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.NET Runtime and SDK

Short Introduction​

The .NET Runtime executes .NET applications, while the SDK provides tools for developing, building, and publishing .NET applications.

Official Definition​

  • .NET Runtime: The execution environment that runs .NET applications
  • .NET SDK: Software Development Kit containing compiler, tools, and runtime for development

Usage​

# Check installed versions
dotnet --version
dotnet --list-runtimes
dotnet --list-sdks

# Create new project
dotnet new webapi -n MyApi
dotnet new mvc -n MyWebApp
dotnet new console -n MyConsoleApp

Use Cases​

  • Runtime: Production servers running .NET applications
  • SDK: Development machines, CI/CD pipelines, build servers

When to Use / When Not to Use​

Runtime only:

  • Production deployments
  • Containers running applications
  • Minimal footprint requirements

SDK:

  • Development environments
  • Build servers
  • CI/CD pipelines

Market Alternatives​

  • Java JDK/JRE
  • Node.js runtime
  • Python interpreter
  • Go compiler/runtime

Sample Usage​

# Multi-stage Docker build
FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/sdk:8.0 AS build
WORKDIR /app
COPY *.csproj ./
RUN dotnet restore
COPY . ./
RUN dotnet publish -c Release -o out

FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/aspnet:8.0 AS runtime
WORKDIR /app
COPY --from=build /app/out .
ENTRYPOINT ["dotnet", "MyApp.dll"]