Difference between lambda and LINQ? [duplicate]

Question

Can someone explain me the difference between lambda and linq?

Please don't point me out to other stackexchange answers or trivial explanations, I've checked most of them and they're orribly confusing.

I've used a bit of LINQ (I believe?) in these days with expressions like (merely an invented example)

var result = object.Where(e => e.objectParameter > 5).Any()

Which, should return in result a boolean which says if there is any element >5.

Ok, then, what are LINQ and lambda?

Is LINQ just a library, a set of functions, developed by C# team to include with

using System.Linq;

which gives you a powered "for loop" with many methods to avoid you getting your hands "dirty"? (First, FirstOrDefault, Any.... etc)

And what is Lambda? Is the same as above? It's a language on it's own? What is it and how it differs from LINQ? How do I recognize one or another?

Thanks

Answer 1

Linq (Language Integrated Query) can use Lambdas (Lambda Expressions) but doesn't have to.

This is Linq:

var a = from b in someList
        where b.Value == something
        select b;

But can be written with a Lambda:

var a = someList.Where(b => b.Value == something);

The Lambda is b => b.Value == something.

---

Where as mock.Setup(m => m.SomeOp()).Returns(new Thing()); uses a Lambda (the m => m.SomeOp()), but has nothing to do with Linq.

Answer 2

Language-Integrated Query (LINQ) is a set of features introduced in Visual Studio 2008 that extends powerful query capabilities to the language syntax of C# and Visual Basic

A lambda expression is an anonymous function that you can use to create delegates or expression tree types. By using lambda expressions, you can write local functions that can be passed as arguments or returned as the value of function calls.

Linq uses Lambda expression in order to execute some of its functionalities.

Example:

new [] { "Dan", "Yossi", "Ben" }.Where(item => item.Length == 3);

Lambda expression: item => item.Length == 3
Linq: (from item in (new [] { "Dan", "Yossi", "Ben" }) where item.Length == 3)