Download Microsoft .NET Core (.NET Framework) Free

Note: The .NET Core SDK includes the .NET Core runtime, so there is no need to download the runtime package separately when installing the SDK.

Now included in Visual Studio 2017, .NET Core Contains some of the core functionality of the .NET Framework. It provides a toolset that includes runtime components, compilers, and libraries that work together to create an SDK suitable for developing compelling cross-platform Web and console applications.

.NET Framework and .NET Core share various libraries and components (such as JIT, GC) and types (such as strings). However, .NET Core is not compatible with all .NET Framework models and contains fewer APIs. In other words, it is the smaller brother of the .NET Framework, facilitating simpler implementation of .NET components.

.NET Core has two main parts: the runtime (libraries, compilers, etc.) and the tools, namely command line tools and Visual Studio integrated components.

As part of the second category, the .NET Core SDK facilitates application development through the command line, implementing console commands and support for the .NET Framework to help you create compelling console applications. Initializing a new .NET project is easy once you take the time to browse and become familiar with the available commands. From creating and publishing a project to compiling and executing it, you can do it all from the shell window of your choice.

Microsoft .NET Core can also be deployed and integrated into Visual Studio, allowing developers to create .NET Core solutions in a familiar development environment.

After you install .NET Core in a popular IDE, you can take advantage of the IDE’s user-friendly layout and its comprehensive toolset to create .NET Core class libraries, consoles, and web applications directly from Visual Studio. Developers can try building hybrid .NET Core and .NET Framework applications. Microsoft provides detailed tutorials on getting started with .NET Core in Visual Studio.

Microsoft .NET Core is a cross-platform development toolkit with integrated SDK and command-line tools and Visual Studio integrated components. It’s available under an open source license, ensuring compatibility with the .NET Framework, Mono, and Xamarin, and providing the flexibility developers need to build basic console and web-based applications.