What is .NET Framework ?

The .NET Framework is a Platform for software development.The .NET Framework consists of 

1. CLR (Common Language Runtime)
2. CLS (Common Language Specification)
3. CTS (Common Type System)
4. .NET base class library

CLR (Common Language Runtime) :
Provides many of the core services required for program execution.

CLS (Common Language Specification) :
The CLS defines a minimum set of  standards that all languages using the .NET Framework must support,

CTS (Common Type System) : 
The CTS ensures type compatibility between components developed in different languages.

.NET base class library :
The .NET base class library, which exposes a set of pre-developed classes to facilitate program development. 

The primary unit of a .NET application is the assembly, which includes an assembly manifest. The assembly manifest describes the assembly and one or more modules , and modules contain the source code for the application.

A .NET executable is stored as an IL file. When loaded, the assembly is checked against the security policy of local system. If it is allowed to run, the first assembly is loaded into memory and JIT compiled into native binary code, where it is stored for the remainder of the program's execution.

Top 5 advantages of ASP.NET

ASP.NET has many advantages over other platforms when it comes to creating Web applications. The advantage is mainly because in ASP.NET web applications can be easily created , debugged and deployed within a single  development environment Visual Studio .NET.

1. Executable portions of a Web application compiled so they execute more quickly than interpreted scripts.
2. Built in security through the Windows server or through other authentication/authorization methods.
3. Integration with ADO.NET to provide database access and database design tools from within Visual Studio .NET.
4. Full support for Extensible Markup Language (XML), cascading style sheets (CSS), and other new and established Web standards.
5. Built in feature for caching frequently requested Web pages on the server, localizing content for specific languages and cultures, and detecting browser capabilities.