HostBuilder
HostBuilder is a .NET hosting API type that configures and constructs an application host.
ASP.NET Core in Action, 3e
HostBuilder is a .NET hosting API type that configures application services, hosting, configuration, and middleware before creating an application host.
- How it is used
- Configures application hosting, services, configuration, logging, middleware, and endpoints before creating a runnable host.
- How deep it goes
- Explains default setup, customization points, and Build()/Run() lifecycle, while deferring implementation details behind framework helpers.
- Examples
- Uses default-builder customization, Startup wiring, and an in-memory TestServer integration test with HttpClient.
- What you can do after
- Build it from scratch or customize defaults, then run an application host or exercise a web pipeline in memory.
.NET MAUI in Action
A host builder is a .NET hosting configuration object that constructs and configures an application host.
- How it is used
- Configures the .NET MAUI startup pipeline before launching the application.
- How deep it goes
- Explains builder creation, extension-method configuration, and Build(), but does not descend into host internals.
- Examples
- Uses MauiProgram.cs with UseMauiApp<App>(), ConfigureFonts, and Build().
- What you can do after
- Build and configure a .NET MAUI application host from MauiProgram.CreateMauiApp.
Related concepts
- MauiAppproduces · MauiApp is the .NET MAUI application object produced by application startup configuration.
- MAUIused by · .NET MAUI is a cross-platform .NET framework for building native applications and user interfaces from a shared codebase.
- Microsoft.AspNetCore.TestHostused by · Microsoft.AspNetCore.TestHost is an ASP.NET Core library that hosts applications in memory for integration testing without a separate server.
- Host.CreateDefaultBuilder()produced by · Host.CreateDefaultBuilder() is a .NET factory method that creates an application host builder with default configuration, logging, environment, and dependency-injection settings.
- IServiceCollectionuses · IServiceCollection is a .NET interface representing service descriptors and registrations used to configure a dependency-injection container.
- dependency injection containeruses · A dependency injection container is software that constructs and resolves objects by supplying their configured dependencies, often managing their lifetimes.
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