Let’s say you’re new to the.NET world. You get caught up in the excitement, go to Microsoft’s website, and find the following description:
Free, cross-platform. Open source. A developer platform for creating all of your applications.
Great! The platform appears promising, allowing you to create any type of software app using C# or other.NET compatible programming languages.
However, you should expect some problems in the near future.
Really now? Aren’t the.NET framework and.NET the same? What is even.NET Core? It appears that Microsoft purposefully tried to confuse us by developing a slew of technologies with similar names, right?
Say hello to the.NET maze, where you’ll need Ariadne’s thread to avoid getting lost.
So, what’s the big deal about.NET Core versus.NET Framework? Which is the best option for creating robust apps in today’s world?
Let’s find out by comparing these two head-to-head so you don’t get stuck using one or the other. Begin with a quick history lesson!
Thanks to .NET Framework
We know not everyone likes history, but it inspires both the present and the future. To gain a better understanding, let us travel back in time and trace history.NET versus.NET Core.
Back in 2002, Microsoft released a framework that would govern all programming languages for app development. It was the first.NET framework to support interoperability with non-.NET apps and the operating system, as well as language independence and other exciting features.
While developers could use more than 60 languages, including C# (which was created for that purpose), Visual Basic, and F#, the framework could only run on Windows.
However, it was not a major deal-breaker for programmers. Microsoft continued to improve.NET, turning it into an efficient cross-platform app development framework. This resulted in the creation of.NET Core.
Ready for .NET Core
The riddle of.NET Core vs..NET Framework first surfaced in 2014, as Microsoft pursued the vision of creating a true cross-platform environment and began work on a reboot from scratch.
They created.NET Core and released it in 2016. It was a full resketch that could run on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Unlike the.NET framework,.NET Core was not constrained by backward compatibility.
Because of its modular architecture, it includes lighter versions of core framework components. This allows developers to select modules and install them by downloading them from the NuGet repository. All of this leads to streamlined deployment and portability.
Now that we’ve established the context for.NET and.NET Core, let’s look at their definitions and identify them more clearly.
Understanding .NET Core vs .NET Framework
The.NET framework enables you to create web apps, desktop applications, and web services. It only works with the Windows operating system. On the other hand,.NET core is used to create cross-platform cloud apps that run on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
The common first name is probably the biggest reason why people get confused between the.NET Framework and the.NET Core. However, they have more to share.
For example, both are Microsoft products, run apps using FCL (framework class library), and are open source (at least some.NET components). They also use the.NET Standard to define the available application program interfaces.
The Big Difference Between .NET vs .NET Core
Based on history, you might conclude that there is no significant difference between.NET and.NET Core, with the exception that the latter is a better version. But that is not the case. The ‘Core’ in.NET Core refers to the integration of all of the.NET Framework’s core features, including framework libraries and runtime.
To gain a better understanding, let’s look at the key differences between.NET and.NET Core.
1. .NET Core vs .NET Framework: Platform Compatibility and Open Source
| NET Framework | .NET Core |
|---|---|
| The dotnet framework enables developers to create applications for a single platform, namely Windows. It includes language compilers, which allow you to write code in one language and compile and access it in other languages. Microsoft initially released it as a proprietary and licensed framework, but later added new components and made the.NET Framework open source. | .NET CORE, unlike dot net core and dot net framework, is cross-platform compatible. This enables developers to follow the “build once, run everywhere” approach as well as migrate apps across platforms. .NET Core is an excellent choice for enterprise app development, offering productive features such as testing, debugging, project management, and source control. |
2. .NET Core vs .NET Framework: Performance and Scalability
| .NET Framework | .NET Core |
|---|---|
| The.NET Framework lags behind in terms of performance. It offers limited flexibility, security, and speed. When the app first launches, it compiles the CIL code into executable code, which is then cached in the Native Image cache. However, you can use the Native Image Generator to speed up the initial launch by manually compiling and caching your.NET app. | When it comes to performance and scalability,.NET Core outperforms.NET Framework. It enables you to seamlessly improve app performance without requiring any hardware. .NET includes a recompilation feature, which allows you to automatically optimize compiled code without making any changes. It also allows developers to build, test, and deploy apps directly to the cloud infrastructure. |
3. .NET Core vs .NET Framework: Installation
| .NET Framework | .NET Core |
|---|---|
| The.NET Framework is essentially a single package. It provides a runtime environment that includes everything you’ll need for Windows development. In other words, it includes all of the components needed to create a Windows application. You can’t choose what you get. | .NET Core is a cross-platform framework, so it necessitates development modules and standard features. It can be installed on any operating system and customized with modules specific to your platform. It is important to note that.NET Core requires NuGet packages, which can be compiled or stored in a file within the application. |
4. .NET Core vs .NET Framework: Applications Types
| .NET Framework | .NET Core |
|---|---|
