dotnet pack

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This article applies to: ✔️ .NET Core 2.x SDK and later versions

Name

dotnet pack - Packs the code into a NuGet package.

Synopsis

dotnet pack [<PROJECT>|<SOLUTION>] [-c|--configuration <CONFIGURATION>]
    [--force] [--include-source] [--include-symbols] [--interactive]
    [--no-build] [--no-dependencies] [--no-restore] [--nologo]
    [-o|--output <OUTPUT_DIRECTORY>] [--runtime <RUNTIME_IDENTIFIER>]
    [-s|--serviceable] [-v|--verbosity <LEVEL>]
    [--version-suffix <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 (that is, a .nupkg file).

If you want to generate a package that contains the debug symbols, you have two options available:

  • --include-symbols - it creates the symbols package.
  • --include-source - it creates the symbols package with a src folder inside containing the source files.

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.

Note

In some cases, the implicit build cannot be performed. This can occur when GeneratePackageOnBuild is set, to avoid a cyclic dependency between build and pack targets. The build can also fail if there is a locked file or other issue.

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.

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>

Implicit restore

You don't have to run dotnet restore because it's run implicitly by all commands that require a restore to occur, such as dotnet new, dotnet build, dotnet run, dotnet test, dotnet publish, and dotnet pack. To disable implicit restore, use the --no-restore option.

The dotnet restore command is still useful in certain scenarios where explicitly restoring makes sense, such as continuous integration builds in Azure DevOps Services or in build systems that need to explicitly control when the restore occurs.

For information about how to manage NuGet feeds, see the dotnet restore documentation.

This command 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 | SOLUTION

The project or solution to pack. It's either a path to a csproj file, vbproj file, fsproj file, a solution file, or to a directory. If not specified, the command searches the current directory for a project or solution file.

Options

  • -c|--configuration <CONFIGURATION>

    Defines the build configuration. The default for most projects is Debug, but you can override the build configuration settings in your project.

  • --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 debug symbols NuGet packages in addition to the regular NuGet packages in the output directory. The sources files are included in the src folder within the symbols package.

  • --include-symbols

    Includes the debug symbols NuGet packages in addition to the regular NuGet packages in the output directory.

  • --interactive

    Allows the command to stop and wait for user input or action (for example, to complete authentication). Available since .NET Core 3.0 SDK.

  • --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.

  • --nologo

    Doesn't display the startup banner or the copyright message. Available since .NET Core 3.0 SDK.

  • -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].

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:

    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

    For information about how to use NuspecFile, NuspecBasePath, and NuspecProperties, see the following resources: