How to build .NET Framework executable that includes dependencies

Question

I'm new to .NET, and have the following issue: I've written a simple application that references a few NuGet packages. I'd like to create an executable for my project, that can be run on one of our Windows servers. The myproject.exe file that Visual Studio generates for me doesn't seem to include the referenced NuGet packages, which mean I can't copy the myproject.exe file over to our Windows server and run it there.

How can I go about creating an .exe file that includes all the dependencies my application requires, so that it can be run on our Windows server?

Executable can not be include all the dependencies. You might want to consider creating an installer packager which you can run on the server to install the exe along with all the dependencies. — Chetan
– Chetan, Commented Dec 5, 2019 at 10:41
Possible duplicate of Can a .NET windows application be compressed into a single .exe? — GSerg
– GSerg, Commented Dec 5, 2019 at 10:42
@GSerg It could be, but I don't think want the asker is really trying to achieve (it should not be necessary to ILMerge to run this on a Windows Server unless their deployment strategy only allows them to move one file). — Adam
– Adam, Commented Dec 5, 2019 at 10:46

Adam · Accepted Answer · 2019-12-05 10:42:17Z

2

You could consider ILMerge if a single executable is really what you are after (see https://github.com/dotnet/ILMerge).

However, that shouldn't be necessary to run your application on a Windows Server. The bin directory, by default, usually contains everything you need to deploy your solution (so all of its contents as well as your executable should be copied).

answered Dec 5, 2019 at 10:42

Adam

3577 silver badges23 bronze badges

Sign up to request clarification or add additional context in comments.

4 Comments

protoken Over a year ago

Thanks for the information. So it's common in the .NET community to simply zip down the exe + dll files, ship them over to a server, unzip and run?

Adam Over a year ago

@protoken Yes, unless your application is very simple it is unlikely to just require a single executable. In a more complex environment you may not need to copy all of the DLLs if some are already on the target machine (in something called the global assembly cache, see learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/framework/app-domains/gac). I wouldn't worry about that complication though until you have a real need to use the GAC (it's much easier to just provide your dependencies in your application's immediate probing path by copying the whole bin folder).

Adam Over a year ago

@protoken Just to add that there are other deployment strategies, such as creating an MSI installer to deploy all the files you require on to a target machine, which you would want to do if deploying to a wider audience. But if you are deploying to a single server under your control then again, it's not a complication you need to worry about (if you want something beyond copying a zip file, consider using your build process/server to deploy or exploring something like ClickOnce, see docs.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/deployment/…).

protoken Over a year ago

Thanks for the information. I'm on the fence deciding on whether to go for the zip approach or simply put everything in a Docker container and deploy that. Anyways, thanks for your input!

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

How to build .NET Framework executable that includes dependencies

1 Answer 1

4 Comments

Your Answer

Linked

Hot Network Questions

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

1 Answer 1

4 Comments

Your Answer

Sign up or log in

Post as a guest

Linked

Related