What is the difference between const and readonly in C#?

Question

What is the difference between const and readonly in C#?

When would you use one over the other?

Answer 1

One thing to add to what people have said above. If you have an assembly containing a readonly value (e.g. readonly MaxFooCount = 4; ), you can change the value that calling assemblies see by shipping a new version of that assembly with a different value (e.g. readonly MaxFooCount = 5;)

But with a const, it would be folded into the caller's code when the caller was compiled.

If you've reached this level of C# proficiency, you are ready for Bill Wagner's book, Effective C#: 50 Specific Ways to Improve Your C# Which answers this question in detail, (and 49 other things).