Jul 14, 2023
Some time ago, many professionals forecasted that .NET Core would be the upcoming successful thing, which would give an opportunity to developers for a large number of ideas/options in application development. Wherein, developers with good skills have a massive demand in this profession! So let us learn more about .NET Core, how it differs from .NET Framework, and what are the key features.
What is .NET Core?
ASP.NET also known as .NET (pronounced as dot net) is a free open-source, high-performance, mainstream objective buildout platform that is maintained by Microsoft. It offers a cross-platform framework for creating modern, internet-connected, cloud-enabled applications which can run on Mac OS, Linux, and Windows Operating systems. Also .NET Core put forwards stability improvement and remarkable performance over Mono that is extracted from a shared cross-platform code base and held by an active, responsive, and well-resourced crew.
.NET Core is coded from scratch which makes it a fast, lightweight, and also modular framework. It allows us to experience an exciting period of .NET Web and Server App development, a kind of .NET that has not been seen before. Also, this application speeds up the execution are easy to maintain and in addition, it reduces the memory footprint. Through this, its flexibility increases the value of the current .NET stake but also it makes it appeal to the broad and highly productive environment which has been previously overlooked .NET as an option.
With .NET Core, we can execute:
- Avail yourself with your choice of preferred development tools on Mac OS, Windows, and Linux.
- Develop web applications and services, Internet of Things (IoT), and mobile backends.
- Bring it into action on the cloud or on-premises.
- Run/ Execute on .NET Core.
What is .NET Framework?
ASP.NET Framework (pronounced as dot net) is a development framework that is used to build and run various software applications on Windows. This framework is made up of tools, programming languages, and libraries that help in building the applications. .NET Framework is designed, developed, and managed by Microsoft. Its first beta version (1.0) was released in the year 2002. .NET Framework has various applications which allow .NET code to run on a number of other platforms or we can say it is a cross-platform software that works on Windows, Linux, Mac OS, Android, iOS and many more. Which again gives an edge over other Mono platform software. It is also used to design applications for Windows, phones, or the web. To put it in easy words we can say that is some kind of virtual machine for compiling and executing the codes that are coded in different languages such as C#, VB.NET, or others.
.NET Framework is divided into two parts or we can say it has two major parts, which are: Common Language Runtime (CLR) and Framework Class Library (FCL). Common Language Runtime (CLR) is an execution environment where the software programs coded in .NET are executed. Framework Class Library (FCL) consists of a wide number of class libraries that the .NET framework contains. So from this, we can say that CLR and FCL play essential and core parts in the framework. Languages such as C#, F#, Perl, COBOL, ML, VB.NET, Python, Oberon, Cobra, Pascal, ADA, Eiffel are supported by .NET Framework and many more. It has been said that the .NET Framework supports more than 60 programming languages from which 11 programming languages were developed and designed by Microsoft, the other languages that were not developed by Microsoft are yet supported by the framework. We can use the .NET Framework to develop applications that are form-based or web-based and also web services. It keeps up with the industry standards and also gives a lot of functionalities.
Difference between .NET Core and .NET Framework
As of now, we have some knowledge about .NET Core and .NET framework, so now let us discuss some key differences between these platforms. First and foremost we know .NET Core is a free open-source development platform designed and developed by Microsoft that is used to develop general-purpose cloud-based software applications which are cross-platform that can be executed on Mac OS, Windows, and Linux.
.NET Framework is a development platform for coding and executing applications on Windows. This framework consists of various details such as developer tools, programming languages, and libraries to design wen and desktop apps, it also has a layout of primary requirements for the development of applications such as Database connectivity, UI, Services, etc. From here we can say that .NET Core is a platform but not a full-fledged framework. Or in more simple terms we can say that .NET Core is just a subset of .NET Framework. Wherein .NET Core is the most recent version of .NET Framework which is an open-source and cross-platform designed for modern apps.
