ado-dotnet-build-publish

cleared

Azure Pipelines .NET CI using DotNetCoreCLI@2 for restore, build, and publish, plus PublishBuildArtifacts@1. Covers Linux zip publish, Windows MSDeploy web package patterns, optional extra artifacts (publish profiles), and variable groups with local csproj/sln paths. Use when authoring ADO YAML for .NET before git deploy, Azure Web App deployment, or manual release.

files.json SKILL.md

---
name: ado-dotnet-build-publish
description: >-
  Azure Pipelines .NET CI using DotNetCoreCLI@2 for restore, build, and
  publish, plus PublishBuildArtifacts@1. Covers Linux zip publish, Windows
  MSDeploy web package patterns, optional extra artifacts (publish profiles),
  and variable groups with local csproj/sln paths. Use when authoring ADO YAML
  for .NET before git deploy, Azure Web App deployment, or manual release.
---

# Azure Pipelines: .NET build and publish

## Prerequisites

- Solution / project paths known (`*.sln`, `*.csproj`).
- Variable group(s) for shared non-secret settings and secrets (NuGet feeds, connection strings if needed at build time).
- Target framework and publish style agreed (Linux zip vs Windows web-deploy package).

## Layout

1. **`variables:`** — `group:` for shared settings; local `csproj` / `sln` path variables (see **`ci-cd-pipeline-foundation`**).
2. **`stages`** — Build job on `ubuntu-latest`, or `windows-*` when MSDeploy / IIS packaging needs Windows.
3. **`DotNetCoreCLI@2`** — `restore` (solution), `build`, then `publish` with `publishWebProjects: false` when targeting a specific `.csproj`.
4. **`PublishBuildArtifacts@1`** — publish `$(Build.ArtifactStagingDirectory)/...` or the zip output folder.

Give every task a `name:` and `displayName:`.

## Publish modes

| Mode | Typical `arguments` / inputs |
|------|------------------------------|
| **Linux folder + zip** | `-c Release -o $(Build.ArtifactStagingDirectory)/MyApp.Web` with `zipAfterPublish: true` → one zip for `AzureRmWebAppDeployment@4` `packageForLinux` |
| **Windows web deploy package** | `/p:WebPublishMethod=Package /p:PackageAsSingleFile=true` and `PackageLocation` under `Build.ArtifactStagingDirectory`; set `zipAfterPublish: false` when the publish task already emits the package folder + `.zip` |

Discover MSBuild properties from the repo; do not assume paths from unrelated samples.

## Full-stack (Node + .NET)

Run frontend `npm` / `yarn` steps (see **`ado-nodejs-build`**) **before** `DotNetCoreCLI@2` when static files must land in `wwwroot` or another publish output folder.

## Tests

Add `DotNetCoreCLI@2` with `command: test` when tests are required or `*.Tests.csproj` exists—typically between build and publish.

## Downstream deploy

- **Git deploy + ExtractFiles** — align artifact name and zip path with **`cd-azure-devops-git-deploy`**.
- **Azure Web App** — **`ado-azure-webapp-deployment`**.
- **Linux zip + StartupCommand** — the published zip path must match `packageForLinux`.

## YAML

See [reference.md](reference.md) for Linux and Windows skeletons.