CLR Architecture

CLR Architecture

         

The source code that is written is compiled to an intermediate code called the byte code(in java) or the Common Intermediate Language(in .Net). Either the Java Virtual Machine or the Common Language Runtime (CLR) is used to compile the code to the intermediate form.

While executing the program, i.e., the intermediate code, the Just-In-Time(JIT) compiler comes into the picture. The job of the JIT compiler is to convert intermediate code in to the machine code or the native code for execution. With the JIT the code can be optimized to a  particular operating system. This is one of the advantages of going for such code execution.

The advantage of converting the source code to the intermediate code is that it can un or any operating system provided that the JIT for that operating system is present. This gives the portability of the code.

In .Net the CLR which also has the JIT is used to convert the CIL code into the native code to be processed by the machine. It is also possible to convert the source code to the native code directly by bypassing the tasks done by the JIT. This helps to reduce the load in the JIT.

Responsibility of CLR

It is responsible for loading and running C# programs. The CLR provides a number of services :-

Thanks :-Sumith