1dotnet build command(1) .NET Core dotnet build command(1)
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6 This article applies to: ✓ .NET Core 1.x SDK and later versions
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9 dotnet build - Builds a project and all of its dependencies.
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12 dotnet build [<PROJECT>|<SOLUTION>] [-c|--configuration] [-f|--framework] [--force] [--interactive] [--no-dependencies]
13 [--no-incremental] [--nologo] [--no-restore] [-o|--output] [-r|--runtime] [-v|--verbosity] [--version-suffix]
14 dotnet build [-h|--help]
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18 The dotnet build command builds the project and its dependencies into a
19 set of binaries. The binaries include the project’s code in Intermedi‐
20 ate Language (IL) files with a .dll extension and symbol files used for
21 debugging with a .pdb extension. A dependencies JSON file
22 (*.deps.json) is produced that lists the dependencies of the applica‐
23 tion. A *.runtimeconfig.json file is produced, which specifies the
24 shared runtime and its version for the application.
25 If the project has third-party dependencies, such as libraries from
27 NuGet, they’re resolved from the NuGet cache and aren’t available with
28 the project’s built output. With that in mind, the product of dotnet
29 build isn’t ready to be transferred to another machine to run. This is
30 in contrast to the behavior of the .NET Framework in which building an
31 executable project (an application) produces output that’s runnable on
32 any machine where the .NET Framework is installed. To have a similar
33 experience with .NET Core, you need to use the dotnet publish command.
34 For more information, see .NET Core Application Deployment.
35 Building requires the project.assets.json file, which lists the depen‐
37 dencies of your application. The file is created when dotnet restore
38 is executed. Without the assets file in place, the tooling can’t re‐
39 solve reference assemblies, which results in errors. With .NET Core
40 1.x SDK, you needed to explicitly run the dotnet restore before running
41 dotnet build. Starting with .NET Core 2.0 SDK, dotnet restore runs im‐
42 plicitly when you run dotnet build. If you want to disable implicit
43 restore when running the build command, you can pass the --no-restore
44 option.
45 Whether the project is executable or not is determined by the <Output‐
47 Type> property in the project file. The following example shows a
48 project that produces executable code:
49 <PropertyGroup>
51 <OutputType>Exe</OutputType>
52 </PropertyGroup>
53 To produce a library, omit the <OutputType> property. The main differ‐
55 ence in built output is that the IL DLL for a library doesn’t contain
56 entry points and can’t be executed.
57 MSBuild
59 dotnet build uses MSBuild to build the project, so it supports both
60 parallel and incremental builds. For more information, see Incremental
61 Builds.
62 In addition to its options, the dotnet build command accepts MSBuild
64 options, such as -p for setting properties or -l to define a logger.
65 For more information about these options, see the MSBuild Command-Line
66 Reference. Or you can also use the dotnet msbuild command.
67 Running dotnet build is equivalent to dotnet msbuild -restore -tar‐
69 get:Build.
70 Arguments
72 PROJECT | SOLUTION
73 The project or solution file to build. If a project or solution file
75 isn’t specified, MSBuild searches the current working directory for a
76 file that has a file extension that ends in either proj or sln and uses
77 that file.
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80 · -c|--configuration {Debug|Release}
81 Defines the build configuration. The default value is Debug.
83 · -f|--framework <FRAMEWORK>
85 Compiles for a specific framework. The framework must be defined in
87 the project file.
88 · --force
90 Forces all dependencies to be resolved even if the last restore was
92 successful. Specifying this flag is the same as deleting the
93 project.assets.json file. Available since .NET Core 2.0 SDK.
94 · -h|--help
96 Prints out a short help for the command.
98 · --interactive
100 Allows the command to stop and wait for user input or action. For
102 example, to complete authentication. Available since .NET Core 3.0
103 SDK.
104 · --no-dependencies
106 Ignores project-to-project (P2P) references and only builds the spec‐
108 ified root project.
109 · --no-incremental
111 Marks the build as unsafe for incremental build. This flag turns off
113 incremental compilation and forces a clean rebuild of the project’s
114 dependency graph.
115 · --no-logo
117 Doesn’t display the startup banner or the copyright message. Avail‐
119 able since .NET Core 3.0 SDK.
120 · --no-restore
122 Doesn’t execute an implicit restore during build. Available since
124 .NET Core 2.0 SDK.
125 · -o|--output <OUTPUT_DIRECTORY>
127 Directory in which to place the built binaries. You also need to de‐
129 fine --framework when you specify this option. If not specified, the
130 default path is ./bin/<configuration>/<framework>/.
131 · -r|--runtime <RUNTIME_IDENTIFIER>
133 Specifies the target runtime. For a list of Runtime Identifiers
135 (RIDs), see the RID catalog.
136 · -v|--verbosity <LEVEL>
138 Sets the MSBuild verbosity level. Allowed values are q[uiet], m[ini‐
140 mal], n[ormal], d[etailed], and diag[nostic]. The default is mini‐
141 mal.
142 · --version-suffix <VERSION_SUFFIX>
144 Sets the value of the $(VersionSuffix) property to use when building
146 the project. This only works if the $(Version) property isn’t set.
147 Then, $(Version) is set to the $(VersionPrefix) combined with the
148 $(VersionSuffix), separated by a dash.
149
151 · Build a project and its dependencies:
152 dotnet build
154 · Build a project and its dependencies using Release configuration:
156 dotnet build --configuration Release
158 · Build a project and its dependencies for a specific runtime (in this
160 example, Ubuntu 18.04):
161 dotnet build --runtime ubuntu.18.04-x64
163 · Build the project and use the specified NuGet package source during
165 the restore operation (.NET Core 2.0 SDK and later versions):
166 dotnet build --source c:\packages\mypackages
168 · Build the project and set 1.2.3.4 version as a build parameter:
170 dotnet build -p:Version=1.2.3.4
172 dotnet build command(1)