How to set up a development environment for .NET on Ubuntu¶

Installing .NET¶

There are multiple methods for installing the .NET toolchain on Ubuntu:

Using the dotnet snap – a .NET toolchain installer that makes it easy to install the latest releases of .NET SDKs/runtimes in parallel.
Using Ubuntu packages from Ubuntu package feeds – official packages maintained by the Ubuntu team and installed through the Ubuntu package-management system.
Using Microsoft packages from the Microsoft package feed – official packages maintained by Microsoft and installed through the Ubuntu package-management system.
Using Microsoft’s installation script – a script you download and run in your terminal that allows you to install any .NET release.
Manual installation – download the release binaries as a tarball and install them manually.

Warning

It’s recommended to install the .NET toolchain from.Do not mix multiple installation methods, as this may lead to problems when applications try to resolve a specific version of .NET or when you try to update your installation to a new release.

Deciding how to install .NET¶

Tip

We recommend to use the dotnet snap as we created it specifically to make installing .NET on Ubuntu easy, but there are cases where this may not fit your needs.

With the many options available to install .NET on Ubuntu, it can seem overwhelming at first, which method to choose. Below you find an overview and more details for specific cases that should help you select an installation method:

        %%{init: {"flowchart": {"htmlLabels": false}} }%%
flowchart TD
    NeedNewerFeatureBands{{"`Do you need a higher<br>SDK feature band?<br>(higher than x.x.1xx)`"}}
    NeedPreviewsOrOlderVersions{{"`Do you need preview or older (unsupported) versions?`"}}
    WhichArch1{{"`What is the architecture of your system you want to install .NET on?`"}}
    WhichArch2{{"`What is the architecture of your system you want to install .NET on?`"}}
    WhichArch3{{"`What is the architecture of your system you want to install .NET on?`"}}
    NeedAPT{{"`Do you prefer to use APT?`"}}
    UsesAmd64JammyOrNewer{{"`Do you want to install .NET on Ubuntu 22.04 or newer?`"}}
    UsesArm64JammyOrNewer{{"`Do you want to install .NET on Ubuntu 22.04 or newer?`"}}
    UsesS390xOrPowerJammyOrNewer{{"`Do you want to install .NET on Ubuntu 22.04 or newer?`"}}
    
    UbuntuPackagesInstallation["`Use Ubuntu packages`"]
    SnapInstallation["`**Use the <c>dotnet</c> Snap**`"]
    MicrosoftPackagesInstallation1["`Use Microsoft packages`"]
    MicrosoftPackagesInstallation2["`Use Microsoft packages`"]
    MicrosoftScriptInstallation1["`Use the Microsoft<br>installer script`"]
    MicrosoftScriptInstallation2["`Use the Microsoft<br>installer script`"]
    MicrosoftScriptInstallation3["`Use the Microsoft<br>installer script`"]
    NoInstallation1["`Unfortunately there exists no supported installation method for this case`"]
    NoInstallation2["`Unfortunately there exists no supported installation method for this case`"]
    NoInstallation3["`Unfortunately there exists no supported installation method for this case`"]

    NeedNewerFeatureBands -- Yes --> WhichArch1
    NeedNewerFeatureBands -- No --> NeedPreviewsOrOlderVersions
    WhichArch1 -- x64 --> MicrosoftPackagesInstallation1
    WhichArch1 -- arm64 or arm32 --> MicrosoftScriptInstallation1
    WhichArch1 -- other --> NoInstallation1

    NeedPreviewsOrOlderVersions -- No ----> WhichArch3
    NeedPreviewsOrOlderVersions -- Yes --> WhichArch2
    WhichArch2 -- x64, arm64 or arm32 --> MicrosoftScriptInstallation2
    WhichArch2 -- other --> NoInstallation2
    

    WhichArch3 -- x64 --> UsesAmd64JammyOrNewer
    WhichArch3 -- arm64 --> UsesArm64JammyOrNewer
    WhichArch3 -- arm32 --> MicrosoftScriptInstallation3
    WhichArch3 -- s390x or ppc64el --> UsesS390xOrPowerJammyOrNewer
    WhichArch3 -- other --> NoInstallation3

    UsesAmd64JammyOrNewer -- No --> MicrosoftPackagesInstallation2
    UsesAmd64JammyOrNewer -- Yes --> NeedAPT

    UsesArm64JammyOrNewer -- Yes --> NeedAPT
    UsesArm64JammyOrNewer -- No --> MicrosoftScriptInstallation3

    UsesS390xOrPowerJammyOrNewer -- Yes --> UbuntuPackagesInstallation
    UsesS390xOrPowerJammyOrNewer -- No ---> NoInstallation3

    NeedAPT -- No --> SnapInstallation
    NeedAPT -- Yes --> UbuntuPackagesInstallation

