.Net Framework Architecture

.NET :

Framework designed by Microsoft and introduced on 2002 with version 1.0, for more details please click here to visit.

.net divided into two parts

1.       .NET framework: According to Microsoft it is original implementation and support application development on windows, .NET framework widely used from 2002 to build applications on Windows form, WPF, ASP.NET Web Form, MVC, WCF,  .. etc.

 2.       .NET Core Framework: It is Open source and cross platform, application developed on windows will work on Mac/Linux. It is redesign of framework with same concept of CLR, BCL, …etc. Not all features of .NET framework but almost all with enhancement. It is faster than existing .NET framework. Project structure is different from .NET framework project. Core framework released on 2016 with version 1.0. .Net Core is open source complete code is available on GITHUB.

 

Architecture of .NET framework

 

.NET framework comes with plain .NET framework and .NET framework core, you can select .NET framework type while creating application in visual studio. Both framework contains couple of languages like C#, F#, Visual Basic, Cobol. Net, Visual C++, … etc. Also, it contains technologies and services like WPF, WCF, ASP.Net Web form, Asp.Net Core, SQL server, …etc.

 

Let’s discuss on each component of above diagram of .NET architecture.

One of the beautiful features you have language selection in .NET framework, suppose you coming from background of C/C++ then C# is good option, visual basic programmer can choose VB.NET, cobol.net, … etc. .NET framework has respective compiler of each language, compile code and generate intermediate language(IL). The major component of .Net framework are Class Library, CIL and CLR.

 

CIL (common Intermediate language):  It also called as Intermediate Language(IL) or Microsoft Intermediate Language(MSIL). As .NET framework provide couple of languages and programmer can select language in which he/she is comfortable.

Each language has compiler and compiler compile code for respective language and generate Intermediate Language code. Let’s understand with below screen.

Notice all three language generates Intermediate language, It means all .NET languages generates IL code which is common. Library created in C#.NET can be used in VB.NET or VC++.NET

 

Based on above diagram library created in one language in .NET can be reused in another language and the concept called as language interoperability.

 

Base Class Library (BCL): Base Class Library is practical example of language interoperability. BCL created in C# language and reused with other .NET languages. According to Microsoft Data Types (string, dates, numbers, etc.), also provide API for reading writing file, database connection API and more.

CLR (Common Language Runtime): CLR is core component of .NET framework, it is responsible for running applications and also, we can say CLR is component which makes .NET framework platform independent. In theory .NET framework is platform independent and third-party mono implemented project on this, but .NET core is practical example of platform independent. CLR converts IL code into machine understandable(binary). CLR also provide services like exception handling, garbage collection and more. 

.NET framework code is dependent on CLR but independent on OS. To work on different OS make sure CLR (.net core) is installed on OS. For more details please click here to visit Microsoft official website.