User:Soumyasch/Incubator/.NET Class Libraries

Microsoft .NET Framework includes a set of standard class libraries. The class library organized in a hierarchy of namespaces. Most of the built in APIs are part of either  or   namespaces. It encapsulates a large number of common functions, such as file reading and writing, graphic rendering, database interaction, and XML document manipulation, among others. The .NET class libraries are available to all .NET languages. The .NET Framework class library is divided into two parts: the Base Class Library and the Framework Class Library.

Base Class Library
The .NET Framework Base Class Library (BCL) includes a small subset of the entire class library and serves as the basic API of the Common Language Runtime. The BCL classes are available in both .NET Framework as well as its alternative implementations including .NET Compact Framework, Microsoft Silverlight and Mono. The BCL Class libraries include:

Framework Class Library
The .NET Framework Framework Class Library (FCL) includes an expanded set of libraries, including WinForms, ADO.NET, ASP.NET as well as several other namespaces. It consists of around 2500 classes and interfaces in around 240 namespaces. The FCL is much larger in scope than standard libraries for languages like C++, and comparable in scope to the standard libraries of Java.