dotnet pack

  • 4 minutes to read
  • Contributors

This topic applies to: ✓ .NET Core 1.x SDK ✓ .NET Core 2.x SDK

Name

dotnet pack - Packs the code into a NuGet package.

Synopsis

dotnet pack [<PROJECT>] [-c|--configuration] [--force] [--include-source] [--include-symbols] [--no-build] [--no-dependencies]
    [--no-restore] [-o|--output] [--runtime] [-s|--serviceable] [-v|--verbosity] [--version-suffix]
dotnet pack [-h|--help]

Description

The dotnet pack command builds the project and creates NuGet packages. The result of this command is a NuGet package. If the --include-symbols option is present, another package containing the debug symbols is created.

NuGet dependencies of the packed project are added to the .nuspec file, so they're properly resolved when the package is installed. Project-to-project references aren't packaged inside the project. Currently, you must have a package per project if you have project-to-project dependencies.

By default, dotnet pack builds the project first. If you wish to avoid this behavior, pass the --no-build option. This option is often useful in Continuous Integration (CI) build scenarios where you know the code was previously built.

You can provide MSBuild properties to the dotnet pack command for the packing process. For more information, see NuGet metadata properties and the MSBuild Command-Line Reference. The Examples section shows how to use the MSBuild -p switch for a couple of different scenarios.

Note

Starting with .NET Core 2.0, you don't have to run dotnet restore because it's run implicitly by all commands, such as dotnet build and dotnet run, that require a restore to occur. It's still a valid command in certain scenarios where doing an explicit restore makes sense, such as continuous integration builds in Azure DevOps Services or in build systems that need to explicitly control the time at which the restore occurs.

This command also supports the dotnet restore options when passed in the long form (for example, --source). Short form options, such as -s, are not supported.

Arguments

  • PROJECT

    The project to pack. It's either a path to a csproj file or to a directory. If not specified, it defaults to the current directory.

Options

  • -c|--configuration {Debug|Release}

    Defines the build configuration. The default value is Debug.

  • --force

    Forces all dependencies to be resolved even if the last restore was successful. Specifying this flag is the same as deleting the project.assets.json file.

  • -h|--help

    Prints out a short help for the command.

  • --include-source

    Includes the source files in the NuGet package. The sources files are included in the src folder within the nupkg.

  • --include-symbols

    Generates the symbols nupkg.

  • --no-build

    Doesn't build the project before packing. It also implicitly sets the --no-restore flag.

  • --no-dependencies

    Ignores project-to-project references and only restores the root project.

  • --no-restore

    Doesn't execute an implicit restore when running the command.

  • -o|--output <OUTPUT_DIRECTORY>

    Places the built packages in the directory specified.

  • --runtime <RUNTIME_IDENTIFIER>

    Specifies the target runtime to restore packages for. For a list of Runtime Identifiers (RIDs), see the RID catalog.

  • -s|--serviceable

    Sets the serviceable flag in the package. For more information, see .NET Blog: .NET 4.5.1 Supports Microsoft Security Updates for .NET NuGet Libraries.

  • --version-suffix <VERSION_SUFFIX>

    Defines the value for the $(VersionSuffix) MSBuild property in the project.

  • -v|--verbosity <LEVEL>

    Sets the verbosity level of the command. Allowed values are q[uiet], m[inimal], n[ormal], d[etailed], and diag[nostic].

Note

Web projects aren't packable by default. To override the default behavior, add the following property to your .csproj file:

<PropertyGroup>
   <IsPackable>true</IsPackable>
</PropertyGroup>

Examples

  • Pack the project in the current directory:

    dotnet pack

  • Pack the app1 project:

    dotnet pack ~/projects/app1/project.csproj

  • Pack the project in the current directory and place the resulting packages into the nupkgs folder:

    dotnet pack --output nupkgs

  • Pack the project in the current directory into the nupkgs folder and skip the build step:

    dotnet pack --no-build --output nupkgs

  • With the project's version suffix configured as <VersionSuffix>$(VersionSuffix)</VersionSuffix> in the .csproj file, pack the current project and update the resulting package version with the given suffix:

    dotnet pack --version-suffix "ci-1234"

  • Set the package version to 2.1.0 with the PackageVersion MSBuild property:

    dotnet pack -p:PackageVersion=2.1.0

  • Pack the project for a specific target framework:

    dotnet pack -p:TargetFrameworks=net45

  • Pack the project and use a specific runtime (Windows 10) for the restore operation (.NET Core SDK 2.0 and later versions):

    dotnet pack --runtime win10-x64

  • Pack the project using a .nuspec file:

    dotnet pack ~/projects/app1/project.csproj /p:NuspecFile=~/projects/app1/project.nuspec /p:NuspecBasePath=~/projects/app1/nuget