.net Framework : MSIL Basics and App Compilation

Application compilation and execution:
.net application code is compiled into Microsoft Intermediate Languge (MSIL) and stored in a file called an assembly
At run time, the assembly is compiled into its final state by the CLR

MSIL: Microsoft Intermediate Language
• When compiling the managed code, the compiler translates the source code into MSIL
• MSIL is a CPU-independent set of instructions that can be efficiently converted into native code
• MSIL includes instructions for loading, sorting, initializing and calling mehods on objects
• Before code can be run, MSIL must be converted to CPU-specific code, usually by a JIT or Just In Time compiler
• CLR supports one or more JIT compilers for each computer architecture it supports, the same set of MSIL can be JIT compiled and run on any supported architecture
• When a Compiler produces MSIL, it also produces metadata
• Metadata describes the types in the code, their definition, signatures, references, data used at runtime
• MSIL and metadata are contained in a portable executable file
• The runtime located and extracts metadata from the file during the runtime