.NET Framework Security

Base Class Library

Just as languages such as C and VB have standard libraries, the .NET Framework has a standard library. It is often referred to as the base class library, or BCL. While it is possible to write a .NET program without ever using the BCL, it is unlikely that anyone would want to do this.

The BCL divides functionality into different namespaces. The root namespace of the BCL is named System. Related functionality is often grouped together in its own namespace below this, such as System.IO for stream-based I/O. Microsoft-specific functionality is located under the Microsoft root namespace (Microsoft.Win32.Registry, for example). To use BCL classes from the System.IO namespace, the following line would be required in a C# application: ...