The .NET Framework is comprised of two main components:

• Common language runtime (CLR)
• .NET Framework class library

The common language runtime manages the execution of the code, providing features such as memory management, thread management, and type safety.

The .NET Framework class library is a comprehensive, object-oriented collection of reusable classes (types) that you can use to develop applications. The class library includes:

• Window Forms (for creating Windows applications)
• GDI+ (graphics library)
• ASP.NET (for creating Web Forms and XML Web Services)
• ADO.NET (for managing data)
• and much more

Any code that targets the .NET Framework Common Language Runtime (CLR) is managed code, while code that does not target the runtime is known as unmanaged code.