Applications built with VS 2017 can run on systems with only the VS 2015-2022 redistributable installed due to binary compatibility.
VC-REDIST-2017 Version: 1.0 Last Updated: [Current Date]
One of the most significant technical aspects of the 2017 Redistributable is its binary compatibility with its predecessor, Visual Studio 2015.
Microsoft decided to make the Visual C++ 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2022 redistributables binary compatible. This means that the libraries use the same file names and binary interfaces. For example, the file msvcp140.dll is used by the 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2022 redistributables.
To understand the necessity of the Visual C++ Redistributable, one must first understand how C++ programs are developed. When a developer writes code in C++, they utilize a Standard Template Library (STL) and various runtime libraries to handle essential tasks such as memory management, input/output operations, and string manipulation.