What are The Key Differences Between .NET Core And .NET Framework

Microsoft’s .NET name is well-known among developers and enterprises. It is also a trusted name in the industry because of its efficiency and productivity. The proliferation of multiple frameworks and languages for development has created confusion, particularly among non-technical users.

Let’s look at React.JS, and React Native as an example. Both frameworks are by-products from the same language (i.e. JavaScript is often confused with JavaScript. The same problem is often faced by Microsoft’s .NET Framework as well as.NET Core. Each platform has its own set of features, but they share some similarities. Software development is a different matter. Both platforms offer significant differences.

We have attempted to clarify things by pointing out key differences between.NET Framework &.NET Core and helping users understand the differences.

What is.NET Framework and.NET Core Exactly?

It is important to understand the basics of both platforms. The.NET Framework software development framework is owned and developed by Microsoft. It runs primarily on Microsoft Windows. It acts as a virtual machine and is used to compile and execute programs written in languages such as Visual Studio.NET or C#.

It can be used to develop web-based, native Windows apps and form-based applications. The.NET Framework supports more than 60 languages, and 11 of these 60 have been created by Microsoft.

.NET Core is a cross-platform, general-purpose development platform. It is well-known for creating modern software, including cloud-based apps that can be used on Windows, macOS, and Linux. .NET Core supports F# and C#, as well as VB.NET. It is fast and reliable, and it can be used in multiple environments.

Let’s Now Take A Look at Some of The Key Differences Between These Platforms.

Software Ownership

Although both.NET Core (and.NET Framework) are Microsoft products, the software licenses are different. The former is open-source while the latter is proprietary software. Only a few components of the framework are open-source.

Application Development

There is one major difference between them: they can develop different types of applications. Developers prefer.NET Frameworks for creating desktop and web apps. It supports WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation). .NET Core, on the other side, does not support desktop application development and is focused more on mobile and web app development.

This aspect also has a contrast feature: Android app development is supported. Open-source means that.NET Core can be used with Xamarin (the mobile app development platform) via the.NET Standard Library. Xamarin’s tools can be used by developers to configure mobile apps for specific OSes, including Windows Mobile. The.NET Framework, on the other side, does not provide any framework or software for developing mobile apps.

Support for Services

Developers can create micro-services with.NET Core. However, they do not have support for WCF (Windows Communication Foundation). They will need to create RESTAPIs. .NET Framework, on the other hand, does not allow for the creation or implementation of micro-services. However, it supports REST API services and is an excellent choice for WCF service.

Deployment

.NET Core is more flexible than.NET Framework. Its updated version automatically starts in existing applications within new folders, on a single machine, and it does not require any configuration. It does not impact the performance of existing applications. Updates of the.NET Framework must first be deployed to the Internet Information Server. The user must then manually update the framework.

Security

.NET Framework is a mostly proprietary framework. This makes it more secure. It comes with Code Access Security, a mechanism that allows for validation and verification. This feature is not available in.NET Core.

CLI Tools

The core is lighter and cross-platform than.NET Framework and offers code editors and CLI tools. One advantage of working with.NET Core is the ability to switch to an IDE such as Visual Studio. The the.NET framework is too heavy for CLI tools. Therefore, programs written for it are not directly compiled into machine codes but rather into CIL (Common Intermediate Language).

A Quick Overview

We can see that.NET Core is not the same as.NET Framework in terms of its support for platforms and services. However, they differ in core functionalities. Let’s take a look at the most fundamental differences between them.