.NET Core VS .NET Framework
| Groundwork |
.NET Core |
.NET Framework |
| Platform or Framework |
It is a platform that also includes frameworks like ASP.NET and also Universal Window Platform which support and add- ons the performance of .NET Core |
It is a full-blown development framework. This framework comes up with all the necessary and primary requirements for the development of applications, which are UI, APIs, Services, DB connectivity, etc. |
| Open Source |
.NET Core is an Open Source platform. |
.NET Framework is not wholly an open-source framework, but yes we have certain components that are open source. |
| Cross-Platform |
.NET Core is based on the principle which says, “Code once, execute anywhere”, therefore we can say it is cross-platform. It assists Windows, Mac OS, and Linux platforms. Since it is compatible with all the platforms, you can develop your code on any and run it on any. |
.NET Framework is in harmony with the Windows platform, in spite of the fact that it was designed and developed for all the other platforms, it favors Windows! |
| Installation |
As we know that .NET Core is cross-platform, so we need to install it independently. |
For the .NET Framework, we just need to install the single package with the runtime conditions for Windows. |
| Shipping & Packaging |
.NET Core is shipped as a collection of NuGet packages. |
.NET Framework is delivered as a whole package in which the libraries are also bundled together. |
| Application Models |
As for .NET Core, presently it does not support the Desktop applications, but rather it supports the web, windows mobile, and other windows universal apps. |
As for the .NET Framework, it keeps up with both the Desktop applications as well as the web apps. In addition to this, it also keeps up with the ASP.NET, Window Forms, and also WPF. |
| Security |
Code Access Security is a feature for security purposes that is not present in .NET Core. |
We can say the .NET Framework has an edge over .NET Core with this key feature of having the Code Access Security. |
| Performance and Scalability |
It has been seen that the .NET Core offers good scalability and performance in a comparison with the .NET Framework for the reason of its architecture. |
In contrast with the .NET Core, the .NET Framework offers relatively slow performance and scalability. |
| Support for Microservices |
.NET Core does support the buildout and execution of Microservices, at the same time allowing a mix of technologies that can be minimalized for each microservices. |
When it comes to the .NET Framework, it does not permit the buildout and execution of these microservices in various different languages. |
| Compatibility |
.NET Core is compatible with different operating systems such as Windows, and Mac OS, Linux. |
On the other hand, we have the .NET Framework which is only compatible with the Windows Operating System. |
| CLI Tools |
.NET Core comes up with a very lightweight CLI (Command Line Interface) for all the platforms. Here we also have the option of switching to IDE if needed. |
In comparison with the .NET Core, the .NET Framework is excessively heavy for CLI, and most of the developers prefer working on CLI rather than IDE. |
Which is better: .NET Core vs .NET Framework
The use of the .NET Core or the use of the .NET Framework usually depends on the project that you are working on. So we have some points that we could consider to choosing or prefer what platform you need to develop:
Points to consider while giving preference to .NET Core:
- The project needs or requires the buildout of microservices.
- The project needs or requires cross-platform.
- The project hugely relies on CLI as .NET Core would be preferred for CLI (Command Language Interface) tools.
- The project needs to be built from scratch as the .NET Core would be the future design.
- The project is expected to have high performance and scalability.
Points to consider while giving preference to the .NET Framework:
- If you have your application previously working on the .NET Framework.
- Applications that are coded to be executed o Windows alone.
- Application needs services such as Memory Management, Security, Networking, Data Structures, etc.
- The application requires functionalities that are not provided by .NET Core. For eg: Windows forms, WPF applications, WCF services, ASP.NET Web forms, etc.
Conclusion
So by now, we have a good idea and understanding of .NET Core and .NET Framework. Then let us conclude this in simpler terms. .NET Core is just a subset of the .NET Framework. .NET Core is also the up-to-date version of the .NET Framework. .NET Framework is a free, open-source (few packages are available), development platform. The .NET Core is a cross-platform which may be used in creating, designing, and developing various applications with Windows, Mac OS, and Linux. It may also be used in designing, coding, and executing a number of applications or software which may include desktop, mobile, machine learning, online, microservices, games, IoT, etc.
As we also know while creating any project from scratch we would go forward with the .NET Core, which also provides us with lightweight CLI (Command Language Interface), which the most developers would prefer rather than IDE (Integrated Development Environment). .NET Framework is a software where the applications are developed and executed based only on Windows. Also as we know .NET Core supports microservices, as a result, we can develop software or applications based on microservices whereas these services are not supported by the .NET Framework so it lacks this development. Based on the security we can totally trust .NET Framework which provides us security service against .NET Core which doesn’t. So from here, we have a crystal clear idea about the information, the difference, and the benefits of .NET Core and .NET Framework.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between .NET Core and .NET Framework?
.NET Core is the up-to-date version of .NET Framework which is free, open-source, cross-platform (can be executed on Windows, Mac OS, Linux), and is been used to develop modern applications. Whereas .NET Framework is a platform that is used to develop ASP.NET applications that execute based only on Windows.
Which is better .NET Core or the .NET Framework?
This choice totally depends upon the developer, if you need to develop your project from scratch, need to execute on multiple platforms, needs to work on CLI, microservices would be required in the development of software, then surely you can prefer .NET Core. Whereas if your project is been previously developed, needs to be executed based only on Windows, needs security, needs to create WPF applications or ASP.NET web forms then you can surely prefer .NET Framework.
Is .NET Core replacing .NET Framework?
The answer to this query would be NO, as we have discussed earlier. .NET Core and .NET Framework both have their upper hand and drawbacks and both can be used according to the needs of the project.
Does .NET Core have a future?
.NET Core seems to be enlarging with every passing year. And with this taking up a career in dot NET stream would make you more talented, in-demand, flexible in the area of coding. Whatsoever, we do have other markets which could be standing in competition with this.
Does .NET 5 replace .NET Framework?
No, .NET 5.0 does not replace. We can say that the new application buildout can specify it as Target Framework Moniker (TFM).
Is .NET 5.0 Framework or Core?
Based on .NET 5.0, ASP.NET Core 5.0 is developed. But it holds onto the name Core to avoid confusing it with ASP.NET MVC 5.
Is .NET 6 the same as the .NET Core?
.NET 6 is the latest version or release of .NET Core, which consists of a unified development platform, advancement in minimal APIs, and being Ahead of Time compilation.
Which is better MVC or .NET Core?
MVC can be used in designing software that can only run on Windows whereas considering .NET Core can be used in developing applications that can be executed on Windows, Mac OS, or Linux. So depending on these terms, we can clearly call out .NET Core the winner in these cases.