junior.NET Core
What is .NET Core and how is it different from .NET Framework?
Updated Feb 20, 2026
Short answer
.NET Core is a cross-platform, open-source framework for building modern applications, whereas .NET Framework is Windows-only and monolithic.
Deep explanation
.NET Core is modular, lightweight, and optimized for cloud and microservices. It uses CoreCLR, supports cross-platform execution, and allows side-by-side versioning. In contrast, .NET Framework is tightly coupled with Windows and lacks flexibility for modern deployments.
Real-world example
A microservices-based e-commerce backend deployed on Linux containers using Docker.
Common mistakes
- - Assuming both are interchangeable
- - Ignoring deployment differences
Follow-up questions
- How would you scale this?
- What are trade-offs?
- How would you debug production issues?