.NET

.NET, created and supported by Microsoft, provides a runtime, libraries, tools, and languages for creating software that runs on Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, and Android. It supports multiple programming languages, with C# being the most widely used. The platform is designed for performance, security, and reliability, offering features like garbage collection, type safety, and asynchronous programming.

The .NET ecosystem includes standard libraries and frameworks for web, desktop, mobile, cloud, gaming, machine learning, and IoT development. Developers can extend functionality with NuGet, a package manager that hosts hundreds of thousands of reusable components. Visual Studio, Visual Studio Code, and the .NET CLI are commonly used tools for writing, testing, and deploying .NET applications.

⬇️ .NET implementation types #️⃣

Different implementations of .NET exist:

• .NET (modern cross-platform): The current unified platform, previously known as .NET Core.
• .NET Framework: The original Windows-only implementation.
• Mono/Xamarin: For mobile and cross-platform scenarios, particularly iOS and Android.
• .NET Standard: A set of APIs that ensure code compatibility across implementations.

📌 Key points about .NET: #️⃣

• Free, open source, and backed by the .NET Foundation and Microsoft.
• Supports multiple languages, including C#, F#, and Visual Basic.
• Runs on Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, Android, and cloud environments.
• Includes rich standard libraries and access to over 300,000 NuGet packages.
• Enables development across domains: web, desktop, mobile, cloud, microservices, games, and IoT.

🖥️ Example: “Hello World” in C# #️⃣

Here’s how a simple program looks in .NET using C#:

using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        Console.WriteLine("Hello, World!");
    }
}

To run this:

1. Install the .NET SDK.

2. Create a new console app with:

   dotnet new console -n HelloWorld
   cd HelloWorld
   dotnet run

You’ll see Hello, World! printed to your terminal.