Common Type System

The Common Type System in the Common Language Runtime is the component that defines how data types are declared and used. The fact that the common language runtime can support cross-language integration to the level it does is due largely to the Common Type System. In the past, each language used its own data types and managed data in its own way. This made it difficult for applications developed in different languages to communicate because no standard way existed in which to pass data between them.

The Common Type System ensures that all .NET applications use the same data types, provides for self-describing type information (called metadata), and controls all the data manipulation mechanisms so that data is handled (stored and processed) in the same way among all .NET applications. This allows data (including objects) to be treated the same way in all .NET languages.