Difference between an EXE and a DLL in Dotnet

Kiran Kumar

What is the difference between an EXE and a DLL in Dotnet

3 Replies

Know the answer? Post it — somebody with the same question will find it here.

Sam Hobbs1y ago
Do you understand the difference between an EXE and a DLL, whether .Net or not? I think that is the first topic to understand.

In .Net an exe is called an application and a DLL is called a Class Library. That is the difference in the context of .Net. Not all DLLs are Class Libraries; for example, kernel32.dll and user32.dll definitely are not Class Libraries.
0
Rajanikant Hawaldar1y ago
https://www.c-sharpcorner.com/blogs/difference-between-dll-and-exe
0

	EXE (Executable) DLL (Dynamic Link Library)
Full Form	Executable File	Dynamic Link Library
Purpose	Used to launch and run an application	Contains code and data used by multiple programs
Entry Point	Has a `main()` or `WinMain()` function as an entry point	Does not have a main entry point; cannot run on its own
Execution	Can be executed directly by the operating system	Cannot be executed directly; must be called by an EXE or another DLL
Usage	Standalone application	Shared library used by applications to reuse code
Memory Usage	Loaded into memory when the application starts	Loaded into memory only when needed (dynamic loading)
Examples	`notepad.exe`, `chrome.exe`	`kernel32.dll`, `user32.dll`
Modularity	Typically contains the whole application	Promotes modularity and code reuse across applications