Editing Common Language Runtime

{{short description|Virtual machine component of Microsoft's .NET framework}}
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{{third-party|date=March 2019}}
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{{Program execution}}
The '''Common Language Runtime''' ('''CLR'''), the [[virtual machine]] component of [[Microsoft]] [[.NET Framework]], manages the execution of .NET programs. [[Just-in-time compilation]] converts the [[managed code]] (compiled [[intermediate language]] code) into [[machine instructions]] which are then executed on the [[CPU]] of the computer.<ref name="msdn-clr">{{cite web| title = Common Language Runtime (CLR) | url = http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/8bs2ecf4 | access-date = 14 November 2013 | work = [[MSDN Library]]}}</ref> The CLR provides additional services including [[memory management]], [[type safety]], [[exception handling]], [[garbage collection (computer science)|garbage collection]], security and [[thread management]]. All programs written for the .NET Framework, regardless of [[programming language]], are executed in the CLR. All versions of the .NET Framework include CLR. The CLR team was started June 13, 1998.

CLR implements the [[Virtual Execution System]] (VES) as defined in the [[Common Language Infrastructure]] (CLI) standard, initially developed by Microsoft itself. A public standard defines the Common Language Infrastructure specification.<ref>{{cite web | title = ECMA C# and Common Language Infrastructure Standards 
| url = http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/vstudio/Aa569283.aspx | access-date = 14 November 2013 
| work = Visual Studio Developer Center}}</ref>

During the transition from legacy .NET technologies like the .NET Framework and its proprietary runtime to the community-developed [[.NET Core]], the CLR was dubbed '''CoreCLR'''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Understanding .NET Framework, .NET Core, .NET Standard And Future .NET|url=https://www.c-sharpcorner.com/blogs/understanding-net-framework-net-core-and-net-standard-and-future-net|access-date=February 1, 2021|website=www.c-sharpcorner.com|language=en}}</ref>  Today, it is simply called the '''.NET runtime'''.<ref>{{cite web|title= .NET is a cross-platform runtime for cloud, mobile, desktop, and IoT apps.|url=https://github.com/dotnet/runtime|access-date=November 5, 2023|website=GitHub}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable"
|+Overview of the Common Language Runtime release history<ref name="msdn-clr" />
!CLR version
!.NET version
|-
|1.0
|[[.NET Framework version history#.NET Framework 1.0|1.0]]
|-
|1.1
|[[.NET Framework version history#.NET Framework 1.1|1.1]]
|-
|2.0
|[[.NET Framework version history#.NET Framework 2.0|2.0]], [[.NET Framework version history#.NET Framework 3.0|3.0]], [[.NET Framework version history#.NET Framework 3.5|3.5]]
|-
|4
|[[.NET Framework version history#.NET Framework 4|4]], [[.NET Framework version history#.NET Framework 4.5|4.5]], [[.NET Framework version history#.NET Framework 4.6|4.6]], [[.NET Framework version history#.NET Framework 4.7|4.7]], [[.NET Framework version history#.NET Framework 4.8|4.8]]
|}

==See also==
*[[Common Intermediate Language]]
*[[List of CLI languages]]
*[[Java virtual machine]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=30601 Components of Common Language Runtime]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110425220519/http://www.visualbuilder.com/dotnet/tutorial/clr-%28common-language-runtime%29/ Components of CLR]
*[http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/a4t23ktk.aspx Overview of the .NET Framework 4.0]
*[http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/zw4w595w.aspx .NET Framework Conceptual Overview]

{{.NET Framework}}
{{Common Language Infrastructure}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:.NET Framework terminology]]
[[Category:Stack-based virtual machines]]