.NET CLI Commands Reference/Cheat Sheet

Core Commands

dotnet build

Builds the project and its dependencies.

# Basic build
dotnet build

# Build in Release mode
dotnet build --configuration Release

# Build specific project
dotnet build MyProject.csproj

# Build with verbose output
dotnet build --verbosity detailed

dotnet run

Builds and runs the application.

# Basic run
dotnet run

# Run with specific configuration
dotnet run --configuration Release

# Run specific project
dotnet run --project MyProject.csproj

Port Specifications

Using --urls Parameter

# Run on specific port
dotnet run --urls "http://localhost:5000"

# Run on multiple ports
dotnet run --urls "http://localhost:5000;https://localhost:5001"

# Run on all interfaces
dotnet run --urls "http://*:5000"

# Run on specific IP
dotnet run --urls "http://192.168.1.100:5000"

Using Environment Variables

# Set ASPNETCORE_URLS environment variable
export ASPNETCORE_URLS="http://localhost:8080"
dotnet run

# Windows Command Prompt
set ASPNETCORE_URLS=http://localhost:8080
dotnet run

# Windows PowerShell
$env:ASPNETCORE_URLS="http://localhost:8080"
dotnet run

Using launchSettings.json

Edit Properties/launchSettings.json:

{
  "profiles": {
    "http": {
      "commandName": "Project",
      "dotnetRunMessages": true,
      "launchBrowser": true,
      "applicationUrl": "http://localhost:5000",
      "environmentVariables": {
        "ASPNETCORE_ENVIRONMENT": "Development"
      }
    },
    "https": {
      "commandName": "Project",
      "dotnetRunMessages": true,
      "launchBrowser": true,
      "applicationUrl": "https://localhost:5001;http://localhost:5000",
      "environmentVariables": {
        "ASPNETCORE_ENVIRONMENT": "Development"
      }
    }
  }
}

Watch Commands

dotnet watch

Automatically rebuilds and restarts the application when files change.

# Basic watch (runs dotnet run)
dotnet watch

# Watch with specific command
dotnet watch run

# Watch build only (no run)
dotnet watch build

# Watch with port specification
dotnet watch run --urls "http://localhost:3000"

# Watch with launch profile
dotnet watch run --launch-profile "Development"

Watch Configuration

Add to your .csproj file:

<PropertyGroup>
  <!-- Files to watch -->
  <DefaultItemExcludes>$(DefaultItemExcludes);wwwroot\lib\**</DefaultItemExcludes>
</PropertyGroup>

<ItemGroup>
  <!-- Additional files to watch -->
  <Watch Include="**\*.cshtml" />
  <Watch Include="**\*.css" />
  <Watch Include="**\*.js" />
</ItemGroup>

Common Development Scenarios

CDIS V2 Development Setup

# Navigate to project directory
cd CDISV2Core

# Development with watch (recommended)
dotnet watch run --urls "http://localhost:5000;https://localhost:5001"

# Production-like testing
dotnet run --configuration Release --urls "http://localhost:8080"

# Build for deployment
dotnet build --configuration Release --output ./publish

Port Conflict Resolution

# Check what's using a port (Windows)
netstat -ano | findstr :5000

# Check what's using a port (Linux/Mac)
lsof -i :5000

# Kill process by PID (Windows)
taskkill /PID 1234 /F

# Kill process by PID (Linux/Mac)
kill -9 1234

Environment-Specific Commands

Development

dotnet watch run --environment Development --urls "http://localhost:5000"

Staging

dotnet run --environment Staging --urls "http://localhost:8080"

Production

dotnet run --environment Production --urls "http://localhost:80"

Useful Flags

Flag	Description
--configuration	Build configuration (Debug/Release)
--framework	Target framework
--runtime	Target runtime identifier
--verbosity	Log verbosity (quiet, minimal, normal, detailed, diagnostic)
--no-build	Don’t build before running
--no-restore	Don’t restore packages before building
--launch-profile	Launch profile to use

Quick Reference

# Most common development command
dotnet watch run

# Custom port development
dotnet watch run --urls "http://localhost:3000"

# Production build
dotnet build --configuration Release

# Clean and rebuild
dotnet clean && dotnet build

# Restore packages
dotnet restore

Troubleshooting

Port Already in Use

1. Change port: dotnet run --urls "http://localhost:5001"
2. Kill existing process: taskkill /F /IM dotnet.exe
3. Use different launch profile

Watch Not Working

1. Check file patterns in .csproj
2. Restart with dotnet watch clean
3. Verify file permissions

Build Errors

1. Clean solution: dotnet clean
2. Restore packages: dotnet restore
3. Check project references: dotnet list reference