The styling for the .dotnet-diagram class includes a linear-gradient background with specific color stops, border radius of 12px, padding of 25px, and margin of 20px from the top and bottom. The .diagram-title within this class is centered with a color of #818cf8, font size of 1.3rem, font weight of 600, and a bottom margin of 25px.
Within the .dotnet-diagram class, the .architecture-layers section is displayed as a column with items centered and a gap of 5px between them. Each .layer within this structure has a width of 100% but capped at a maximum of 500px, padding of 15px, border radius of 10px, and text aligned to the center. The .layer-title has a font weight of 600, a bottom margin of 10px, and a font size of 1rem. The .layer-items are displayed as flex items, wrapped within the container, and justified to the center with a gap of 8px between them. Each span element within .layer-items has a semi-transparent white background, padding of 4px vertically and 10px horizontally, a border radius of 15px, a font size of 0.8rem, and a text color of #cbd5e1.
Specific layers such as .app-layer, .bcl-layer, .clr-layer, and .os-layer within the .dotnet-diagram class have distinct styling with different linear-gradient backgrounds, colors, and text appearances. Finally, the .layer-arrow elements have a color of #64748b and a font size of 1.5rem.
.NET serves as a platform for building software applications, crafted and produced by Microsoft, with the initial beta edition unveiled in the year 2000.
It is employed for building applications for the web, Windows, and mobile devices. Additionally, it offers a wide array of features and assistance.
This platform includes an extensive array of class libraries referred to as the Framework Class Library (FCL). Applications developed in .NET run within the Common Language Runtime (CLR), serving as the execution environment. These components form the fundamental and indispensable elements of the .NET framework.
This framework offers a range of functionalities such as memory allocation, communication, data protection, memory management, and ensuring type integrity.
The .Net Framework offers compatibility with over 60 programming languages including C#, F#, VB.NET, J#, VC++, JScript.NET, APL, COBOL, Perl, Oberon, ML, Pascal, Eiffel, Smalltalk, Python, Cobra, ADA, and many others.
The Stack of the .NET framework illustrates the modules and components of the Framework.
The .NET Framework is composed of four main components:
- Common Language Runtime (CLR)
- Framework Class Library (FCL),
- Core Languages (WinForms, ASP.NET, and ADO.NET), and
- Other Modules (WCF, WPF, WF, Card Space, LINQ, Entity Framework, Parallel LINQ, Task Parallel Library, etc.)
The CSS code below defines the styling for a diagram representing the layers of a .NET architecture:
.dotnet-diagram { background: linear-gradient(135deg, #0f172a 0%, #1e1b4b 100%); border-radius: 12px; padding: 25px; margin: 20px 0; }
.dotnet-diagram .diagram-title { text-align: center; color: #818cf8; font-size: 1.3rem; font-weight: 600; margin-bottom: 25px; }
.dotnet-diagram .architecture-layers { display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; gap: 5px; }
.dotnet-diagram .layer { width: 100%; max-width: 500px; padding: 15px; border-radius: 10px; text-align: center; }
.dotnet-diagram .layer-title { font-weight: 600; margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 1rem; }
.dotnet-diagram .layer-items { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; justify-content: center; gap: 8px; }
.dotnet-diagram .layer-items span { background: rgba(255,255,255,0.1); padding: 4px 10px; border-radius: 15px; font-size: 0.8rem; color: #cbd5e1; }
.dotnet-diagram .app-layer { background: linear-gradient(90deg, #4f46e5, #7c3aed); color: white; }
.dotnet-diagram .bcl-layer { background: linear-gradient(90deg, #0ea5e9, #06b6d4); color: white; }
.dotnet-diagram .clr-layer { background: linear-gradient(90deg, #10b981, #34d399); color: #0d1b2a; }
.dotnet-diagram .os-layer { background: #64748b; color: white; }
.dotnet-diagram .layer-arrow { color: #64748b; font-size: 1.5rem; }
CLR (Common Language Runtime)
It functions as a program execution engine responsible for loading and running the program, transforming it into native code. Serving as a bridge between the framework and the operating system, it manages exceptions, memory, and garbage collection. Additionally, it ensures security, type-safety, interoperability, and portability. Below are some components of the CLR:
The styling for the .dotnet-diagram class includes a linear gradient background, border radius, padding, and margin properties. The .diagram-title class sets the text alignment to center, color to a shade of blue, font size to 1.3rem, font weight to 600, and adds a margin at the bottom. The architecture-layers class uses flexbox for layout, aligning items in a column with a small gap between them. Each layer within the diagram has a maximum width of 500px, padding, border radius, and text alignment properties.
