Difference Between dotNet and Csharp

In software development, C# and .NET are two of the most used technologies. Both have different functions and purposes. Read on to know more about C# vs .NET.

In the IT industry, a person needs to have the skills and knowledge about programming languages and frameworks. And, when studying and Googling about these subjects, most often than not, the common results are C# and .NET. And the question pops out: What are the differences between C# vs .NET? In short, .NET developers typically using C# as the programming language of choice.

It is essential to define what they are first before making a comparison between C# vs .NET.

What is C#?

In overview, C# is a programming language created by Microsoft for Common Language Infrastructure (CLI). C# is both a component and object-oriented language. Hence, it is a perfect programming language to use and create software components. In addition, C# has its roots in C programming languages, making it easy to learn for C, C++, Java, and JavaScript programmers. C# also has features that help in developing durable applications and software, such as:

  1. Easy to learn and use
  2. Supports easy multithreading architecture implementation
  3. Provides supports for conditional compilation
  4. Has standard libraries
  5. Indexers for data organization
  6. Has provisions and supports for auto-garbage collection
  7. Windows-integrated
  8. Its exception handling allows for a structured approach to error detection and recovery

Advantages:

  1. Based on the C programming language, it’s easy to learn for C++, C, Java, and JavaScript programmers.
  2. Safe as it is not a type-conversion, which means there is no data loss.
  3. C# has Properties and Indexers which are not available in some languages.
  4. It supports non-nullable and non-able types.
  5. C# is open-source with significant community support.
  6. It is cross-platform. Therefore, applications written in C# language will run on any operating system (OS).
  7. The compilation and execution time of C# is speedy.

Disadvantages:

  1. Wholly based on Microsoft’s .NET. As a result, it affects its flexibility as a programming language.
  2. C# is case-sensitive, which sometimes creates confusion during coding.

What is .NET?

As stated earlier, C# is a programming language. On the other hand, .NET is an open-source developer platform. Microsoft created .NET to provide a platform where the development of different applications is possible. In addition, the platform allows you to use multiple libraries, languages, and editors. Also, it lets you develop applications or software for desktop, web, games, and IoT (Internet of Things). Below are some of the components that make up .NET:

  1. Class library from .NET framework
  2. Common Type System
  3. Common Language Runtime
  4. Net AJAX
  5. Windows foundation for workflow, presentation, and communication

Just like C#, there are benefits and drawbacks of using .NET:

Advantages:

  1. Removing and adding features is very manageable
  2. Cross-platform as it supports multiple programming languages
  3. Easy implementation
  4. Built-in web standard services support
  5. Open-source with an active community

Disadvantages:

  1. It runs only in Windows. As a result, its integration has limited development environments
  2. Limited scalability and transaction capabilities on other platforms other than Windows.
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