The .NET Framework is a software development framework developed by Microsoft that provides a runtime environment and a set of libraries and tools for building and running applications on Windows operating systems². It supports a variety of programming languages, such as C#, F#, and Visual Basic, and is used to create a range of application types, including desktop, web, mobile, and gaming applications².

Key Components

Common Language Runtime (CLR)

The CLR is the core component of the .NET Framework, responsible for managing the execution of code written in any of the supported languages. It provides services such as memory management, type safety, exception handling, garbage collection, and more².

.NET Framework Class Library (FCL)