managed code

An application program that is executed within a runtime engine installed in the same machine. The application cannot run without it. The runtime environment provides the general library of software routines that the program uses and typically performs memory management. It may also provide just-in-time (JIT) conversion from source code to executable code or from an intermediate language to executable code. Java, Visual Basic and .NET's Common Language Runtime (CLR) are examples of runtime engines. In addition, a DBMS may include a runtime engine for its programming language. Contrast with unmanaged code. See runtime engine, CLR and Java.

---

(operating system)

managed code - Code that is executed by the .NET common language runtime (CLR). VB.NET code is always managed code but C++ .NET can optionally use unmanaged code. Managed code provides metadata allowing the CLR to manage security (role-based as well as new approaches to code access security). The CLR also handles errors, manages the program stack and finds methods in assembly modules. Managed data is memory that's subject to garbage collection. There are additional restrictions to permit interoperability of different languages, for example, Visual Basic arrays must be zero-based.