Within each layer, the .layer-title class defines the font weight, margin at the bottom, and font size. The .layer-items class uses flexbox to wrap items within the layer, justifying content to the center with a small gap between them. Each item within a layer is styled with a background color, padding, border radius, font size, and text color properties.
Specific layers like .app-layer, .bcl-layer, .clr-layer, and .os-layer have unique background colors and text colors. Additionally, the .layer-arrow class sets the color and font size for the arrows used within the diagram.
FCL (Framework Class Library)
It is a common library containing numerous classes, essential for developing applications. The Base Class Library (BCL) serves as the foundation of the FCL, offering fundamental features and capabilities.
The styling for the .dotnet-diagram class includes a gradient background, rounded borders, padding, and margins. The title within this diagram is centered with specific styling attributes like color, font size, and weight. The architecture layers are structured in a column layout with specified alignment and gap between items. Each layer has a maximum width, padding, rounded corners, and a centered text alignment. The layer title is emphasized with a particular font weight and size. Items within each layer are displayed in a flex layout with wrap, centered alignment, and specified spacing between them. Different layers like app-layer, bcl-layer, clr-layer, and os-layer have distinct backgrounds and text colors. Additionally, there is an arrow icon with a specified color for indicating the layers.
WinForms
Windows Forms serves as a sophisticated client-side solution within the .NET Framework, offering a collection of controlled libraries that streamline typical application activities like interacting with the file system.
ASP.NET
ASP.NET is a web framework crafted and created by Microsoft, tailored for crafting websites, web applications, and web services. This framework seamlessly blends HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to offer a cohesive development experience. Its initial release dates back to January 2002.
ADO.NET
ADO.NET is a component of the .NET Framework that enables the establishment of a link between an application and various data origins. These data sources may include databases like SQL Server or structured files such as XML. ADO .NET is comprised of a collection of classes that facilitate tasks like establishing connections, fetching data, adding new records, and removing existing data entries.
WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation)
Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is a visual system developed by Microsoft to display user interfaces in applications designed for Windows. Initially named "Avalon," WPF was first introduced in 2006 as a component of .NET Framework 3.0. WPF relies on DirectX for rendering graphics.
WCF (Windows Communication Foundation)
It serves as a structure for constructing service-oriented applications. With WCF, you have the capability to transmit data in the form of asynchronous messages from one endpoint to another within a service.
WF (Workflow Foundation)
Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) is a technology developed by Microsoft that offers an API, an in-process workflow engine, and a customizable designer to execute extended processes as workflows in .NET applications.
LINQ (Language Integrated Query)
It is a query language that was introduced within the .NET 3.5 framework. It is employed to construct queries for data sources using either C# or Visual Basic programming languages.
Entity Framework
It is a framework based on ORM that is open source and enables interaction with a database through .NET objects. It simplifies database management for developers, reducing the amount of manual effort required. Microsoft advocates for this technology as the preferred method for database operations.
Parallel LINQ
Parallel LINQ, also known as PLINQ, represents a parallelized version of LINQ tailored for objects. It merges the ease and clarity of LINQ with the capabilities of parallel computing.
It can enhance performance and expedite the execution of the LINQ query by leveraging the full computing resources at hand.
Apart from the above features and libraries, .NET includes other APIs and Model to improve and enhance the .NET framework.
In 2015, Task parallelism and Task Parallel Library were introduced. In .NET 4.5, an asynchronous model based on tasks was incorporated.