Method	Pros	Cons
`dotnet` snap	easy & simple installation experience	currently only supports `x64` and `arm64` system architectures currently only supports Ubuntu 22.04+
Ubuntu packages	supports IBM System Z and POWER system architectures for .NET 8+	some .NET versions are only available after installing an APT repository by default, non-security updates are made available with a delay of 1+ week(s); APT can be configured to install them as soon as they are available only supports Ubuntu 22.04+
Microsoft packages	supports Ubuntu 16.04, 18.04, 20.04 higher SDK feature bands are available (> x.x.1xx)	requires installing an APT repository APT may needs to be configure to resolve conflicts with Ubuntu packages no support for Ubuntu 24.04+¹ only supports the `x64` system architecture
Microsoft’s scripted / manual installation	control where .NET is installed preview releases are available old (unsupported) versions of .NET are available higher SDK feature bands are available (> x.x.1xx) supports the `arm32` system architecture	error-prone updates need to be installed manually dependencies have to be installed manually no support for IBM System Z and POWER system architectures

¹ Clarification: Canonical maintains .NET packages since 2023. The maintainer team has asked Microsoft to discontinue their package feed for newer Ubuntu versions in favor of Canonical Ubuntu packages.

Installing .NET with the `dotnet` snap¶

Install the dotnet snap:

sudo snap install --classic --edge dotnet

Now you are effectively done. If you run the dotnet command without any .NET component installed, the snap automatically installs the latest .NET LTS SDK before proceeding with the invoked command.

Listing installed/available components and versions¶

To list components and versions that are installed or available for installation, run the following command in a terminal:

dotnet-installer list

Tip

By default, unsupported (end of life) versions are not listed. To list all available versions, add the --all flag.

Example output:

~$ dotnet-installer list

┌────────────┬────────────────────┬──────────────────────┬─────────────────────┬─────────────┐

│ Version    │ .NET Runtime       │ ASP.NET Core Runtime │ SDK                 │ End of Life │

├────────────┼────────────────────┼──────────────────────┼─────────────────────┼─────────────┤

│ .NET 9 │ Available [9.0.2] │ Available [9.0.2] │ Available [9.0.103] │ 5/12/2026 ││ .NET 8 LTS │ Installed [8.0.13] │ Installed [8.0.13] │ Installed [8.0.113] │ 11/10/2026 │

└────────────┴────────────────────┴──────────────────────┴─────────────────────┴─────────────┘

Installing .NET components¶

To install a .NET component, run the following command:

dotnet-installer install [<component> [<versison>]]

Valid values for the <component> parameter are:

runtime: installs the .NET runtime (without the components needed to run ASP.NET Core apps)
aspnetcore-runtime: installs the ASP.NET Core runtime
sdk (default): installs the .NET SDK (including the .NET runtime with the components needed to run ASP.NET Core apps)

Valid values for the <version> parameter are:

lts: installs the latest .NET LTS release
latest (default): installs the latest .NET release
9.0: installs .NET 9.0
9: installs .NET 9.0
8.0: installs .NET 8.0
8: installs .NET 8.0
6.0: installs .NET 6.0
6: installs .NET 6.0

Examples:

To install the runtime of the latest .NET release, run:
```
dotnet-installer install runtime latest
```
To install the SDK of the latest .NET LTS release, run:
```
dotnet-installer install sdk lts
```
To install the .NET 8 ASP.NET Core runtime, run:
```
dotnet-installer install aspnetcore-runtime 8
```
To install the .NET 9 SDK, run:
```
dotnet-installer install sdk 9.0
```

Uninstalling .NET components¶

To install a .NET component, run the following command:

dotnet-installer remove <component> <versison>

The command works similar to the dotnet installer install command (documented above) – just uninstalling instead of installing. One difference to the syntax of the installation command is that the parameters <component> and <version> are required.

Uninstalling the `dotnet` snap¶

To remove the dotnet snap and all installed components, run:

snap remove dotnet

Installing .NET from Microsoft packages¶

For this installation method, see Microsoft’s documentation: Install .NET SDK or .NET Runtime on Ubuntu.

Installing .NET with the Microsoft installation script¶

For this installation method, see Microsoft’s documentation: Install .NET on Linux by using an install script or by extracting binaries.

Installing .NET manually¶

For this installation method, see Microsoft’s documentation: Manual install.

