The .Net 5, 6, 7, 8 unified platform
Starting with .NET 5 (November 2020), Microsoft unified .NET Framework and .NET Core into a single platform. This eliminates confusion and provides a single codebase for all scenarios.
Version Timeline
Section titled “Version Timeline”| Version | Release Date | Support Type | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| .NET 5 | Nov 2020 | STS (ended) | Single unified platform |
| .NET 6 | Nov 2021 | LTS | ARM64 support, hot reload |
| .NET 7 | Nov 2022 | STS | Native AOT, rate limiting |
| .NET 8 | Nov 2023 | LTS | Blazor improvements, AI integration |
LTS vs STS
Section titled “LTS vs STS”- LTS (Long Term Support) : 3 years support (.NET 6, .NET 8)
- STS (Standard Term Support) : 18 months support (.NET 5, .NET 7)
# Check your current .NET versiondotnet --version
# List all installed .NET versionsdotnet --list-sdks