CLI Essentials | dotnet

Prerequisites

Basic understanding of C# and how to create and manage solutions and projects in your IDE.

Run Through

dotnet new

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/core/tools/dotnet-new

examples:

dotnet new sln -n MySolution

dotnet new console -n MyConsole

dotnet new nunit -n MyTests, ...

dotnet sln

dotnet sln add/remove <path-to-project>

dotnet build

dotnet build | grep " Error"

dotnet restore

Restores dependencies specified in your .csproj file.

dotnet user-secrets

watch my video

dotnet format

watch my video

DemoTime

dotnet restore and the NuGet.Config

Restores dependencies specified in your .csproj file.

NuGet.Config

When installing dotnet, we get a default NuGet.Config in the user path that points to https://api.nuget.org

You can also provide project specific NuGet.Config files.

Search order

dotnet looks for the NuGet.Config in several places

1. csproj root
2. sln root
3. user (on linux: ~/.nuget/NuGet/NuGet.Config)
4. machine (on linux: /etc/opt/NuGet/Config)

You can find a list of the OS specific Nuget.Config locations here

Specifically set file paths set like so dotnet restore --configfile ~/.nuget/NuGet/NuGet.Config override any local Nuget.Config files

Package Sources

By default the NuGet.Config points to https://api.nuget.org, but you can also add custom package sources like so

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<configuration>
   <packageSources>
      <add key="nuget.org" protocolVersion="3" value="https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json" />
      <add key="my-private-repo" value="https://my-private-repo.url" />
   </packageSources>
   <packageSourceCredentials>
      <my-private-repo>
         <add key="Username" value="USERNAME" />
         <add key="ClearTextPassword" value="PASSWORD" />
      </my-private-repo>
   </packageSourceCredentials>
</configuration>

Usually your private artifactory provider should come with instructions on how to set up your NuGet.Config correctly, see jfrog as an example

Example from Above: UnitsNet

<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
	<PropertyGroup>
		<TargetFramework>net9.0</TargetFramework>
	</PropertyGroup>
	<ItemGroup>
		    <PackageReference Include="UnitsNet" Version="5.75.0" />
	</ItemGroup>
</Project>

c# code

using UnitsNet;

var length = Length.FromMeters(3);
Console.WriteLine(length.Feet); // 9.84252

dotnet add

Adds a unit package to your project, runs dotnet restore automatically

dotnet add package UnitsNet --version 5.75.0

bonus: dotnet test

The dotnet test command builds and runs your unit tests using the test framework configured in your project (like NUnit, xUnit, or MSTest).

It’s a simple, powerful way to validate your code right from the terminal — no IDE required.

dotnet test | grep line

This runs all tests and filters the output for lines containing “line” — handy if you just want to see failed test output or focus on a specific pattern.

dotnet test --collect:"XPlat Code Coverage" -- DataCollectionRunSettings.DataCollectors.DataCollector.Configuration.Format=cobertura,opencover

This command runs your tests and collects code coverage data using the built-in cross-platform collector.

The --collect:"XPlat Code Coverage" flag tells .NET to generate coverage reports in formats like Cobertura or OpenCover, which you can later visualize with tools such as ReportGenerator or Coverlet.

bonus: dotnet publish

the following command will publish your dotnet project as a container

dotnet publish --os linux --arch x64 /t:PublishContainer -c Release

for more information see the microsoft documentation