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Support policies for the various technologies that make up the .NET platform.
The Microsoft .NET Framework includes a broad set of technologies. These include the .NET Common Language Runtime, .NET Framework Base Class Libraries, WPF, ASP.NET Web Forms, Controls, Modules, Handlers and more.
For an explanation of available support options, please visit Support for Business and Developers. For community support options, see the Community page.
The Support Lifecycle information for all versions of .NET Framework can be seen on the Microsoft Product Lifecycle site. ASP.NET ships external components separate from the .NET Framework. Please see ASP.NET Support Lifecycle for the available options.
.NET Core refers to several technologies including .NET Core, ASP.NET Core and Entity Framework Core.
Community support is a great way to get help and even contribute to the projects. See the Community page for details.
For assisted support with .NET Core technologies, contact a Microsoft Support Professional. You can find more information on the below links.
Every Microsoft product has a lifecycle. The lifecycle begins when a product is released and ends when it's no longer supported. Knowing key dates in this lifecycle helps you make informed decisions about when to upgrade or make other changes to your software. This product is governed by Microsoft's Modern Lifecycle Policy.
The .NET Core support lifecycle offers support for each release. The length of time and degree of support vary based on a few qualifications.
Within a release's support lifecycle, systems must remain current on released patch updates for the Major.Minor release.
Customers can choose to use the Long Term Support (LTS) releases or Current releases. LTS releases will generally receive only critical fixes throughout their lifecycle. Current releases will receive these same fixes and will also be updated with compatible innovations and features.
LTS releases are supported for the following timeframe, whichever is longer:
Note: .NET Core 1.x was released under an earlier definition of LTS. See: .NET Core 1.x "shorter" LTS definition.
Customers using LTS will need the latest patch update installed to qualify for support. If a system is running 1.0 and 1.0.1 has been released, 1.0.1 will need to be installed as a first step. Once a patch update has been installed applications will begin using the update by default. LTS releases will be supported for 3-years after general availability, or for a 12 month Maintenance period after the next LTS release ships, whichever is longer.
In addition to staying current with the latest patch update, customers using Current will need to update as new minor versions are released. The latest released minor version will become the minimum serviceable baseline after release. After a 3 month Maintenance period, the previous minor version will no longer be supported. For example, after 1.2 releases systems running version 1.1 will have 3 months to update to 1.2 to remain eligible for support. Applications do not automatically begin using the new minor update.
This table tracks release dates and end of support dates for .NET Core versions.
| Version | Original Release Date | Latest Patch Version | Patch Release Date | Support Level | End of Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .NET Core 2.1 | May 30, 2018 | 2.1.5 | October 2, 2018 | LTS | At least three years from LTS declaration (August 21, 2018) |
| .NET Core 2.1 RC1 | May 8, 2018 | n/a | n/a | n/a | June 30, 2018 |
| .NET Core 2.0 | August 14, 2017 | 2.0.9 | July 10, 2018 | EOL | October 1, 2018 |
| .NET Core 1.1 | November 16, 2016 | 1.1.9 | July 10, 2018 | Maintenance | June 27 2019 |
| .NET Core 1.0 | June 27, 2016 | 1.0.12 | July 10, 2018 | Maintenance | June 27 2019 |
| .NET Core 1.0.0 RC2 | May 16, 2016 | n/a | n/a | EOL | September 27, 2016 |
| .NET Core 1.0.0 RC1 | February 15, 2016 | n/a | n/a | EOL | July 16, 2016 |
End of support refers to the date when Microsoft no longer provides fixes, updates, or online technical assistance. End of support may also be referred to as 'end of life' or abbreviated 'EOL'. This is the time to make sure you have the latest available update* installed. Without Microsoft support, you will no longer receive security updates that can help protect your machine from harmful viruses, spyware, and other malicious software that can steal your personal information.
* Updates are cumulative, with each update built upon all of the updates that preceded it. A device needs to install the latest update to remain supported. Updates may include new features, fixes (security and/or non-security), or a combination of both. Not all features in an update will work on all devices. Update availability may vary, for example by country, region, network connectivity, or hardware capabilities (including, for example, free disk space).
.NET Core is supported across several operating systems and versions. The .NET Core OS Lifecycle Policy provides current details on operating systems support policies and versions.
.NET Core preview releases are supported through Microsoft Developer Support only if they are specifically designated 'Go-Live'. In such cases the license allows you to deploy applications built on the specified .NET Core, ASP.NET Core, Entity Framework Core preview to production environments and provides access to Microsoft Support. For an explanation of available support options, please visit Support for Business and Developers.
The Preview Releases Support Lifecycle for applicable pre-releases will be as follows.
| Version | Release Date | End of Support |
|---|---|---|
| .NET Core 1.0.0 RC1 | February 15, 2016 | July 16, 2016 |
| .NET Core 1.0.0 RC2 | May 16, 2016 | September 27, 2016 |
Xamarin offers a set of tools and technologies for creating native iOS, Android and Windows applications.
Please see https://www.xamarin.com/support for available support options.
Our step-by-step tutorial will help you get .NET running on your computer.
Supported on Windows, Linux, and macOS
