.NET assemblies adhere to the Portable Executable Common Object File Format (PE COFF) specification. PE COFF files have headers and sections, such as a PE and CLR Header. .NET assemblies also consist of metadata and Microsoft Intermediate Language (MSIL) code. Metadata describes the types and other characteristics of the assembly. You can inspect the metadata of an assembly using reflection. Tools, such as the Intermediate Language Disassembler (ILDASM), can browse an assembly using reflection to provide helpful information. Reflection also provides support for late binding, which is often helpful to developers. The next chapter explores the topics of metadata and reflection.