This release includes enhancements to the following components of .NET, but is not limited to:
ObservabilityStartup timesCodeGenGC regionsNative AOT compilation
Furthermore, new features have also been introduced, which are:
Native AOTDefault GC regionsASP.NET Core startup time improvements
If you are willing to try out the new features, you can download the runtimes, SDKs, and the ASP .NET Core from the direct download links given below for the following operating systems:
WindowsLinuxMacOS
But before you do, we suggest you read through the new features highlighted below. .NET 7 Preview 3 has been tested with Visual Studio 17.2 Preview 3, thus Microsoft recommends that you use it with preview channel releases of Visual Studio to avoid compatibility conflicts.
New in .NET 7 Preview 3
Support
Since .NET 7 is the current release of .NET, it will receive free support and patches from Microsoft for the next 18 months.
New in .NET 7 Preview 3 Support Native AOT Performance Improvements Download .NET 7 Preview 3 Runtime SDKs ASP.NET Core Install .NET 7 Preview 3 Final Thoughts
In terms of operating systems, this release will be compatible with the following architectures on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) version 8:
AMD x64Intel x64ARM (aarch64)IBM ZLinuxONE (s390x)
Native AOT
Ahead-Of-Time (AOT) is a technology that generates code at application build time, instead of run-time. Native AOT brings full native pre-compilation to .NET desktop client and server scenarios. Native AOT is not replacing these existing technologies, rather it’s offering a new set of capabilities that unlocks new form factors. Native AOT is similar to .NET’s existing AOT technologies, but it produces only native artifacts. In fact, the Native AOT runtime does not know how to read the .NET assembly file formats – everything is platform-native.
Performance Improvements
Performance continues to be a major focus for .NET 7. Microsoft reimplemented the precode and call counting stubs (tiered compilation helper stubs) to significantly reduce the number of post-creation modifications of executable code in the runtime. This resulted in 10-15% startup time improvements. This change also resulted in steady-state performance improvements (up to 8%) in some microbenchmarks and some ASPNet Benchmarks even without Write-Xor-Execute enabled.
Download .NET 7 Preview 3
Use the direct download links below to download the .NET 7 Preview 3 Runtime, SDKs, and ASP.NET Core matching your operating system and architecture:
Runtime
Download .NET 7.0.0 Preview 3 Desktop Runtime for Windows x64 Download .NET 7.0.0 Preview 3 Desktop Runtime for Windows x86 Download .NET 7.0.0 Preview 3 Desktop Runtime for Windows ARM64 Download .NET 7.0.0 Preview 3 Runtime for macOS x64 Download .NET 7.0.0 Preview 3 Runtime for macOS ARM64 Download .NET 7.0.0 Preview 3 Runtime Binaries for Linux Arm32 Download .NET 7.0.0 Preview 3 Runtime Binaries for Linux Arm64 Download .NET 7.0.0 Preview 3 Runtime Binaries for Linux Arm32 Alpine Download .NET 7.0.0 Preview 3 Runtime Binaries for Linux Arm64 Alpine Download .NET 7.0.0 Preview 3 Runtime Binaries for Linux x64 Download .NET 7.0.0 Preview 3 Runtime Binaries for Linux x64 Alpine
SDKs
Download .NET SDK 7.0.100 Preview 3 for Windows x64 Download .NET SDK 7.0.100 Preview 3 for Windows x86 Download .NET SDK 7.0.100 Preview 3 for Windows ARM64 Download .NET SDK 7.0.100 Preview 3 for macOS x64 Download .NET SDK 7.0.100 Preview 3 for macOS ARM64 Download .NET SDK 7.0.100 Preview 3 Binaries for Linux Arm32 Download .NET SDK 7.0.100 Preview 3 Binaries for Linux Arm64 Download .NET SDK 7.0.100 Preview 3 Binaries for Linux Arm32 Alpine Download .NET SDK 7.0.100 Preview 3 Binaries for Linux Arm64 Alpine Download .NET SDK 7.0.100 Preview 3 Binaries for Linux x64 Download .NET SDK 7.0.100 Preview 3 Binaries for Linux x64 Alpine
ASP.NET Core
Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 7.0.0 Preview 3 Hosting Bundle for Windows Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 7.0.0 Preview 3 for Windows x64 Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 7.0.0 Preview 3 for Windows x86 Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 7.0.0 Preview 3 Binaries for Windows ARM64 Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 7.0.0 Preview 3 Binaries for macOS x64 Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 7.0.0 Preview 3 Binaries for macOS ARM64 Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 7.0.0 Preview 3 Binaries for Linux Arm32 Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 7.0.0 Preview 3 Binaries for Linux Arm64 Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 7.0.0 Preview 3 Binaries for Linux Arm32 Alpine Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 7.0.0 Preview 3 Binaries for Linux Arm64 Alpine Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 7.0.0 Preview 3 Binaries for Linux x64 Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 7.0.0 Preview 3 Binaries for Linux x64 Alpine More download and install options here.
Install .NET 7 Preview 3
You can begin by downloading .NET 7 Preview 3 for your architecture from the links above and then execute it to begin the installation process. You have now installed .NET 7 Preview 3. You may check which .NET version is running by typing in the following command in Command Prompt:
Final Thoughts
As the name of this release indicates, it is still in the development phase. This is why we do not recommend that you install it in a production environment. Moreover, Microsoft has suggested you use .NET 7 Preview 3 with preview versions of Visual Studio, which is also not recommended in live environments. Thus, it would be better to install and test out .NET 7 Preview 3 in a test environment or a Virtual Machine (VM).
