.NET Core is a free, open-source, general-purpose, cross-platform framework maintained by Microsoft. It is a newer version of the .NET Framework, tackling any drawbacks of the previous version. It can run on Windows, macOS, and Linux. This framework can be used to build various applications such as mobile, desktop, web, cloud, IoT, machine learning, microservices, games, and so on.
.NET Core is a brand new, rewritten version of .NET Framework, which can run on more platforms and, more importantly, unlike .NET Framework, is open-source. The application of .NET Core is in the production of many high-scale applications. It can be used to develop cloud apps, cross-platform client apps from games to mobile, Windows apps, microservices, and other applications such as machine learning and IoT.
One of the many reasons that make .NET Core popular include its flexibility and increased security. This framework is versatile and supports a wide range of application types. It enables top app performance and has extensive community support from active, highly skilled developers. Furthermore, it is cost-effective. When choosing a new technology to integrate into your project, you might want to look at the IDEs and tools that the framework requires. Among the most popular IDE is Visual Studio Code, which is compatible with .NET Core as they are created by the same company - Microsoft.
Some popular tools integrated with .NET Core include Visual Studio Code, C#, Sublime Text, VIM, ASP.NET Core, ASP.NET, Linux, JetBrain's Rider, and many more. By using the compatible and supported tools, developers can benefit from code auto-completion, repository integration, database development, troubleshooting at production, debugging, and so on.
Compared to .NET Framework, there is a learning curve to .NET Core. In contrast to the monolithic .NET, .NET Core allows you to optimize applications and make them more lightweight and leaner. You should choose .NET Framework if you maintain or upgrade existing .NET applications. Choose .NET Framework if you need a stable environment to work in or already working on existing applications and extending their functionality. And .NET Core is better if you want to target your apps on Windows, Linux, and macOS.
These two terms can be confusing to many as they seem to be closely related. Versions before ASP.NET Core 3 are built on .NET Core and can also be made on .NET Framework, but later versions depend on .NET Core and can no longer be used with .NET Framework. With ASP.NET Core using .NET Core, all dependencies are self-contained. It can use most of the NuGet packages, can't use Windows packages, and can execute on Windows, Linux, and macOS.
Many characteristics make this framework popular and favored. The first is that it is an open-source framework, cross-platform, consistent across architectures, has a wide range of applications, supports multiple languages, and supports modular architecture using NuGet packages.
