What is the use of assembly in ASP.net?

Perhaps before one can explain what an assmbly is used for one has to clarify what it is here is an exaplanation.

An assembly is a file that is automatically generated by the compiler upon successful compilation of every .NET application. It can be either a Dynamic Link Library or an executable file. It is generated only once for an application and upon each subsequent compilation the assembly gets updated. The entire process will run in the background of your application; there is no need for you to learn deeply about assemblies. However, a basic knowledge about this topic will help you to understand the architecture behind a .NET application.

An Assembly contains Intermediate Language (IL) code, which is similar to Java byte code. In the .NET language, it consists of metadata. Metadata enumerates the features of every "type" inside the assembly or the binary. In addition to metadata, assemblies also have a special file called Manifest. It contains information about the current version of the assembly and other related information.

In .NET, there are two kinds of assemblies, such as Single file and Multi file. A single file assembly contains all the required information (IL, Metadata, and Manifest) in a single package. The majority of assemblies in .NET are made up of single file assemblies. Multi file assemblies are composed of numerous .NET binaries or modules and are generated for larger applications. One of the assemblies will contain a manifest and others will have IL and Metadata instructions.

Here is a scenario a have had to use an assembly
I have a project being written in VB.Net and C# i needed to use MySQL as the backend database in order to do so i downloaded the MySQL Data provider which i installed on my computer. I then in my project added the installed dll as a reference .. which in essence is an assembly.  


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BrainBench ADO.NET and ASP.NET Certified Developer