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process-api-net11

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Provides guidance on the new System.Diagnostics.Process APIs introduced in .NET 11: Process.Run, Process.RunAndCaptureText, Process.StartAndForget, Process.ReadAllText/Bytes/Lines, KillOnParentExit, InheritedHandles, and StartDetached. USE FOR: starting, orchestrating, or capturing output from external processes in applications targeting net11.0 or later. DO NOT USE FOR: applications targeting .NET 10 or earlier, or basic pre-.NET 11 Process.Start usage without new APIs.

When to use

• Running or orchestrating external processes in a .NET 11 (or later) project.
• Needing to start a process, wait for it to exit, and capture its output/error streams without risking deadlocks (`Process.RunAndCaptureText[Async]`).
• Wanting to ensure child processes are automatically terminated when the parent process exits (`KillOnParentExit`).
• Requiring lightweight, low-overhead process creation via `SafeProcessHandle` on supported platforms.
• Requiring fine-grained control over handle inheritance (`InheritedHandles`) or starting detached processes (`StartDetached`).

When not to use

• The project targets .NET 10 or earlier — these APIs are not available before .NET 11.
• The default `Process.Start()` is sufficient and does not require output capturing or advanced lifecycle rules.

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