DEV Community

Cover image for What is .NET Core? The Modern Framework for Building Cross-Platform Apps
FullStackPrep Dev
FullStackPrep Dev

Posted on • Edited on

What is .NET Core? The Modern Framework for Building Cross-Platform Apps

For more tutorials on .NET Core, visit FullStackPrep.Dev

What is .NET Core? The Modern Framework for Building Cross-Platform Apps

Are you still working with the traditional .NET Framework and wondering what all the hype is around .NET Core?

Letโ€™s explore why .NET Core has become the go-to platform for building modern, scalable, and high-performance applications โ€” and how it differs from its predecessor.


๐Ÿš€ What is .NET Core?

.NET Core is a lightweight, cross-platform, open-source framework developed by Microsoft. Unlike the classic .NET Framework (which runs only on Windows), .NET Core runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Hereโ€™s what sets it apart:

  • โœ… Cross-platform development
  • โšก High performance via Kestrel web server
  • ๐Ÿ”„ Modular with NuGet-based dependencies
  • ๐Ÿ” Built-in support for Dependency Injection
  • ๐ŸŒ Perfect for microservices & cloud-native apps

๐Ÿ’ป .NET Core vs .NET Framework

Feature .NET Core .NET Framework
Cross-platform โœ… Yes โŒ Windows only
Open-source โœ… Fully OSS โŒ Partially
Performance โœ… Faster (Kestrel) โŒ Slower (IIS)
Microservices support โœ… Designed for it โŒ Legacy support
Dependency Injection โœ… Built-in โŒ Manual setup

๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿ’ป Real World Use Case

Imagine youโ€™re building a lightweight, containerized REST API.

With .NET Core, you get:

  • Blazing-fast startup
  • Native Docker support
  • Simplified middleware and routing
  • Out-of-the-box dependency injection

โœ… Itโ€™s built for todayโ€™s cloud-first and microservice-driven architecture.


๐Ÿ“š Deep Dive Tutorial

Weโ€™ve explained this in full with examples, diagrams, and interview questions here:

๐Ÿ‘‰ What is .NET Core and how is it different from .NET Framework?

Whether youโ€™re a beginner or preparing for an interview, this guide covers:

  • Architecture insights
  • CLI usage
  • Core libraries
  • .NET 6+ changes

๐Ÿง  Why You Should Care

  • Employers expect .NET Core knowledge in 2025+
  • Azure, AWS, and GCP fully support it
  • Itโ€™s the future of Microsoftโ€™s developer stack

๐Ÿ’ฌ Share Your Experience

Have you migrated to .NET Core yet?

Whatโ€™s been your biggest learning curve?

Drop your thoughts in the comments ๐Ÿ‘‡

Top comments (0)