Introduction

With the increasing popularity of cross-platform development, .NET Core has come out as a powerful framework for building applications that can run on various operating systems, including Linux. Deploying a .NET Core application on Linux might seem unsettling, especially if you are new to the platform, but fear not – this article will walk you through the process step by step.

In this article, we will cover multiple methods to deploy a .NET Core application on a Linux server. We will explore options like manual deployment, using a Docker container, and utilizing cloud platforms like Azure and AWS. By the end of this article, you will have a solid understanding of how to deploy your .NET Core application on Linux.

Methods to Deploy a .NET Core Application on Linux:

Method 1: Manual Deployment

1. Compile the Application:

   • Before deploying your .NET Core application on Linux, you must compile it. You can use the dotnet publish command to create a self-contained deployment package.

   dotnet publish -c Release -o ./publish

   This command compiles your application for release and places the output in the publish folder.

2. Transfer the Files:

   • Next, transfer the files from your development environment to the Linux server. You can use tools like scp or rsync for this purpose.

   scp -r ./publish user@your_linux_server:/path/to/destination

3. Install .NET Core Runtime:

   • On the Linux server, make sure you have the .NET Core Runtime installed. You can download and install it from the official .NET website.

4. Run the Application:

   • Navigate to the deployment folder on the Linux server and run your application.

   cd /path/to/destination ./YourApp

Method 2: Using Docker

1. Create a Dockerfile:

   • Docker provides an excellent way to containerize .NET Core applications. Create a Dockerfile in your project directory with the following content:

   FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/aspnet:3.1 WORKDIR /app COPY ./publish . ENTRYPOINT ["dotnet", "YourApp.dll"]

2. Build the Docker Image:

   • Build a Docker image from the Dockerfile using the docker build command.

   docker build -t yourapp-image .

3. Run the Docker Container:

   • Once the image is built, you can run it as a container.

   docker run -d -p 8080:80 --name yourapp-container yourapp-image

Method 3: Using Cloud Platforms

1. Microsoft Azure:

   • Azure provides a comprehensive platform for deploying .NET Core applications. You can use Azure App Service or Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) depending on your requirements.

2. Amazon Web Services (AWS):

   • AWS offers multiple options for deploying .NET Core applications, including AWS Elastic Beanstalk and AWS Fargate. You can choose the one that best suits your needs.

Conclusion

Deploying a .NET Core application on Linux is an important step in making your application accessible to a wider audience. In this article, we have explored three different methods for achieving this goal: manual deployment, Docker containerization, and using cloud platforms like Microsoft Azure and AWS.