Skip to contentSkip to navigationSkip to topbar
Rate this page:
On this page

C#?


C# — pronounced "see sharp" — is an object-oriented and statically typed(link takes you to an external page) computer programming language created by Microsoft for use on its .NET platform. Its name comes from the C language, from which it inherits a similar syntax.

C# was created by Microsoft(link takes you to an external page) and standardized by ISO(link takes you to an external page) and ECMA(link takes you to an external page). It was officially released in 2002. Since then, the language has seen numerous improvements with the most recent version being C# 6.0(link takes you to an external page).

C# developers are frequently referred to as .NET developers since the C# language is almost exclusively used with the .NET Framework. It is quite a popular language, generally ranking among the top five on many different(link takes you to an external page) popularity(link takes you to an external page) charts(link takes you to an external page). It is most commonly used in enterprise software development but also has a thriving open source ecosystem(link takes you to an external page).


Technical details

technical-details page anchor

C# was designed to run on the CLI (Common Language Infrastructure)(link takes you to an external page) and utilize the .NET Framework(link takes you to an external page). It was built for multiple programming paradigms(link takes you to an external page), such as oject-oriented programming (OOP) and functional(link takes you to an external page) programming. The language is compiled. It is statically typed, which means that the type of every variable is checked by the compiler. However, in version 4.0, C# did introduce a keyword, dynamic, for dynamic variable binding.

While originally built to run on Windows, C# was quickly ported to Linux and macOS by the Mono(link takes you to an external page) project. Today, C# is open source(link takes you to an external page) and runs on the cross-platform .NET Core(link takes you to an external page).


Getting started with C#

getting-started-with-c page anchor

Modern C# and .NET development can be carried out on a variety of platforms. The most common usage on Windows is through the Visual Studio(link takes you to an external page) integrated development environment (IDE) but there are other tools available as well, such as the lightweight, cross-platform VS Code editor.

Operating SystemRecommended Tools
WindowsVisual Studio(link takes you to an external page), VS Code(link takes you to an external page), or Command Line(link takes you to an external page)
MacVisual Studio for Mac(link takes you to an external page), VS Code(link takes you to an external page), or Command Line(link takes you to an external page)
LinuxVS Code(link takes you to an external page) or Command Line(link takes you to an external page)

There is a wealth of C# information online, but here are a few links to get you started:


Rate this page: