SDK & CLI

The .NET SDK and its command-line interface (CLI) are the foundation for creating, building, testing, and deploying .NET applications. Mastering the CLI unlocks efficient cross-platform development workflows.

dotnet new — Project Templates

The dotnet new command scaffolds projects from built-in or custom templates. List available templates with dotnet new list.

dotnet new console -n MyConsole
dotnet new webapi -n MyApi
dotnet new mvc -n MyMvcApp
dotnet new classlib -n MyLibrary
dotnet new xunit -n MyTests
dotnet new sln -n MySolution

Use --output to specify a target directory and --framework to target a specific TFM like net8.0.

Custom Templates

You can create your own templates by adding a .template.config/template.json folder to a project and installing it via dotnet new install <path>.

dotnet build — Compiling Code

dotnet build compiles the project and its dependencies. Internally it invokes MSBuild with the designated target.

dotnet build                              # Debug build
dotnet build -c Release                   # Release build
dotnet build --no-restore                 # Skip restore if already done
dotnet build --verbosity normal           # Control log level

The output is written to bin/Debug/<tfm>/ or bin/Release/<tfm>/.

dotnet test — Running Tests

dotnet test discovers and runs tests in one or more test projects.

dotnet test
dotnet test --filter "FullyQualifiedName~Integration"
dotnet test --logger "console;verbosity=detailed"
dotnet test --settings test.runsettings

It supports all major frameworks (xUnit, NUnit, MSTest) and can produce coverage reports via Coverlet.

dotnet run — Executing Applications

dotnet run compiles and runs a project in one step. Useful during development.

dotnet run                               # Run with default profile
dotnet run -- --port 5000                # Pass arguments to app
dotnet run -c Release                    # Run release build
dotnet run --project src/MyApp           # Target a specific project

dotnet publish — Deploying Applications

dotnet publish compiles the application and copies all necessary files to a deployment folder.

dotnet publish -c Release -o ./publish
dotnet publish --self-contained true --runtime win-x64
dotnet publish -p:PublishSingleFile=true
dotnet publish -p:PublishReadyToRun=true

dotnet pack — Creating NuGet Packages

dotnet pack -c Release
dotnet pack -o ./nupkgs
dotnet pack -p:Version=2.0.0

dotnet nuget — Package Management

dotnet nuget push MyPackage.1.0.0.nupkg --api-key ... --source https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json
dotnet nuget delete MyPackage 1.0.0 --non-interactive
dotnet nuget locals all --clear
dotnet nuget list source

global.json and Roll-Forward Policy

A global.json file in the project root pins the SDK version and configures roll-forward behavior:

{
  "sdk": {
    "version": "8.0.100",
    "rollForward": "latestMajor",
    "allowPrerelease": false
  }
}

Roll-forward policies include patch, feature, minor, major, latestPatch, latestFeature, latestMinor, latestMajor, and disable.