What are the correct version numbers for C#?
This is the same as most answers here, but tabularized for ease, and it has Visual Studio and .NET versions for completeness.
C# version | VS version | .NET version | CLR version | Release date |
---|---|---|---|---|
1.0 | 2002 | 1.0 | 1.0 | Feb 2002 |
1.2 | 2003 | 1.1 | 1.1 | Apr 2003 |
2.0 | 2005 | 2.0 | 2.0 | Nov 2005 |
3.0 | 2.0 | Nov 2006 | ||
3.0 | 2008 | 3.5 | 2.0 | Nov 2007 |
4.0 | 2010 | 4.0 | 4 | Apr 2010 |
5.0 | 2012 | 4.5 | 4 | Aug 2012 |
2013 | 4.5.1 | 4 | Oct 2013 | |
4.5.2 | 4 | May 2014 | ||
6.0 | 2015 | 4.6 | 4 | Jul 2015 |
4.6.1 | 4 | Nov 2015 | ||
4.6.2 | 4 | Aug 2016 | ||
7.0 | 2017 | Mar 2017 | ||
4.7 | 4 | May 2017 | ||
7.1 | 2017 (v15.3) | Aug 2017 | ||
4.7.1 | 4 | Oct 2017 | ||
7.2 | 2017 (v15.5) | Dec 2017 | ||
4.7.2 | 4 | Apr 2018 | ||
7.3 | 2017 (v15.7) | May 2018 | ||
8.0 | 2019 | 4.8 | 4 | Apr 2019 |
4.8.1 | 4 | Aug 2022 |
Versions since .NET Core
C# version | VS version | .NET version | Release date | End of Support |
---|---|---|---|---|
2015 Update 3 | .NET Core 1.0 | Jun 2016 | Jun 2019 | |
.NET Core 1.1 | Nov 2016 | Jun 2019 | ||
7.0 | 2017 | Mar 2017 | ||
7.1 | 2017 (v15.3) | .NET Core 2.0 | Aug 2017 | Oct 2018 |
7.3 | 2017 (v15.7) | .NET Core 2.1 | May 2018 | Aug 2021 |
.NET Core 2.2 | Dec 2018 | Dec 2019 | ||
8.0 | 2019 | Apr 2019 | ||
2019 (v16.3) | .NET Core 3.0 | Sep 2019 | Mar 2020 | |
2019 (v16.4) | .NET Core 3.1 | Dec 2019 | Dec 2022 | |
9.0 | 2019 (v16.8) | .NET 5 | Nov 2020 | Feb 2022 |
10.0 | 2022 | .NET 6 | Nov 2021 | Nov 2024 |
.NET 7 | Nov 2022 | Feb 2023 | ||
.NET 8 | Nov 2023 | Nov 2026 |
* - .NET 5.0 is not a newer version of .NET framework but .NET Core 3. Starting from .NET 5.0, there are no newer versions of .NET full framework.
** - There are no separate CLR (CoreCLR) versions for .NET Core. Whatever is the .NET Core version is the CoreCLR version. So not mentioning it.
Note: .NET is pretty much independent of VS and compiler versions, there is no correlation between versions of each. The above lists don't imply certain version of .NET are tied to certain C# or VS versions. This is just compiled in their chronological order of their releases (VS/C# and .NET). Some releases happen to be together, hence they sit in the same row.
Refer to ".NET Framework versions and dependencies" and ".NET release cadence" for more.
C# language version history:
These are the versions of C# known about at the time of this writing:
- C# 1.0 released with .NET 1.0 and VS2002 (January 2002)
- C# 1.2 (bizarrely enough); released with .NET 1.1 and VS2003 (April 2003). First version to call
Dispose
onIEnumerator
s which implementedIDisposable
. A few other small features. - C# 2.0 released with .NET 2.0 and VS2005 (November 2005). Major new features: generics, anonymous methods, nullable types, and iterator blocks
- C# 3.0 released with .NET 3.5 and VS2008 (November 2007). Major new features: lambda expressions, extension methods, expression trees, anonymous types, implicit typing (
var
), and query expressions - C# 4.0 released with .NET 4 and VS2010 (April 2010). Major new features: late binding (
dynamic
), delegate and interface generic variance, more COM support, named arguments, tuple data type and optional parameters - C# 5.0 released with .NET 4.5 and VS2012 (August 2012). Major features: async programming, and caller info attributes. Breaking change: loop variable closure.
- C# 6.0 released with .NET 4.6 and VS2015 (July 2015). Implemented by Roslyn. Features: initializers for automatically implemented properties, using directives to import static members, exception filters, element initializers,
await
incatch
andfinally
, extensionAdd
methods in collection initializers. - C# 7.0 released with .NET 4.7 and VS2017 (March 2017). Major new features: tuples, ref locals and ref return, pattern matching (including pattern-based switch statements), inline
out
parameter declarations, local functions, binary literals, digit separators, and arbitrary async returns. - C# 7.1 released with VS2017 v15.3 (August 2017). New features: async main, tuple member name inference, default expression, and pattern matching with generics.
- C# 7.2 released with VS2017 v15.5 (November 2017). New features: private protected access modifier, Span<T>, aka interior pointer, aka stackonly struct, and everything else.
- C# 7.3 released with VS2017 v15.7 (May 2018). New features: enum, delegate and
unmanaged
generic type constraints.ref
reassignment. Unsafe improvements:stackalloc
initialization, unpinned indexedfixed
buffers, customfixed
statements. Improved overloading resolution. Expression variables in initializers and queries.==
and!=
defined for tuples. Auto-properties' backing fields can now be targeted by attributes. - C# 8.0 released with .NET Core 3.0 and VS2019 v16.3 (September 2019). Major new features: nullable reference-types, asynchronous streams, indices and ranges, readonly members, using declarations, default interface methods, static local functions, and enhancement of interpolated verbatim strings.
- C# 9.0 released with .NET 5.0 and VS2019 v16.8 (November 2020). Major new features: init-only properties, records, with-expressions, data classes, positional records, top-level programs, improved pattern matching (simple type patterns, relational patterns, logical patterns), improved target typing (target-type
new
expressions, target typed??
and?
), and covariant returns. Minor features: relax ordering ofref
andpartial
modifiers, parameter null checking, lambda discard parameters, nativeint
s, attributes on local functions, function pointers, static lambdas, extensionGetEnumerator
, module initializers, and extending partial. - C# 10.0 released with .NET 6.0 (November 2021). Major new features: record structs, struct parameterless constructors, interpolated string handlers, global
using
directives, file-scoped namespace declarations, extended property patterns, const interpolated strings, mixed assignment and declaration in deconstruction, async method builders (via attributes) for individual methods, theCallerArgumentExpression
attribute for parameters, enhanced#line
pragmas.
In response to the OP's question:
What are the correct version numbers for C#? What came out when? Why can't I find any answers about C# 3.5?
There is no such thing as C# 3.5 - the cause of confusion here is that the C# 3.0 is present in .NET 3.5. The language and framework are versioned independently, however - as is the CLR, which is at version 2.0 for .NET 2.0 through 3.5, .NET 4 introducing CLR 4.0, service packs notwithstanding. The CLR in .NET 4.5 has various improvements, but the versioning is unclear: in some places it may be referred to as CLR 4.5 (this MSDN page used to refer to it that way, for example), but the Environment.Version
property still reports 4.0.xxx.
As of May 3, 2017, the C# Language Team created a history of C# versions and features on their GitHub repository: Features Added in C# Language Versions. There is also a page that tracks upcoming and recently implemented language features.