publicly available on GitHub, allowing developers to contribute, suggest improvements, and track its development. This open-source nature fosters innovation, transparency, and community engagement.

High Performance: .NET Core is designed to deliver high performance and scalability. It includes a new, lightweight runtime called CoreCLR, which offers improved speed and efficiency compared to the traditional .NET Framework. .NET Core also introduces new features like the RyuJIT compiler, which provides just-in-time (JIT) compilation to optimize code execution.

Modular and Lightweight: .NET Core has a modular design that allows developers to include only the necessary components for their applications. This results in smaller application sizes, reduced dependencies, and improved deployment flexibility. Developers can use NuGet packages to easily add or remove specific libraries as needed.

Unified Platform: Starting with .NET 5, Microsoft has unified the .NET platform, merging .NET Core, .NET Framework, and Xamarin into a single product called ".NET". This unified platform aims to provide a consistent set of APIs, tools, and runtime for building applications across different scenarios, including web, desktop, mobile, gaming, and IoT.

Support for Modern Workloads: .NET Core embraces modern application development patterns and workloads. It supports technologies like ASP.NET Core for building web applications, Entity Framework Core for data access, and Xamarin for cross-platform mobile app development. .NET Core also integrates well with popular development tools like Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code.

Cloud-Native Development: .NET Core is well-suited for cloud-native development and microservices architectures. It integrates seamlessly with cloud platforms like Microsoft Azure, enabling developers to build scalable, resilient, and cloud-ready applications. .NET Core provides features like support for containers, serverless computing, and distributed application patterns.

It's important to note that with the unification of .NET into a single ".NET" platform, .NET Core is becoming the primary focus for future development. Microsoft recommends using .NET Core for new projects and encourages migration from the traditional .NET Framework to .NET Core for existing applications, especially for cross-platform and modernization purposes.

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