With Preview 6, Microsoft has made improvements to the following areas:
Type convertersJSON contract customizationSystem.Formats.Tar API updatesConstraints to .NET template authoringPerformance enhancements in the CodeGen area
You can download and install .NET 7 Preview 6 on your compatible devices using the direct download links shared below. .NET 7 can be installed on the following platforms:
WindowsLinuxMacOS
.NET 7 Preview 6 has been tested with Visual Studio 17.3 Preview 3, thus Microsoft recommends that you use it with preview channel releases of Visual Studio only to avoid compatibility conflicts. Let us now dig into the new improvements this release has to offer before you download and test it out.
New in .NET 7 Preview 6
New Primitive Type Converters
Microsoft has introduced exposed type converters for the newly added primitive types, which are the following:
New in .NET 7 Preview 6 New Primitive Type Converters JSON Contract Customization Changes to System.Formats.Tar Download .NET 7 Preview 6 Runtime SDKs ASP.NET Core Install .NET 7 Preview 6 Closing Words
DateOnlyTimeOnlyInt128UInt128Half
JSON Contract Customization
JSON contract customization gives the user more control over what and how types are serialized or deserialized. Developers previously had trouble doing so because they either either came from an external library or it would greatly pollute the code but need to make some changes that influence serialization.
Changes to System.Formats.Tar
Systems.Formats.Tar was first released with .NET 7 preview 4. Now, Microsoft is making a few changes to it in the following areas:
Global Extended Attributes specialized classThe TarFormat enum was renamed to TarEntryFormat as an entry format, and not archive format.Several writing and reading changes have been implemented which you can read here.
The list of changes and improvements does not end here. To read about what other changes have been made to .NET, read this Microsoft post.
Download .NET 7 Preview 6
Use the direct download links below to download the .NET 7 Preview 5 Runtime, SDKs, and ASP.NET Core matching your operating system and architecture:
Runtime
Download .NET 7.0.0 Preview 6 Desktop Runtime for Windows x64 Download .NET 7.0.0 Preview 6 Desktop Runtime for Windows x86 Download .NET 7.0.0 Preview 6 Desktop Runtime for Windows ARM64 Download .NET 7.0.0 Preview 6 Runtime for macOS x64 Download .NET 7.0.0 Preview 6 Runtime for macOS ARM64 Download .NET 7.0.0 Preview 6 Runtime Binaries for Linux Arm32 Download .NET 7.0.0 Preview 6 Runtime Binaries for Linux Arm64 Download .NET 7.0.0 Preview 6 Runtime Binaries for Linux Arm32 Alpine Download .NET 7.0.0 Preview 6 Runtime Binaries for Linux Arm64 Alpine Download .NET 7.0.0 Preview 6 Runtime Binaries for Linux x64 Download .NET 7.0.0 Preview 6 Runtime Binaries for Linux x64 Alpine
SDKs
Download .NET SDK 7.0.100 Preview 6 for Windows x64 Download .NET SDK 7.0.100 Preview 6 for Windows x86 Download .NET SDK 7.0.100 Preview 6 for Windows ARM64 Download .NET SDK 7.0.100 Preview 6 for macOS x64 Download .NET SDK 7.0.100 Preview 6 for macOS ARM64 Download .NET SDK 7.0.100 Preview 6 Binaries for Linux Arm32 Download .NET SDK 7.0.100 Preview 6 Binaries for Linux Arm64 Download .NET SDK 7.0.100 Preview 6 Binaries for Linux Arm32 Alpine Download .NET SDK 7.0.100 Preview 6 Binaries for Linux Arm64 Alpine Download .NET SDK 7.0.100 Preview 6 Binaries for Linux x64 Download .NET SDK 7.0.100 Preview 6 Binaries for Linux x64 Alpine
ASP.NET Core
Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 7.0.0 Preview 6 Hosting Bundle for Windows Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 7.0.0 Preview 6 for Windows x64 Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 7.0.0 Preview 6 for Windows x86 Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 7.0.0 Preview 6 Binaries for Windows ARM64 Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 7.0.0 Preview 6 Binaries for macOS x64 Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 7.0.0 Preview 6 Binaries for macOS ARM64 Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 7.0.0 Preview 6 Binaries for Linux Arm32 Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 7.0.0 Preview 6 Binaries for Linux Arm64 Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 7.0.0 Preview 6 Binaries for Linux Arm32 Alpine Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 7.0.0 Preview 6 Binaries for Linux Arm64 Alpine Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 7.0.0 Preview 6 Binaries for Linux x64 Download ASP.NET Core Runtime 7.0.0 Preview 6 Binaries for Linux x64 Alpine More download and install options here.
Install .NET 7 Preview 6
You can begin by downloading .NET 7 Preview 6 for your architecture from the links above and then execute it to begin the installation process. You have now installed .NET 7 Preview 6. You may check which .NET version is running by typing in the following command in Command Prompt:
Closing Words
The last preview release for .NET 7, which was .NET 7 Preview 5, was released nearly 3 weeks ago. This indicates that Microsoft is working round the clock to improve the .NET platform and make the necessary changes before launching it publicly. That said, since this release is still in its preview, we do not recommend that you install it in a production environment. Rather, we suggest you use it in test environments only and check out the new improvements and compatibility with your existing and new applications.
