What is .Net Framework ?

.NET Framework is a complete environment that allows developers to develop, run, and deploy the following applications:

• Console applications
• Windows Forms applications
• Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) applications
• Web applications (ASP.NET applications)
• Web services
• Windows services
• Service-oriented applications using Windows Communication Foundation (WCF)
• Workflow-enabled applications using Windows Workflow Foundation (WF)

.NET Framework also enables a developer to create sharable components to be used in distributed computing architecture. NET Framework supports the object-oriented programming model for multiple languages, such as Visual Basic, Visual C#, and Visual C++. .NET Framework supports multiple programming languages in a manner that allows language interoperability. This implies that each language can use the code written in some other language.

NET Framework provides enormous advantages to software developers in comparison to the advantages provided by other platforms. Microsoft has united various modern as well as existing technologies of software development in .NET Framework. These technologies are used by developers to develop highly efficient applications for modern as well as future business needs. The following are the key components of .NET Framework:

• .NET Framework Class Library
• Common Language Runtime
• Dynamic Language Runtimes (DLR)
• Application Domains
• Runtime Host
• Common Type System
• Metadata and Self-Describing Components
• Cross-Language Interoperability
• .NET Framework Security
• Profiling
• Side-by-Side Execution