.NET Framework Versions and Key Features

.NET Framework 1.0 (2002)

• CLR (Common Language Runtime): Memory management, type safety, exception handling.
• Base Class Library (BCL): Basic APIs for normal tasks.
• ASP.NET: A web application platform that is easy to use.
• Windows Forms: Desktop GUI applications.
• Basic XML Support: Parsing and manipulation.

.NET Framework 1.1 (2003)

• ASP.NET Mobile Controls: Mobile web development.
• Code Access Security (CAS) Enhancements
• IPv6 Support
• Improved Windows Forms

.NET Framework 2.0 (2005)

• Generics: Strongly typed collections.
• ASP.NET 2.0: Master pages, membership, role management.
• Nullable Types (Nullable<T>)
• ClickOnce Deployment
• Performance improvements in CLR & BCL

.NET Framework 3.0 (2006) (Adds new components but runs on CLR 2.0)

• WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation): Modern UI framework.
• WCF (Windows Communication Foundation): Service-oriented apps.
• WF (Windows Workflow Foundation): Workflow automation.
• CardSpace: Identity management (later deprecated).

.NET Framework 3.5 (2007)

• LINQ (Language Integrated Query): Unified data querying.
• ASP.NET AJAX: Asynchronous web apps.
• WCF & WF Enhancements
• Entity Framework (v1): ORM for databases.

.NET Framework 4.0 (2010)

• Dynamic Language Runtime (DLR): Support for dynamic keyword.
• TPL (Task Parallel Library): Simplified multithreading.
• Code Contracts: Design-by-contract programming.
• Entity Framework 4.0: Improved ORM.

.NET Framework 4.5 (2012)

• Async/Await: Simplified async programming.
• ASP.NET Web API: RESTful services.
• Performance improvements (WPF, WinForms, GC)
• Portable Class Libraries (PCLs)

.NET Framework 4.5.1 (2013) & 4.5.2 (2014)

• Bug fixes & performance tweaks
• Better debugging in Visual Studio

.NET Framework 4.6 (2015)

• RyuJIT Compiler: Faster 64-bit JIT.
• HTTP/2 Support
• Cryptography API Improvements

.NET Framework 4.6.1 (2015) & 4.6.2 (2016)

• More performance optimizations
• Enhanced encryption (ECDSA, ECDH)

.NET Framework 4.7 (2017)

• High DPI Support (WPF & WinForms)
• TLS 1.1/1.2 Default
• Enhanced Cryptography

.NET Framework 4.7.1 (2017) & 4.7.2 (2018)

• Accessibility Improvements
• ARM32 Support
• More Security Updates

.NET Framework 4.8 (2019) – Last Major Version

• High DPI & Accessibility (WPF/WinForms)
• Performance Optimizations (JIT, GC)
• .NET Standard 2.1 Partial Support
• Latest Security Patches

.NET Framework 4.8.1 (2022) (Minor Update)

• ARM64 Support
• Windows 11 & Server 2022 Optimizations
• Bug Fixes & Security Patches

Current Status (2024)

• No new major versions planned (Microsoft shifted focus to .NET 5+ / .NET Core).
• .NET Framework 4.8.x remains in maintenance mode (security fixes only).
• .NET (Core) 6/7/8 is the future (cross-platform, open-source, high-performance).

Key Features Across All Versions

✅ Cross-Language Interoperability (C#, VB, F#, etc.)
✅ Rich Class Libraries (BCL, ASP.NET, WPF, WCF, etc.)
✅ Security (CAS, Cryptography, Role-Based Security)
✅ Deployment (ClickOnce, MSI, XCOPY)
✅ Visual Studio Integration