The SocketTools Secure .NET Edition is a collection of managed code classes, designed to simplify the integration of Internet functionality into applications built using the Visual Studio development platform. SocketTools is ideal for the Visual Basic or C# developer who requires the ease of use and rapid development features of a component, without the complexities of the native socket classes and without requiring in-depth knowledge of how the various Internet protocols are implemented. With integrated support for secure, encrypted connections using the industry standard Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocols, the product includes nineteen class libraries and components which can be used to develop applications that meet a wide range of needs. All of the major protocols are supported, including secure versions of HTTP, FTP, SMTP, POP3 and IMAP4. Secure sessions can be established just by setting a few properties and do not require any special knowledge of security protocols or encryption.

The SocketTools components are written in C# and are compatible with any Visual Studio.NET language. The SocketTools classes support both synchronous and asynchronous network connections, a thread-safe implementation with full support for multithreaded applications and support for proxy servers including secure proxies using FTP and HTTP. Secure connections using SSL and TLS are also supported using 128-bit encryption, providing integrated security features that can be enabled with just a few lines of code.

The product includes an online Developer's Guide and Technical Reference and examples in Visual Basic .NET and C# for both Visual Studio 2003 and 2005 and the components can be redistributed without any additional runtime licensing fees or royalties. Catalyst is a trusted company with over 10 years experience developing Internet components, with extensive technical support resources for developers new to Internet application development.