Installing the .NET SDK

What You're Installing

When you install the .NET SDK, you get everything needed to build, run, and publish .NET applications:

• .NET Runtime: Executes your applications
• C# Compiler (Roslyn): Compiles your C# code
• dotnet CLI: Command-line tools for creating and managing projects
• MSBuild: Build system for compiling projects
• NuGet: Package manager for libraries
• Templates: Project templates (console, web, API, etc.)
• Libraries (BCL): Base Class Library with thousands of APIs

Step 1: Download the .NET 8 SDK

Head to the official .NET download page: https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download

Choose Your Operating System

OS	Installer	Notes
Windows	x64 or Arm64 installer (.exe)	Most users want x64
macOS	x64 or Arm64 installer (.pkg)	Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) = Arm64, Intel = x64
Linux	Package manager or binary	Varies by distribution (Ubuntu, Fedora, etc.)

Step 2: Install the SDK

Windows Installation

1. Download the .NET 8 SDK x64 installer (.exe file)
2. Run the installer (double-click the downloaded file)
3. Click "Install" when prompted
4. Wait for installation to complete (usually 1-2 minutes)
5. Click "Close" when finished

macOS Installation

1. Download the appropriate .NET 8 SDK installer (.pkg file)
   • Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3): Download Arm64
   • Intel Mac: Download x64
2. Open the downloaded .pkg file
3. Follow the installation wizard
4. Enter your password when prompted
5. Click "Install"

Linux Installation (Ubuntu/Debian)

For Ubuntu 22.04 or newer, use the package manager:

# Add Microsoft package repository
wget https://packages.microsoft.com/config/ubuntu/22.04/packages-microsoft-prod.deb -O packages-microsoft-prod.deb
sudo dpkg -i packages-microsoft-prod.deb
rm packages-microsoft-prod.deb

# Install .NET SDK
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y dotnet-sdk-8.0

Step 3: Verify Your Installation

Let's confirm .NET is installed correctly. Open a new terminal/command prompt and run:

dotnet --version

You should see output like:

8.0.100

Check Installed SDKs and Runtimes

To see all installed .NET versions:

# List installed SDKs
dotnet --list-sdks

# List installed runtimes
dotnet --list-runtimes

Example output:

# SDKs:
8.0.100 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\sdk]

# Runtimes:
Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 8.0.0 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.AspNetCore.App]
Microsoft.NETCore.App 8.0.0 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.NETCore.App]
Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App 8.0.0 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\shared\Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App]

Step 4: Choose Your Development Environment

You can write .NET code in any text editor, but these IDEs provide the best experience:

Option 1: Visual Studio 2022 (Recommended for Windows)

Visual Studio 2022 is the premier IDE for .NET development on Windows. It's feature-rich, powerful, and free (Community Edition).

Download: https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/downloads/

Installing Visual Studio 2022

1. Download Visual Studio 2022 Community
2. Run the installer
3. Select workloads:
   • ✅ ASP.NET and web development (essential for InvenTrack)
   • ✅ .NET desktop development (optional, for Windows apps)
4. Click "Install" (this takes 10-30 minutes depending on your connection)
5. Launch Visual Studio when installation completes

Option 2: Visual Studio Code (Cross-Platform, Lightweight)

VS Code is a lightweight, fast, cross-platform code editor. Perfect for macOS and Linux users, or Windows users who prefer a lighter tool.

Download: https://code.visualstudio.com/

Setting Up VS Code for .NET

1. Install VS Code
2. Install the C# Dev Kit extension:
   • Open VS Code
   • Click Extensions icon (or press Ctrl+Shift+X)
   • Search for "C# Dev Kit"
   • Click "Install"
3. Restart VS Code

Option 3: JetBrains Rider (Cross-Platform, Professional)

Rider is a powerful, cross-platform .NET IDE from JetBrains. It's paid but offers a 30-day free trial and free licenses for students.

Download: https://www.jetbrains.com/rider/

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Issue: "dotnet: command not found"

Cause: .NET is not in your PATH, or you're using an old terminal session.

Solution:

• Close all terminal windows and open a new one
• On Windows, restart your computer if the issue persists
• On macOS/Linux, check if /usr/local/bin is in your PATH

Issue: Wrong .NET Version Installed

Cause: You installed the Runtime instead of the SDK, or an older version.

Solution:

• Run dotnet --list-sdks to check installed SDKs
• If .NET 8 SDK is missing, download and install it from the official site
• Multiple versions can coexist—you don't need to uninstall old ones

Issue: Permission Denied (Linux/macOS)

Cause: Installation requires administrator privileges.

Solution:

• Use sudo for package manager installations
• For .pkg installers on macOS, enter your password when prompted

Issue: Visual Studio Can't Find .NET SDK

Cause: Visual Studio was installed before the .NET SDK.

Solution:

• Restart Visual Studio
• If that doesn't work, repair Visual Studio from the installer
• Worst case: Reinstall Visual Studio

What's Installed: A Quick Tour

Let's explore what the .NET SDK installed on your system:

The dotnet Command

The dotnet command is your gateway to everything .NET. Try these:

# Get help
dotnet --help

# See all available commands
dotnet --list-sdks
dotnet --list-runtimes

# Get .NET info
dotnet --info

Project Templates

The SDK includes templates for common project types:

# List all available templates
dotnet new list

You'll see templates for:

• console: Console application
• webapi: ASP.NET Core Web API
• mvc: ASP.NET Core MVC app
• webapp: ASP.NET Core Razor Pages
• classlib: Class library
• And many more!

Key Takeaways

• The .NET SDK includes everything needed for development
• Download from dotnet.microsoft.com/download
• Install .NET 8 (LTS) for this guide
• Verify installation with dotnet --version
• Visual Studio 2022 is recommended for Windows
• VS Code is great for macOS/Linux (and Windows too!)
• The dotnet CLI is your primary tool for creating and managing projects
• Multiple .NET versions can coexist on the same machine
• Always open a new terminal after installation