.NET Foundation

.NET Foundation
Founded	2014
Founder	Microsoft
Type	Non-profit
Focus	Open-source software
Area served	Worldwide
Method	Community collaboration

.NET_Foundation_Logo

== .NET Foundation ==

The .NET Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization established to support the open development and collaboration around the .NET ecosystem. It was founded by Microsoft in 2014 to foster innovation and community engagement in the development of the .NET platform.

History[edit | edit source]

The .NET Foundation was announced at the Build 2014 conference. Its creation marked a significant step in Microsoft's shift towards open-source software development. The foundation's mission is to promote the broad adoption of .NET by supporting an open-source ecosystem and providing a forum for community and commercial developers to collaborate.

Projects[edit | edit source]

The .NET Foundation oversees a variety of projects within the .NET ecosystem. Some of the notable projects include:

.NET Core: A cross-platform, high-performance framework for building modern, cloud-based, and internet-connected applications.
ASP.NET Core: A framework for building web applications and services with .NET and C#.
Xamarin: A set of tools and libraries for building cross-platform mobile applications using .NET and C#.
Entity Framework Core: An object-database mapper for .NET developers to work with relational data using domain-specific objects.

Governance[edit | edit source]

The .NET Foundation operates under a board of directors, which includes representatives from both the community and corporate sponsors. The board is responsible for setting the strategic direction of the foundation and ensuring that it adheres to its mission of supporting the .NET ecosystem.

Membership[edit | edit source]

Membership in the .NET Foundation is open to individuals and organizations that are interested in contributing to the .NET ecosystem. Members have the opportunity to participate in the governance of the foundation, contribute to projects, and collaborate with other members of the community.

Events[edit | edit source]

The .NET Foundation organizes and sponsors various events to promote the .NET ecosystem, including:

.NET Conf: An annual, free, virtual event for developers to learn about the latest developments in the .NET platform.
Hackathons: Community-driven events where developers collaborate on open-source projects within the .NET ecosystem.