differences between .NET Core, .NET Standard, and .NET 5/6/8

Understanding the differences between .NET Core, .NET Standard, and .NET 5/6/8 (collectively referred to as .NET) involves knowing their purposes, target scenarios, and evolution within the .NET ecosystem. Here’s a breakdown of each:

.NET Core

• Purpose: .NET Core was initially developed as a modular and cross-platform version of the .NET Framework. It aimed to provide a lightweight and flexible runtime for building modern, cloud-based applications that could run on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
• Target Scenarios:
  • Cross-platform applications including web applications, microservices, and console apps.
  • Cloud-native applications using Docker containers and Kubernetes.
  • High-performance scenarios with enhanced scalability and efficiency.
• Evolution: .NET Core evolved through several versions (from 1.0 to 3.1) before being unified with .NET Framework into .NET 5.

.NET Standard

• Purpose: .NET Standard was a specification that provided a set of APIs that all .NET implementations had to support. It aimed to create a uniform set of APIs that developers could rely on when building libraries that could work across different .NET implementations.
• Target Scenarios:
  • Libraries and components that need to run on multiple .NET implementations, including .NET Core, .NET Framework, and Xamarin.
  • Ensuring compatibility and reusability of code across different platforms.
• Evolution: .NET Standard versions (e.g., 1.0, 2.0) evolved to expand API coverage and increase compatibility across .NET platforms. With the advent of .NET 5, .NET Standard has been largely deprecated in favor of a unified approach.

.NET 5/6/8 (Unified .NET)

• Purpose: Starting with .NET 5, Microsoft unified the previously separate .NET Core, .NET Framework, and Xamarin/Mono into a single platform known simply as .NET. This unified platform aims to provide a consistent development experience across different workloads and operating systems.
• Target Scenarios:
  • Building any type of application, including web applications, cloud services, desktop applications, mobile apps, and gaming applications.
  • Support for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and more.
  • Enhanced performance, security, and language features compared to previous .NET versions.
• Evolution: .NET 5 was the first release in this unified model, followed by .NET 6 and future versions like .NET 8. Each release improves on performance, feature set, and platform support.

Key Differences

• Platform Focus:

  • .NET Core: Cross-platform, lightweight, and modular runtime focused on cloud-native and modern application development.
  • .NET Standard: Specification for creating portable libraries that work across different .NET implementations.
  • .NET 5/6/8: Unified platform encompassing the features and capabilities of .NET Core, .NET Framework, and Xamarin/Mono, aiming to provide a unified development experience.

• Compatibility:

  • .NET Core: Backward compatibility with .NET Framework was limited, with a focus on modern development practices and cross-platform support.
  • .NET Standard: Ensured compatibility across different .NET implementations by defining a common set of APIs.
  • .NET 5/6/8: Offers broader compatibility across various operating systems and workloads, integrating features and improvements from both .NET Core and .NET Framework.