Why is Main declared static in C#, and what would happen if it weren’t?

Why is Mains declared static in C#

The Main method is declared static in C# because it serves as the entry point of a program. A static method belongs to the class itself, not an instance of the class, which means it can be invoked without creating an object of the class. This is crucial for the runtime to execute the program without requiring an instance of the containing class.

Why Main is Static

No Instance Required: When a program starts, there is no existing object of the class containing Main. Declaring it static ensures that the runtime can call it directly without instantiating the class.

static void main(string[] args)
{
    Console.WriteLine("Program starts here.");
}

Performance: Avoiding unnecessary object creation saves time and resources during program startup.

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What Happens if Mains Isn’t Static?

If Mains were not static, the runtime wouldn’t know how to create an instance of the class to call it. This would lead to a compilation error:

CS5001: Program does not contain a static 'mains' method suitable for an entry point.

To call a non-static method, the runtime would require an object, creating a chicken-and-egg problem—there’s no object to invoke Main, and Main is needed to create objects.