Inheritance hierarchy is a singly rooted tree structure for organizing classes.

In .NET, the inheritance hierarchy refers to the organization of classes in a hierarchical structure where derived classes inherit behaviors and characteristics from their base classes. This hierarchy allows for code reuse, abstraction, and polymorphism. At the top of the hierarchy is the Object class, which is the root of all classes in .NET. All classes ultimately inherit from this class.

In C#, for example, a class can inherit from another class using the : syntax. For instance:

csharp

class MyBaseClass

{

    // Base class members

}

class MyDerivedClass : MyBaseClass { // Derived class members }

Here, MyDerivedClass inherits from MyBaseClass. If MyBaseClass itself inherits from another class, it becomes part of the inheritance hierarchy, forming a chain of inheritance.

In .NET, multiple inheritance is not supported for classes, but a class can implement multiple interfaces, allowing for a form of multiple inheritance through interface implementation.

The inheritance hierarchy facilitates the concept of encapsulation, where classes are organized in a logical and hierarchical manner, promoting code reusability and maintainability.