How to check the OS version at runtime, e.g. on Windows or Linux, without using a conditional compilation statement

Question

How do I determine what platform my C# code is running on? for example whether it is running on Linux or windows so that I can execute different code at runtime.

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Answer 1

To expand on other answers, in cases where a Linux and Windows implementation of a feature are not compatible (that is, require references to libraries only available for a specific platform), you can also use an interface and have two separate assemblies, one written and compiled on each platform, with a type that implements this interface.

Then, based on the check, use Assembly.Load() to load only the right assembly (and its platform-specific dependency), reflection to find your type in the assembly, and Activator.CreateInstance() to get an instance of the type that you can then work with normally.