.NET is a framework developed by Microsoft that allows development of various application types across different platforms. It includes a common language runtime (CLR) that executes code in an environment managed by the runtime. Programming languages are compiled to an intermediate language (IL) that is then compiled to native machine code by the CLR. The .NET framework provides a large class library, language interoperability, memory management and security. It supports development of web, desktop, mobile and web services applications.