Getting Started with .NET Core

.NET Core (previously known as .NET vNext) is the general umbrella term used for Microsoft's cross-platform toolset that aims to solve the shortcomings of centralized/machine-wide frameworks (NET framework) by creating a portable, platform agnostic, modular runtime and framework. This decentralized and modular development platform allows developers to create applications for multiple platforms using the common .NET base class libraries (NET standard), as well as various runtimes and application models, depending on the target platforms. This chapter will give you a brief introduction to .NET Core while explaining different tiers of .NET Core infrastructure. Languages and runtimes, as well as extensions that can be used together with .NET Core will be discussed and analyzed.

The combination of.NET Core, .NET Standard, and Xamarin is the key to cross platform projects, and opens many doors that were previously for Windows-only developers. Creating web applications that can run on Linux machines and containers, and the implementation of mobile applications that target iOS, Android, Universal Windows Platform (UWP), and Tizen are just a couple of examples to emphasize the capabilities of this cross-platform approach.

In this chapter, the following sections will guide you through getting started with .NET Core:

• Cross-platform development
• Introduction to .NET Core
• .NET foundation
• Developing with .NET Core