In Microsoft .NET, when an application is compiled, the output of the compilation produces what is known as an Assembly. Two types of assemblies can be produced by the compilation procedure. One is the executable file (*.exe) and the other is a dynamic link library file (*.dll). Basically the assembly is the unit of deployment in Microsoft .NET and it can be thought of as a collection of types and resources that form a logical unit of functionality.
An assembly is a self-describing entity. It contains all information about the types (classes) contained in the assembly, all external references needed for executing the assembly and so on. This is possible with an assembly manifest. The manifest contains assembly’s identity and version information, a file table containing all files that make up the assembly and the assembly reference list for all external dependencies. Thus
assemblies do not need to depend on the registry values for compilation or execution.
An assembly contains manifest data and one or more modules. Manifest data contains information about the assembly and other list of assemblies that it depends on. It also contains all the publicly exposed types and resources. An assembly contains various modules. Each module contains metadata and IL.
Assemblies can be viewed by application developers with the help of a tool called ildasm (IL Disassembler) provided by the .NET Framework.
An assembly is a self-describing entity. It contains all information about the types (classes) contained in the assembly, all external references needed for executing the assembly and so on. This is possible with an assembly manifest. The manifest contains assembly’s identity and version information, a file table containing all files that make up the assembly and the assembly reference list for all external dependencies. Thus
assemblies do not need to depend on the registry values for compilation or execution.
An assembly contains manifest data and one or more modules. Manifest data contains information about the assembly and other list of assemblies that it depends on. It also contains all the publicly exposed types and resources. An assembly contains various modules. Each module contains metadata and IL.
Assemblies can be viewed by application developers with the help of a tool called ildasm (IL Disassembler) provided by the .NET Framework.