Checking installed versions and components¶

To display installed .NET SDKs, runtimes, and other useful information, run the following command:

dotnet --info

To list installed .NET SDKs, run the following command:

dotnet --list-sdks

To list installed .NET runtimes, run the following command:

dotnet --list-runtimes

Example output:

~$ dotnet --info

.NET SDK: Version: 8.0.113 Commit: 67977f6ab7 Workload version: 8.0.100-manifests.bbbf61fd Runtime Environment: OS Name: ubuntu OS Version: 24.04 OS Platform: Linux RID: ubuntu.22.04-x64 Base Path: /var/snap/dotnet/common/dotnet/sdk/8.0.113/ .NET workloads installed: Workload version: 8.0.100-manifests.bbbf61fdThere are no installed workloads to display. Host: Version: 9.0.1 Architecture: x64 Commit: 1cf154a56d .NET SDKs installed: 8.0.113 [/var/snap/dotnet/common/dotnet/sdk] .NET runtimes installed: Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 8.0.13 [/var/snap/dotnet/common/dotnet/shared/Microsoft.AspNetCore.App] Microsoft.NETCore.App 8.0.13 [/var/snap/dotnet/common/dotnet/shared/Microsoft.NETCore.App] Other architectures found: None Environment variables: Not set global.json file: Not found Learn more: https://aka.ms/dotnet/info Download .NET: https://aka.ms/dotnet/download

~$ dotnet --list-sdks

8.0.113 [/var/snap/dotnet/common/dotnet/sdk]

~$ dotnet --list-runtimes

Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 8.0.13 [/var/snap/dotnet/common/dotnet/shared/Microsoft.AspNetCore.App]Microsoft.NETCore.App 8.0.13 [/var/snap/dotnet/common/dotnet/shared/Microsoft.NETCore.App]

Setting up a .NET IDE¶

Many editors and IDEs (Integrated Development Environment) come with various degrees of support for .NET workloads. Here are some popular ones:

JetBrains Rider¶

JetBrains Rider currently offers the best developer experience for .NET projects on Linux. It integrates extensive debugging and profiling tools. It is free for non-commercial use.

To install JetBrains Rider, run the following command:

sudo snap install rider --classic

Visual Studio Code¶

The following popular .NET extensions are available for VS Code:

Extension	Description	Terms
C#:	Base language support for C#	free
C# Dev Kit	Extended language support and builds on top of the “C#” extension	free for individuals, academia, and open-source development paid for organizations see details
Ionide for F#	F# language support	free

Extension

Description

Terms

C#:

Base language support for C#

free

C# Dev Kit

Extended language support and builds on top of the “C#” extension

free for individuals, academia, and open-source development
paid for organizations

see details

Ionide for F#

F# language support

free

To install VS Code run the following command:

sudo snap install code --classic

VS Codium¶

The following popular .NET extensions are available for VS Codium:

Extension	Description	Terms
C#:	Base language support for C# (fork of the Microsoft extension that replaces the proprietary debugger with Samsung’s FOSS .NET debugger)	free
Ionide for F#	F# language support	free

Extension

Description

Terms

C#:

Base language support for C#

(fork of the Microsoft extension that replaces the proprietary debugger with Samsung’s FOSS .NET debugger)

free

Ionide for F#

F# language support

free

To install VS Codium, run the following command:

sudo snap install codium --classic

What next¶

See the tutorial introducing the use of .NET and related tooling: Develop with .NET on Ubuntu.

How to set up a development environment for .NET on Ubuntu¶

Installing .NET¶

Deciding how to install .NET¶

Installing .NET with the `dotnet` snap¶

Listing installed/available components and versions¶

Installing .NET components¶

Uninstalling .NET components¶

Uninstalling the `dotnet` snap¶

Installing .NET from Ubuntu packages¶

Installing proposed .NET updates¶

Motivation¶

Adding the Ubuntu proposed updates APT repository¶

Configuring APT to install proposed .NET updates¶

Disabling installation of proposed updates¶

Installing .NET from Microsoft packages¶

Installing .NET with the Microsoft installation script¶

Installing .NET manually¶

Checking installed versions and components¶

Setting up a .NET IDE¶

JetBrains Rider¶

Visual Studio Code¶

VS Codium¶

What next¶

How to set up a development environment for .NET on Ubuntu¶

Installing .NET¶

Deciding how to install .NET¶

Installing .NET with the dotnet snap¶

Listing installed/available components and versions¶

Installing .NET components¶

Uninstalling .NET components¶

Uninstalling the dotnet snap¶

Installing .NET from Ubuntu packages¶

Installing proposed .NET updates¶

Motivation¶

Adding the Ubuntu proposed updates APT repository¶

Configuring APT to install proposed .NET updates¶

Disabling installation of proposed updates¶

Installing .NET from Microsoft packages¶

Installing .NET with the Microsoft installation script¶

Installing .NET manually¶

Checking installed versions and components¶

Setting up a .NET IDE¶

JetBrains Rider¶

Visual Studio Code¶

VS Codium¶

What next¶

Installing .NET with the `dotnet` snap¶

Uninstalling the `dotnet` snap¶