Welcome to .NET

.NET is a free, cross-platform, open-source developer platform for building many different types of applications. With .NET, you can create web applications, services, desktop applications, mobile apps, IoT apps, machine learning models, and more. It is developed by Microsoft and a large community of contributors.

Getting Started with .NET

To begin developing with .NET, you'll need to install the .NET SDK. The SDK includes the .NET runtime, libraries, and tools needed to build and run applications.

Steps:

  1. Download the latest .NET SDK from the official .NET download page.
  2. Follow the installation instructions for your operating system (Windows, macOS, Linux).
  3. Verify your installation by opening a terminal or command prompt and running: dotnet --version
  4. Create your first application: dotnet new console -o MyConsoleApp cd MyConsoleApp dotnet run

Key Features of .NET

  • Cross-Platform: Run your applications on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
  • High Performance: .NET is designed for speed and efficiency.
  • Modern Languages: Supports C#, F#, and Visual Basic with rich features.
  • Unified Platform: A single SDK, runtime, and set of base libraries for all workloads.
  • Open Source: Driven by community contributions and transparent development.
  • Cloud-Native: Excellent support for building and deploying cloud applications.

Supported Platforms

.NET applications can be deployed and run on a variety of platforms, including:

  • Windows (x86, x64, ARM64)
  • macOS (x64, ARM64)
  • Linux (various distributions, x64, ARM64)
  • Containers (Docker)
  • WebAssembly (via Blazor)

The .NET Ecosystem

The .NET ecosystem extends beyond the core platform with a rich set of tools and frameworks:

  • ASP.NET Core: For building modern, cloud-based, internet-connected applications.
  • Blazor: For building interactive web UIs using C# with .NET.
  • MAUI: For building native cross-platform applications for mobile and desktop from a single codebase.
  • Entity Framework Core: An object-relational mapper for .NET.
  • ML.NET: A cross-platform, open-source machine learning framework.

What's New in Recent Versions

Stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in .NET. Recent versions focus on performance improvements, new language features, and enhanced developer productivity.

For the latest release notes and feature highlights, please refer to the .NET Blog.