C# glossary: Master level
31 C# terms at the Master level, each with a short definition and a link to its full page.
Updated
- Assembly
- A compiled .NET unit containing CIL, metadata, and sometimes resources.
- Async/Await
- Language features for pausing asynchronous work without blocking its thread.
- Attribute
- Metadata attached to C# declarations for compilers, tools, or runtime code.
- Cancellation Token
- A value passed through operations to communicate a request for cancellation.
- Common Intermediate Language (CIL)
- Platform-independent instructions stored in .NET assemblies and executed by the CLR.
- Common Type System
- The .NET rules defining how types are declared, used, and shared across supported languages.
- Deadlock
- A state where threads wait forever for locks held by one another.
- Garbage Collection
- Automatic recovery of managed heap memory from objects a program can no longer reach.
- Generational Garbage Collection
- A strategy that groups objects by age so short-lived objects can be collected efficiently.
- Heap Memory
- Managed runtime memory where reference-type objects are generally allocated.
- Lock Statement
- A statement that allows only one thread at a time into a protected block for the same lock object.
- Managed Code
- Code whose execution and memory are managed by the .NET runtime.
- Memory Leak
- Unwanted memory growth caused by retaining references to objects no longer needed.
- Memory<T>
- A heap-safe representation of a continuous memory region that can survive asynchronous operations.
- Metadata
- Information stored in an assembly describing its types, members, references, and attributes.
- Pointer
- A variable containing the memory address of another value in unsafe code.
- Race Condition
- A bug where a result depends on unpredictable timing between threads.
- Record Type
- A reference or value type designed for data with generated value-based equality.
- ref Return
- Returning a reference to a storage location instead of copying its value.
- ref struct
- A value type restricted to the stack so it cannot outlive the memory it refers to.
- Reflection
- Inspecting and using types, members, and annotations at runtime.
- Source Generator
- A compiler component that examines a program and adds generated C# source during compilation.
- Span<T>
- A stack-only view over a continuous region of memory without owning that memory.
- Stack Memory
- Per-thread memory commonly holding call frames, parameters, and local values.
- Task
- An object representing asynchronous work that may complete later.
- Thread
- An independently scheduled path of execution inside a process.
- Thread Pool
- A runtime-managed group of reusable worker threads.
- Unsafe Code
- A C# context that permits pointers and operations outside normal managed-memory safety.
- ValueTask
- A value type representing asynchronous work that may already have a result.
- Volatile Field
- A field whose reads and writes receive special cross-thread visibility rules.
- WebApplicationFactory
- Starts an ASP.NET Core app in memory for tests.