The .NET Framework is a software development framework developed by Microsoft. It provides a comprehensive and consistent programming model for building various types of applications. Here are some important components of the .NET Framework:
CLR (Common Language Runtime)
CLR manages the execution of programs for example operations like memory management, security checks etc.
CLR provides execution of managed code only (Code written in any .NET-supported language such as C#, Visual Basic .NET, or F#).
CTS(Common Type System)
CTS is a set of rules that define how types are declared, used, and managed in the .NET Framework. Types like int, string, double.
CLS(Common Language Specification)
CLS is a subset of CTS. It defines a set of rules that every language must follow which runs under .NET framework.
The benefit is, if you create same program logic in different languages of .NET, then the compiler will generate same dll.
FCL(Framework Class Library)
FCL is the collection of classes, namespaces, interfaces and value types that are used for .NET applications.
For example, String, Arraylist, List classes are provided by FCL only.