.NET Framework Architecture

.NET Framework Architecture

.NET is tiered, modular, and hierarchal. Each tier of the .NET Framework is a layer of abstraction. .NET languages are the top tier and the most abstracted level. The common language runtime is the bottom tier, the least abstracted, and closest to the native environment. This is important since the common language runtime works closely with the operating environment to manage .NET applications. The .NET Framework is partitioned into modules, each with its own distinct responsibility. Finally, since higher tiers request services only from the lower tiers, .NET is hierarchal.



.NET Framework is a managed environment. The common language runtime monitors the execution of .NET applications and provides essential services. It manages memory, handles exceptions, ensures that applications are well-behaved, and much more.

Language interoperability is one goal of .NET. .NET languages share a common runtime (the common language runtime, a common class library), the Framework Class Library (FCL), a common component model, and common types. In .NET, the programming language is a lifestyle choice. Except for subtle differences, C#, VB.NET, or JScript.NET offer a similar experience.

.NET abstracts lower-level services, while retaining most of their flexibility. This is important to C-based programmers, who shudder at the limitations presented in Visual Basic 6 and earlier.