C# is Microsoft's strongly typed, object-oriented programming language for building software on .NET.
C# is an open-source, cross-platform, object-oriented programming language that Microsoft developed for the .NET platform. It is strongly typed and type-safe, runs on Windows, Linux, macOS, and mobile operating systems, and its Roslyn compiler is built as an open-source project under the .NET Foundation. Microsoft releases a new major version of the language each year alongside the annual .NET release.
Developers use C# across web applications, mobile and desktop apps, cloud microservices, games, IoT, and machine-learning workloads, and it ranks among the most-used languages in GitHub projects. The language is standardized through Ecma International as ECMA-334, and its design and compiler evolve publicly in the dotnet/csharplang and dotnet/roslyn repositories on GitHub.
Adds products that compete with one of C#’s direct competitors but not with C# itself. They are shaded, and Linked Through names the direct competitor each one competes with.
| Attribute | C# | Java | Kotlin | Swift | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Provider | |  |  |  | |
| Founded | 1975 | 1977 | 2000 | 1976 | |
| Sells To | Enterprises, Small Business | Enterprise, Small Business | Developers | Enterprises, Individuals | |
| Pricing Model | SaaS, Transactional | Recurring, Software, Transactional | Subscription | Services, Subscription | |
| Ownership | Public | Public | Private | Public |
Provider
Founded 1975
Sells To Enterprises, Small Business
Pricing Model SaaS, Transactional
Ownership Public
Provider
Founded 1977
Sells To Enterprise, Small Business
Pricing Model Recurring, Software, Transactional
Ownership Public
Provider
Founded 2000
Sells To Developers
Pricing Model Subscription
Ownership Private
Provider
Founded 1976
Sells To Enterprises, Individuals
Pricing Model Services, Subscription
Ownership Public
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