Microsoft .NET Documentation

Welcome to .NET

.NET is a free, cross-platform, open-source developer platform for building many different types of applications.

With .NET, you can use C#, F#, or Visual Basic to create console apps, web apps, mobile apps, desktop apps, cloud apps, microservices, and more.

It’s a comprehensive platform that includes tools, languages, and libraries for building all kinds of modern applications. .NET is designed for high performance, scalability, and developer productivity.

Table of Contents

What is .NET?

.NET is a software development framework that is part of Microsoft's .NET initiative. It is a widely used technology for building a variety of applications, including web, desktop, mobile, and cloud services. .NET provides a common runtime environment (CLR), a large class library (BCL), and support for multiple programming languages.

The .NET platform is designed to be:

  • Cross-platform: Run your applications on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
  • Open-source: Developed and maintained by Microsoft and a vibrant community.
  • High-performance: Engineered for speed and efficiency.
  • Modern: Continuously updated with new features and capabilities.

Key Features

.NET offers a rich set of features to empower developers:

  • C#, F#, and Visual Basic: Powerful, modern, and versatile programming languages.
  • .NET Runtime (CLR): Manages execution, memory, and provides Just-In-Time (JIT) compilation for optimal performance.
  • Base Class Library (BCL): A comprehensive set of reusable types and services for common programming tasks.
  • ASP.NET Core: A high-performance, cross-platform framework for building modern web applications and APIs.
  • Entity Framework Core: An object-relational mapper (ORM) for .NET that enables data access.
  • MAUI (.NET Multi-platform App UI): A framework for building native mobile and desktop apps with a single shared codebase.
  • WPF & WinForms: For building rich Windows desktop applications.
  • Azure Integration: Seamless integration with Microsoft Azure cloud services.
Windows macOS Linux iOS Android

Supported Platforms

.NET empowers you to build applications that run everywhere. Its cross-platform nature means you can develop on one operating system and deploy to others without significant code changes.

Key platforms include:

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • Linux (various distributions)
  • iOS
  • Android
  • WebAssembly (via Blazor)

Getting Started

Ready to start building? The easiest way to get started is by installing the .NET SDK.

The .NET SDK includes everything you need to develop and run .NET applications, including the .NET runtime, the C# compiler, and essential libraries.

Download the .NET SDK

Once installed, you can create your first application using the command line:

dotnet new console -o MyConsoleApp
cd MyConsoleApp
dotnet run

Explore our "Get Started" section for step-by-step guides and tutorials.