.NET Micro Framework

.NET Micro Framework

Developer(s)	Microsoft and .NET Foundation
Initial release	2007; 17 years ago (2007)
Stable release	4.4[1] / October 20, 2015; 9 years ago (2015-10-20)
Repository	github.com/NETMF/netmf-interpreter
Written in	C++
Operating system	Windows
Platform	ARM, Blackfin
Available in	English
Type	Software framework
License	Apache License 2.0[2]
Website	netmf.github.io/netmf-interpreter/

The .NET Micro Framework (NETMF) is a .NET Framework platform for resource-constrained devices with at least 512 kB of flash and 256 kB of random-access memory (RAM). It includes a small version of the .NET Common Language Runtime (CLR) and supports development in C#, Visual Basic .NET, and debugging (in an emulator or on hardware) using Microsoft Visual Studio. NETMF features a subset of the .NET base class libraries (about 70 classes with about 420 methods), an implementation of Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), a GUI framework loosely based on Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), and a Web Services stack based on Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) and Web Services Description Language (WSDL). NETMF also features added libraries specific to embedded applications. It is free and open-source software released under Apache License 2.0.

The Micro Framework aims to make embedded development easier, faster, and less costly by giving embedded developers access to the modern technologies and tools used by desktop application developers. Also, it allows desktop .NET developers to use their skills in embedded systems, enlarging the pool of qualified embedded developers.

The Micro Framework is part of the .NET Foundation.^[3] Announced at the Build 2014 conference, the foundation was created as an independent forum to foster open development and collaboration around the growing set of open-source technologies for .NET.^[4]