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C# C# Basics (Retired) Perfect Documentation

Ranvir Sahota
Ranvir Sahota
9,844 Points
Posted by Ranvir Sahota
Ranvir Sahota
9,844 Points

.Net Framework a Runtime Libary?

When I was looking to understand .Net Framework more I came across this post http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2724864/what-is-the-difference-between-c-sharp-and-net But I'm left with more questions. What is a Runtime Libary? Why is called a Framework and a runtime Libary?

1 Answer

James Churchill
STAFF
James Churchill
Treehouse Teacher
James Churchill
James Churchill
Treehouse Teacher

Ranvir,

".NET" is a very broad term that typically refers to the various technologies that are part of or related to the .NET Framework. The .NET Framework is both a library and a runtime.

A "library" is a collection of functions that you can leverage in your applications to accomplish common programming tasks. An example would be reading a file off of the disk.

A "runtime" is the environment that runs your application. The runtime is responsible for starting and managing the execution of your application. A "runtime library" is a library that is used by the runtime.

Thanks ~James