dotnet (software)

dotnet (software)
Name	dotnet
Title	.NET
Developer	Microsoft
Released	2002
Latest release	.NET 8
Programming language	C#, F#, Visual Basic
Operating system	Windows, Linux, macOS
License	MIT License (core components)

dotnet (software) dotnet is a software development platform created by Microsoft for building a wide range of applications, including web, desktop, mobile, cloud, gaming, and IoT. It provides a unified runtime, class libraries, and tooling that enable developers to write code in multiple languages and deploy across Windows, Linux, and macOS. The platform has evolved through major products and initiatives such as .NET Framework, .NET Core, and community-driven projects associated with entities like the .NET Foundation and enterprises including Red Hat, Amazon Web Services, and Google.

Overview

dotnet unifies a managed runtime known historically from initiatives like CLR with cross-platform implementations and language compilers such as those used for C Sharp, F Sharp, and Visual Basic. The platform emphasizes interoperability with ecosystems maintained by organizations like Microsoft Research, GitHub, and corporate users such as Stack Overflow and Spotify. It supports application models ranging from server-side frameworks like ASP.NET Core to client frameworks used in projects like Xamarin and engines such as Unity.

History and development

The platform's origins trace to corporate releases by Microsoft in the early 2000s, when efforts surrounding .NET Framework formalized the Common Language Runtime and language integration with products like Visual Studio. Subsequent shifts included open-source and cross-platform initiatives influenced by communities around Mono and corporate contributors from Novell and Canonical. Major milestones involved the release of .NET Core as an open-source, cross-platform runtime, stewardship changes involving the .NET Foundation, and coordinated versioning with long-term support cycles used by enterprises like IBM and cloud providers such as Azure. Strategic partnerships and acquisition-related developments have intersected with vendors like Xamarin and projects integrated into platforms from Apple and Google.

Architecture and components

dotnet's architecture contains core pieces including a managed runtime derived from the Common Language Infrastructure, a base class library influenced by standards work from ECMA International and implementations such as Mono. Key components include language compilers and toolchains like those integrated into Visual Studio and Rider, the base class libraries used across projects like ASP.NET Core and Entity Framework Core, and runtime hosts employed by cloud services from Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure. The architecture also supports intermediate representations and tooling for ahead-of-time and just-in-time compilation used in scenarios like Blazor and gaming engines including Unreal Engine through interoperability layers.

Supported languages and runtimes

dotnet supports multiple languages with formal implementations and compilers: C# developed by teams at Microsoft Research and standardized via Ecma International, F# originated at Microsoft Research Cambridge and evolved with contributions from academic institutions and companies, and Visual Basic with deep roots in Microsoft product lines. Additional community and third-party languages interoperate through the runtime, influenced by projects like Mono and by language work from organizations such as JetBrains. Runtimes include cross-platform variants used in server and cloud contexts by Azure, AWS Lambda, and container platforms like Kubernetes.

Tooling and SDK

The Software Development Kit (SDK) bundles compilers, libraries, and command-line tools (dotnet CLI) that integrate with Integrated Development Environments such as Visual Studio, Visual Studio Code, and JetBrains Rider. The SDK's package ecosystem uses package managers and registries influenced by NuGet, with continuous integration and delivery pipelines supported by services from GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, Jenkins, and GitLab CI. Profiling, diagnostics, and performance tooling are provided through components tied to vendors like Redgate and observability platforms including Datadog and New Relic.

Cross-platform and deployment

Cross-platform capabilities enable deployment to Windows Server, Linux distributions maintained by Canonical and Red Hat, and macOS hosts. Containerization and orchestration are supported through integration with Docker and Kubernetes clusters used by enterprises and cloud vendors like Google Cloud Platform and Amazon Web Services. Cloud-native deployment patterns are enabled via adapters for services such as Microsoft Azure App Service, AWS Elastic Beanstalk, and serverless offerings including Azure Functions and AWS Lambda. Mobile and device deployment leverage runtime bridges and frameworks linked to Xamarin, MAUI, and game-focused runtimes like Unity.

Adoption and ecosystem

dotnet's ecosystem includes corporate adopters, open-source projects, and academic users spanning companies like Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Unity Technologies, Siemens, SAP, Accenture, Capgemini, ThoughtWorks, and Telerik. Community stewardship occurs through the .NET Foundation and collaboration on platforms such as GitHub where numerous repositories, libraries, and frameworks are maintained. The platform's presence in enterprise, cloud, gaming, and scientific computing continues to be shaped by contributions from research institutions, commercial vendors, and independent developers across ecosystems associated with projects like ASP.NET, Entity Framework, NuGet, Blazor, and Microsoft Visual Studio.

Category:.NET