The .Net Framework Windows only legacy
.NET Framework is the original .NET implementation, first released in 2002. It is Windows-only and considered legacy, with version 4.8.1 being the final release.
Limitations
Section titled “Limitations”- Cannot run on Linux or macOS
- Tightly integrated with Windows components (Registry, COM, Windows Forms, WPF)
- Slower release cycle (major updates every few years)
- Not included in modern cloud-native strategies
When to Use
Section titled “When to Use”- Maintaining existing Windows desktop applications (WinForms, WPF)
- ASP.NET WebForms applications
- Windows-specific services
Note: For new development, use .NET 8 or later instead.
# Check installed .NET Framework versions
reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP"