What is JIT compilation in .NET?

JIT stands for Just-In-Time compilation. The JIT compiler converts .NET Intermediate Language into native machine code that the processor can execute.

Methods are generally compiled as needed rather than requiring all application IL to be compiled to native code at startup.

Modern .NET includes optimizations such as tiered compilation. Frequently executed methods can receive more optimized native code after initial execution, balancing startup performance and long-running throughput.