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.NET Framework and .NET SDKs

The .NET Framework is the easiest way to build apps on the Microsoft platform. You can download Visual Studio Express for free, and be coding in just a few minutes. You can also use the .NET SDKs and targeting packs to build apps for a given Microsoft platform, such as Microsoft Azure.

What's New with .NET Framework

.NET Framework and .NET SDK Downloads

.NET Core is Open Source
Today is a huge day for .NET! We’re happy to announce that .NET Core will be open source, including the runtime as well as the framework librari... more
Announcing .NET 2015 Preview: A New Era for .NET
Today is a pivotal moment for .NET. With the release of .NET 2015 Preview, we are embarking on a new journey while maintaining our strong commitment t... more
The Roadmap for WPF
When we introduced WPF back in 2006 (.NET 3.0), the response was absolutely phenomenal. Enterprises, ISV’s, and Microsoft Partners have made the... more
Introducing the Visual Studio 2015 Preview for C# and VB
Download Visual Studio 2015 Preview and review the release notes. Over the past several years, our team has been hard at work re-implementing the full... more

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.NET Compiler Platform ("Roslyn")

The .NET Compiler Platform ("Roslyn") provides open-source C# and Visual Basic compilers with rich code analysis APIs. You can build code analysis tools with the same APIs that Microsoft is using to implement Visual Studio!

Microsoft .NET Native

.NET Native compiles C# to native machine code that performs like C++. You will continue to benefit from the productivity and familiarity of the .NET Framework with the great performance of native code. Popular Windows Store apps start up to 60% faster and use 15-20% less memory when compiled with .NET Native.

.NET Framework Development Guide

Learn how to create, configure, debug, secure, and deploy your .NET Framework apps with our roadmap. Check out the how-to and walkthrough directory to find the code examples that you need. Also learn how to write cross-platform libraries with Portable Class Libraries.

What’s New in the .NET Framework 4.5

Read about the many new features and enhancements, including the new asynchronous programming model, the new HTTP API, Workflow authoring and versioning enhancements, and support for creating Windows Store apps.

Developing Apps for Microsoft Platforms

Visit MSDN to learn about creating apps that build your business, for Windows Store, Windows Phone, and Microsoft Azure.

Featured Partners

National Instruments Corp.
National Instruments Corp.
Measurement Studio reduces development time by providing user interface components, data analysis, and instrument control and data acquisition class libraries designed for engineers and scientists.