What is Ahead-of-Time (AOT) compilation in .NET?

Ahead-of-Time compilation generates native code before application execution instead of relying entirely on runtime JIT compilation.

Modern .NET supports Native AOT for suitable applications. Potential benefits include faster startup, reduced memory usage in some scenarios, and deployment without requiring JIT compilation.

However, AOT introduces compatibility considerations for highly dynamic features such as unrestricted reflection or runtime code generation. Applications intended for AOT should use libraries and patterns compatible with trimming and static analysis.