.NET Core is an open-source, cross-platform framework developed by Microsoft for building modern, cloud-based, and internet-connected applications. It is a re-engineered version of the older .NET Framework, designed to be more modular, lightweight, and efficient. .NET Core supports the creation of various types of applications including web applications, services, cloud-based apps, and more, using languages like C#, F#, and Visual Basic. Its cross-platform capability allows developers to build and run applications on multiple operating systems such as Windows, macOS, and Linux. This framework is part of the .NET ecosystem, which also includes tools and libraries for building apps. One of the significant aspects of .NET Core is its command-line interface (CLI) tools and the inclusion of the ASP.NET Core, which is a high-performance, open-source framework for building web applications.

The benefits of .NET Core are manifold. Firstly, its cross-platform nature allows for a greater degree of flexibility and broader reach for applications developed under it. Developers can target multiple platforms with the same application code base, reducing both development time and the cost of development. Secondly, .NET Core is optimized for performance and scalability. It has been benchmarked as one of the fastest frameworks for building web applications, making it an excellent choice for high-performance scenarios. The modular design also means that applications only use necessary components, which results in more efficient resource utilization and improved application performance. Additionally, .NET Core’s support for microservices architecture allows for building applications as a set of small, well-defined, and independently deployable services. This approach provides benefits in terms of maintainability, scalability, and continuous deployment. With strong community support and regular updates from Microsoft, .NET Core continues to evolve, making it a robust choice for modern application development.