Managed vs Unmanaged code in .NET Core

 Managed Code:

The term used to describe the code targeting the .NET Core runtime is called managed code. The code is executed by CLR (Common Language Runtime). In short, the code needs .NET Core runtime to host and execute it. As it needs the .NET Core runtime for its execution, it becomes platform-independent i.e., application/code can be developed in Windows operating system and can be executed on Mac or Linux operating system having .NET Core runtime and vice versa.

An assembly is the binary unit that comprises the managed code. The code is compiled into an intermediate language (MSIL/IL).

Managed code makes use of the Common Language Runtime (CLR), which looks after the applications by managing and handling memory and security, enabling cross-language integration, code access security, and automatic lifetime control of objects.

It's important to remember that the C# language can only be used to create applications that run on the.NET Core runtime; it can't be used to create a native COM server or an unmanaged C/C++ style application. Consider the following CLR execution model:

Unmanaged Code:

Unmanaged code is code that cannot be explicitly hosted by the.NET Core runtime and is executed by the operating system directly.

Unmanaged codes are those that do not run under the supervision of the CLR, and some languages like C++ can be used to code them, for example, to access low-level operating system functions.

A code block that uses a pointer variable is known as unsafe or unmanaged code.

Unmanaged code is executed using the operating system directly, which does not handle and manage application security and memory.

Moreover, code is compiled into the native language and provide low-level access.

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