| When comparing.NET and.NET Core in terms of app model support, the.NET framework supports Windows Presentation Foundation, Windows Forms, and ASP.NET. | .NET Core is ideal for developing web, ASP.NET Core, and Universal Windows Platform apps, with the exception of desktop apps, which have limitations. |
5. .NET Core vs .NET Framework: Deployment Model
| .NET Framework | .NET Core |
|---|---|
| The.NET Framework only allows you to deploy apps on the Internet Information Center. Xcopy deployment allows developers to copy the files into the directory where they are ready for execution. While this is fine for small-scale apps, deploying large apps on a server can be extremely difficult. | In terms of deployment,.NET Core is far more adaptable. Developers can instantly update the existing version to the most recent one with new directories without interruption. Most importantly, you can self-host the.NET Core app by setting up a private hosting process or deploying it directly to the cloud. |
6. .NET Core vs .NET Framework: Library Collection
| .NET Framework | .NET Core |
|---|---|
| In dot net vs dot net Core, apps built with the.NET Framework can use built-in class libraries to perform basic tasks such as database interaction, XML document manipulation, graphic rendering, and file writing/reading. | Aside from class libraries,.NET includes CoreCLR, a rebuilt common language runtime. It allows developers to select and use only the libraries required for their respective apps. |
7. .NET Core vs .NET Framework: Mobile App Development
| .NET Framework | .NET Core |
|---|---|
| The.NET Framework is ineffective for developing mobile applications. Given the growing importance of mobile apps in today’s business, this is the framework’s most significant disadvantage. | .NET Core enables all stages of mobile app development. You can use Xamarin to create cross-platform apps in C# and customize your apps for different platforms. |
8. .NET Core vs .NET Framework: Microservices and Rest Services
| .NET Framework | .NET Core |
|---|---|
| Microservices play an important role in the comparison of the.NET Framework and.NET Core. This framework does not enable the creation and deployment of microservices. However, it fully supports REST APIs. | .NET Core supports both. Microservices can be implemented by creating a REST API. They can also customize microservices using various technologies and programming languages. |
9. .NET Core vs .NET Framework: CLI Tools
| .NET Framework | .NET Core |
|---|---|
| It is quite heavy for a command line interface (CLI). Many developers prefer to work with CLI rather than IDEs. | .NET Core provides developers with a relatively lightweight command-line interface. You will have the option of switching to an IDE. |
Which Should You Use: .NET Framework or.NET Core?
After comparing.NET and.NET Core, you may conclude that you need to learn how to hire ASP.NET developers as soon as possible. .NET Core appears to have a significant advantage over the.NET Framework in terms of resource and time savings for developers.
However, both platforms are unique in their own ways, and deciding which is better depends on your project requirements.
Nonetheless, let’s see what kinds of apps you can build with both of these technologies.
Go for the .NET Framework when the app:
- Intended for large-scale enterprise or desktop use.
- Runs only on the Windows platform
- Is already running on .NET Framework
- Uses third-party libraries
- Needs technologies like WCF, webforms, or workflow that are incompatible with.NET Core.
- Deploys on non-.NET Core cloud services like Azure App Service
Consider using.NET Core when the app:
- Required to be cross-platform compatible
- Needs to be highly scalable and performance-oriented
- Utilizes microservices or container technologies such as Kubernetes and Docker.
- Depends heavily on CLI control
- Executes multiple.NET versions on the same server.
- Needs developers who are okay with an extensive learning curve
Bottom Line – .NET vs .NET Core
Without a doubt, the debate between.NET Core and.NET Framework is here to stay. Both are progressive solutions that are unique to their respective fields. However, Microsoft is constantly innovating to improve both platforms, so you may be torn between the two when deciding which to use.
Regardless of all the no’s, ifs, and buts, the future of the.NET world looks brighter than ever. We recommend that you base your decision on your project’s scope, development requirements, and budget.
FAQ
Should I learn .NET or .NET Core?
If you want to learn modern web development,.NET Core has much more to offer than the.NET Framework. .NET core is a redesigned version of the framework that includes everything you need to create a reliable web application. The.NET Framework lags behind in terms of scalability and performance.
Is .NET Core replacing the .NET Framework?
The answer is “no.” The.NET Framework isn’t going anywhere. The framework is based on 20 years of code and software development. Running all of those codes and tools on.NET Core is not entirely feasible.
However, Microsoft’s focus has been on.NET Core. Microsoft is attempting to encourage more people to switch from the older.NET Framework to.NET Core by adding new features and functionalities.
Why is .NET Core faster than the.NET Framework?
Due to its modular architecture,.NET Core is significantly faster than the.NET Framework. It provides lightweight versions of core framework components, which simplifies cross-platform app development. Microsoft purposefully rebuilt many.NET features in.NET Core, with the goal of improving performance in areas where the previous approach was “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it!”.
Can you combine .NET Core and.NET Framework?
Technically, you cannot mix .NET Core and.NET Framework, but it boils down to these two methods:
You can have both frameworks configured in the same project. You can accomplish this by replacing existing.NET projects with a multi-targeted .NET Core application.
Alternatively, you can create separate projects for each framework. Keep the existing projects and start a new .NET Core project.
Is .NET Core part of .NET Framework?
Microsoft released.NET Core in 2016 as a complete redesign of the.NET Framework. The new version could run on Windows, macOS, and Linux, as opposed to the.NET framework, which only runs on Windows. They eventually added more exciting features that the previous framework lacked.
