Development Tools for building modern C# or .Net App & Most Used Cli Commands ( 01-C)

1 .Net CLI :

This is the command line interface to develop .net applications . You can use the cli to create a solution , create new application, add application to solution, build , test , run , publish applications and many more

Most Common .Net CLI Commands you will need on a regular basis as a .Net developer

> dotnet new --list  # List templates for all types of application
> dotnet --info # Check SDK info
> dotnet --version # Check SDK version

> dotnet new sln -n <MySolution> # Creates a new solution file named MySolution.sln

> dotnet new console -n <MyApp> # Creates a new Console App in a folder called MyApp

> dotnet new webapi -n MyApi           # ASP.NET Core Web API
> dotnet new mvc -n MyMvcApp           # ASP.NET MVC
> dotnet new blazorserver -n MyBlazor  # Blazor Server app
> dotnet new classlib -n MyLibrary     # Class library

> dotnet sln MySolution.sln add MyApp/MyApp.csproj  # Adds the MyApp project to the solution file

> dotnet build # Compiles the app and checks for errors.
> dotnet build MyApp/MyApp.csproj # You can specify a project 
> dotnet restore # Restore packages or dependencies

> dotnet test # Run Tests

> dotnet run --project MyApp #Runs the specified project. 
> dotnet run

> dotnet publish -c Release -o ./publish  # Builds the app and prepares it for deployment into the ./publish folder.
> dotnet publish MyApp/MyApp.csproj -c Release -o ./publish

2. Visual Studio Code (VS Code)

A lightweight, fast, and customizable code editor from Microsoft. Ideal for web, cloud, and cross-platform development.

2. Best for:

   • Web developers

   • .NET Core, JavaScript, Python, Go, etc.

   • Cross-platform use (Windows, macOS, Linux)

   • Download link : 👉 https://code.visualstudio.com/

3. Visual Studio (Full IDE)

A full-featured Integrated Development Environment (IDE) mainly used for .NET and C++ development. It includes advanced debugging, UI designers, code generation, profiling tools, and more.

Best for:

• Windows users building enterprise apps

• ASP.NET Core, Blazor, WPF, Xamarin, and WinForms

• Serious .NET development and large solutions

🔗 Download link:

👉 https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/

Choose “Community Edition” if you’re an individual or student — it’s free

4. WSL 2

WSL 2 lets you run a Linux environment directly inside Windows, including the Linux command line, tools, and apps.

🔹 Best for:

• Developers who want Linux tools on Windows

• Running Docker, bash, Python, Node, etc.

• Full-stack developers working in Linux-based environments

🔗 Download + install guide:

👉 https://learn.microsoft.com/windows/wsl/install

⚠️ You need Windows 10 version 2004+ or Windows 11

5. Docker Desktop

2. A tool that lets you build, run, and manage containers on your local machine. Docker Desktop includes everything needed to run containers using Docker Engine.

   🔹 Best for:

   • Creating isolated dev/test environments

   • Running microservices and APIs

   • Learning DevOps, Kubernetes, and CI/CD

🔗 Download link:

👉 https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop/

⚠️ Requires WSL 2 on Windows for Linux container support.

6. Databases (Optional)

If your application needs to connect to a database , then you have to choose from this major databases .-

• Relational Database

  • Sql Lite

  • MS SQL

  • My SQL

  • Postgres SQL

• Document Database

  • Mongo DB

• Cache