.NET CLI

As explained in ASP.NET Core in Action, 3e

The .NET CLI is a command-line interface for creating, building, running, and managing .NET applications and projects.

The .NET command-line interface (CLI) lets you create, build, run, and publish .NET applications from a terminal. It is useful when you prefer an editor other than Visual Studio or work across platforms. Visual Studio provides a graphical interface but largely uses the same commands behind the scenes. section 27.1.1

Create and run a minimal API

In a new folder, run `dotnet new sln -n WebApplication1`, then `dotnet new web -o WebApplication1`, then `dotnet sln add WebApplication1`. The commands create a solution, generate a web project from a template, and add the project to the solution. Change into the project folder and run `dotnet run`; open the URL printed in the terminal to see the app’s “Hello World!” response. section 3.2.1 section 3.3

Common commands in a project folder are:

• `dotnet restore` downloads referenced NuGet packages. Restore normally happens automatically when the project is created. section 3.2.2
• `dotnet build` compiles the project and writes build artifacts to its `bin` folder. section 27.1.1
• `dotnet run` builds as needed and executes the app for local requests. section 3.2.2 section 27.1.1
• `dotnet publish --output publish --configuration Release` prepares output for deployment; a successful build alone does not include everything needed to deploy. section 27.1.1

The dotnet build command runs dotnet restore implicitly. Similarly, dotnet run runs dotnet build and dotnet restore. If you don’t want to run the previous steps automatically, you can use the --no-restore and --no-build flags, as in dotnet build --no-restore.

Use the command relationship to see why you usually need not run restore and build separately: build restores implicitly, and run builds and restores implicitly. The `--no-restore` and `--no-build` flags skip those steps when appropriate. section 3.2.2

Templates and tools extend the same workflow. `dotnet new razor` starts a Razor Pages project, while `dotnet new worker` starts a worker service. `dotnet add package Newtonsoft.Json` adds a NuGet dependency. For local API authentication tests, the .NET 7 SDK includes `user-jwts` to generate JWTs; production token issuance commonly uses an identity provider instead. section 13.1.1 section 34.2.1 section 3.5 section 25.4

How ASP.NET Core in Action, 3e covers it

How deep it goes

Walks through template creation and core commands, explains implicit restore and build steps, and distinguishes build output from publish output.

Examples

Uses a runnable minimal API, a Razor Pages template, a worker-service template, and local JWT generation.

What it assumes

Starts with a terminal and installed .NET tooling, explaining projects, solutions, package restore, and the build workflow as they arise.

What you can do after

Build it from scratch with `dotnet new`, then operate it with `dotnet run` and prepare deployment output with `dotnet publish`.

How it connects

Connects project templates and solutions with NuGet packages, Razor Pages, worker services, publishing, and JWT testing.

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  .NET MAUI in Action.NET CLI is the command-line interface for creating, building, running, testing, and managing .NET projects.

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Related concepts

• .NET SDKequivalent to · .NET SDK is Microsoft's software development kit providing tools, compilers, libraries, commands, and templates for building, testing, and publishing .NET applications.
• dotnet testused by · dotnet test is a .NET CLI command that builds a project or solution and discovers and executes its tests.
• Visual Studioalternative to · Visual Studio is Microsoft's integrated development environment for creating, building, debugging, and testing software across programming languages and platforms.
• projectuses · A software project is a managed collection of source files, configuration, dependencies, and build settings that defines a software unit and how it is produced.
• code reloadingcontrasts with · Code reloading is a development technique that detects changed code or resources and refreshes, reevaluates, or restarts affected application components without requiring a full manual restart.
• dotnet runhas part · dotnet run is a .NET CLI command that builds and runs an application from its project.

This explainer was generated by Manning's knowledge graph from the text of ASP.NET Core in Action, 3e. The section links point to the parts of the book it draws on.